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Scholarship Database

Here you can find information on various kinds of DAAD funding for students, graduates and postdocs as well as on funding offered by other selected organisations.

Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of the Performing Arts • DAAD

Objective

This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to continue your education in Germany with a postgraduate or continuing course of study. The scholarships also promote the exchange of experience and networking amongst colleagues.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you have gained a first university degree in the field of the Performing Arts at the latest by the time you commence your scholarship-supported study programme.

What can be funded?

In this study programme, you can complete

  • a Master's degree course/postgraduate degree course leading to a final qualification at a state or state-recognised German university of your choice,
    or
  • complementary course without degree (not an undergraduate course) at a state or state-recognised German university of your choice. This can be either a study year in Germany as part of your study programme at your home university or an independent project or complementary study course with a professor/an instructor in Germany. The connection to a university in the fields of art in Germany is mandatory and needs to be verified with the confirmation of supervision.
Funding for a Master's degree programme/a postgraduate degree programme that has already started in Germany cannot be granted.

If you are enrolled in a Master or postgraduate degree programme which includes a study period abroad, funding for this period abroad is usually only possible under the following conditions:
  • The study visit is essential for achievement of the scholarship objective,
  • the visit does not take place in the home country,
  • and it is no longer than a quarter of the scholarship period (for joint and double-degree programmes up to 50%, if this is specified in the study regulations). Longer periods cannot be funded, even partially.

Please note:
This programme only funds projects in the artistic field of the Performing Arts (Drama, Theatre Directing/Theatre Dramaturgy, Musicals, Performance Studies, Dance, Choreography). Other DAAD scholarship programmes are available for applicants from the fields of Theatre and Dance Studies or for artists with a scientific project.

Duration of the funding

Master's degree/Postgraduate degree course:
  • Between 10 and 24 months depending on the length of the chosen study programme or project
  • Start: usually from 1st October of the following year (depending on the start of your study programme), or earlier if a German language course is taken prior to the study programme
  • The scholarships are awarded for the duration of the standard period of study for the chosen study programme (up to a maximum of 24 months). Please state the entire period for which you wish to apply for funding in your application. If you are planning a 2-year degree programme, you must indicate two years as the desired scholarship duration in your application. After the first year of study, your academic achievements will be assessed. If this shows that you will successfully complete your programme within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned.
Complementary studies not leading to a final qualification:
  • One academic year. This can be either a study year in Germany as part of your study programme at your home university or an independent project or complementary study course with a professor/an instructor in Germany.
  • Start: usually from 1st October of the following year, or earlier if a German language course is taken prior to the study programme

Value

  • A monthly payment of 992 euros
  • Travel allowance
  • One-off study allowance
  • Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
Under certain circumstances, scholarship holders may receive the following additional benefits:
  • Monthly rent subsidy (please read the important scholarship information / section F, point 9)
  • Monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3.
  • In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs incurred abroad that are necessary to realise the project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 8)
  • Green Mobility Top Up (Support for climate-friendly travel) or reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel

To enable scholarship holders to learn German in preparation for their stay in the country, DAAD offers the following services:
  • Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
  • if necessary: German language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the study visit in Germany; the DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and project. Participation in a German language course is compulsory if the language of instruction or working language is German at the German host institution.
  • Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
  • Reimbursement of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home country after you have received your Letter of Award or in Germany during your funding period.

Please note that the DAAD does not cover tuition fees.

Selection

After you have uploaded your application documents to the DAAD portal, the DAAD will first carry out a formal check. It will be checked whether the application requirements have been met and whether the application is complete. If this is the case, you will be asked to submit your work samples.
A special DAAD committee made up of professors/instructors from German art, music and film schools is responsible for the final decision about scholarships in the fields of Acting/Drama, Theatre Direction/Theatre Dramaturgy, Musical, Performance Studies, Dance and Choreography. The decision is based upon the written application and work samples which have to be submitted (details about the work samples: www.daad.de/extrainfo).

Selection criteria

  • the artistic qualification and artistic maturity, measured by study achievements and work samples
  • the quality of the project as measured by the study plan and the letter of motivation

In addition, the selection committee will give due consideration to aspects of equal opportunities, on which you can provide information in the application form.
For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.

Further information

Confirmation of a scholarship does not automatically guarantee admission to one of the universities. The respective university decides whether or not to offer scholarship holders a place. In most cases, applicants are required to take an entrance examination.
Please inform yourself about admission requirements and application deadlines and interview dates at your chosen university, and bear in mind that these may be several months before the planned start of your studies or even before the DAAD awards the scholarship.
We cannot cover the costs of the entrance examination. A Scholarship Award Letter from the DAAD is only valid if you have been admitted to study at the host university named in your application.

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