The NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship is jointly awarded by the DAAD and the NRF to full-time Master and PhD students in all fields of study, registered at any South African university.

NRF Requirements:

• A South African citizenship or a permanent South African residency is a requirement for the scholarship.
• Applicants must be 30 (Masters) or 32 (PhD) years of age, or younger in the year of application.
• The NRF’s minimum academic requirement for postgraduate funding is 65%.

NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship holders are eligible for exciting funding and networking opportunities in addition to the scholarship they have received for their full-time Master or PhD degree in South Africa. The NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship is especially interesting to applicants who would like to gain research experience in South Africa and in Germany.

1. A short-term research scholarship

Overview

• Funding duration: 3-6 months
• Applications should be made at least 4 months before the intended research stay on the DAAD Portal
• After completion of the research stay, the scholarship holder still needs to have a minimum of 4 months left before completing their degree, so that the research that has been done in Germany can be incorporated into the current research project in South Africa

Benefits

• a monthly scholarship rate for living expenses of 992 € per month (for Master students) or 1.300 € per month (for PhD candidates)
• health/accident/personal liability insurance
• a lump sum for travel expenses

Find out everything you need to know about the Short-term Research Stay in Germany.

2. Interdisciplinary Summer Schools in Germany

Scholarship holders are eligible to apply for one of five interdisciplinary summer schools offered in Germany during their funding period:

• Heidelberg University – Enhancing Academic Qualifications in Teaching and Research in Global Health (28 July – 22 August 2025)
• TH Köln, University of Applied Sciences – Coping with Climate Extremes (30 August – 21 September 2025)
• Leipzig University – Green IDEAS – Innovators, Doers and Entrepeneurs at Summer School (20 August – 9 September 2025)
• Osnabrück University – GeoTraining 2025 – Environmental and Remote Sensing Data Analysis via Geospatial Technologies in Research and Teaching (7 September – 29 September 2025)

Info-Session to prepare your application:

Info-Session: Presentations

Info-Session Recording

Passcode: ..qu+*g7

Applications are made directly to the NRF in July of each year. 

Please note: The name of the Call is ‘NRF Postgraduate Scholarships’. 

Applications for 2024 are closed. Deadline: 19 July 2024