DAAD Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS)

Monthly payment of EUR 992 for master's students (EUR 1,400 for doctoral candidates in the rare doctoral cases), plus health, accident and liability insurance contributions and a travel allowance. Rent subsidy and family allowance may apply. Lasts 12 to 42 months depending on the course.

Fields: Development studies, Economics and finance, Engineering, Agriculture and food, Environment and climate, Health and medicine, Social sciences, Public policy and governance

Citizens of African countries

• You must come from a developing or newly industrialised country on the DAAD country list. Nigeria is selectable in the DAAD database, and the 'country' means where you live and apply from.
• You need a bachelor's degree (normally four years) in a related subject with results in the upper third, and at least two years of related professional experience after the bachelor's.
• Your degree should normally be no more than six years old, and you must not have lived in Germany for more than 15 months at the application deadline.
• You should work for a public authority or company in a developing country and show a development-related motivation to bring about change after your studies.
• English-taught courses need IELTS or TOEFL as set by each course (institutional TOEFL is not accepted). German-taught courses need at least B1 at application and DSH 2 or TestDaF 4 before the course starts.

Set by each course, not by DAAD. The DAAD list for the 2027/28 intake (dated June 2026) says 'see website of the course' for every course, so check each course page. Many courses are 24 months long and start in autumn.

Deadlines move a little every year and some close early. Confirm the date on the official page before you plan around it.

• Signed checklist and the EPOS application form
• Europass CV in reverse chronological order with no unexplained gaps
• One motivation letter for all your chosen courses, explaining your choices and their priority
• Recommendation letter from your current employer on letterhead, signed, stamped and recently dated
• Employment certificates showing at least two years of relevant work, ideally with a re-employment guarantee
• Recent English test result (IELTS or TOEFL), or German certificate if required
• Degree certificates and full transcript of records, with certified translations if not in English or German

1. 1

   Step 1: Pick courses from the EPOS list

   Use the DAAD EPOS course list for the 2027/28 intake and check each course website for its deadline, language and extra documents. EPOS courses are listed as ready-made master's programmes.
2. 2

   Step 2: Apply directly to the course

   Send your application to the course, not to DAAD. You may apply to up to three courses and must rank them in your motivation letter. Applications sent to DAAD are not forwarded.
3. 3

   Step 3: Wait for the course selection

   A selection committee at the course proposes candidates to DAAD.
4. 4

   Step 4: Upload to the DAAD portal if suggested

   DAAD contacts the candidates proposed by the courses and asks them to upload the full application to the DAAD portal. Keep PDF copies of every document ready.
5. 5

   Step 5: Receive the final decision

   DAAD finalises the selection and notifies candidates. Applications must be complete and in English or German.

• The page does not state a formal return-home rule, but applicants are expected to support change in their home institution after the course. Employers are often asked for a re-employment guarantee.

• Start with your employer letter. It must be on letterhead, signed, stamped and dated close to your application, and delays here sink many applications.
• Choose three courses that suit your job, not just the best known ones, and explain the ranking clearly in one motivation letter.
• Book IELTS or TOEFL early, because only some tests are accepted and the certificate must be recent.
• Check each course page for its own deadline before anything else, since they differ and some courses admit only every second year.

Winning the award does not include the visa. Plan your application with our guide for the host country.

• Germany student visa

Checked against these official pages on 17 Oct 2026.

• DAAD scholarship database: EPOS (opens in a new tab)
• DAAD EPOS application deadlines for the 2027/28 intake (opens in a new tab)