2023/2024 NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship for South Africans

The NRF–DAAD In–Country Scholarship agenda for South African students, supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), finances PhD studies at South African Institutions. The scheme assures that brilliant young South African scientists are offered an opportunity to further world–class discipline–specific postgraduate qualifications by providing scholarship grants to them.

In conjunction with the National Research Foundation (NRF) in South Africa, DAAD awards grants for Master’s and PhD degrees at South African Universities to South African citizens or permanent South African residents as part of its In-Country/In-Region Scholarship Programme.

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

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Eligibility Conditions for the 2023/2024 NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship

To be eligible for the 2023/2024 NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship, applicants are required to have met the conditions below:

• South African citizenship or a permanent South African residency is a requirement for the scholarship.
• Applicants must be 30 years of age (for Masters) or  32 years of age (for Ph.D.) or younger in the year of application.
• The NRF minimum academic requirement for postgraduate funding is 65%.
• The scholarships are intended to support honors, master’s, and doctoral candidates to pursue studies in all areas of Science, Engineering, Technology, Social Sciences, and Humanities.
• The FCS funding will be granted to South African citizens and Permanent Residents only, who are either financially needy (i.e., those whose combined household family income is less than or equal to R350 000 per annum), living with a disability, or have exceptional academic achievers.

MERITS OF SCHOLARSHIP

• Successful applicants will be financed either at Full Cost of Study (FCS) or Partial Cost of Study (PCS).
• However, the PCS funding will be awarded to 5% of international students including South African citizens and Permanent Residents who could not be financed under FCS, but meet other minimum requirements for the NRF scholarship funding criteria.

NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship holders are also eligible for amazing grants and networking opportunities in addition to the scholarship they have obtained for their full-time Master or PhD degree in South Africa:

1. Scholarship holders are eligible to apply for a short-term research stay in Germany. More Information here: NRF-DAAD Short-term Stay Germany Leaflet
2. Scholarship holders are eligible to apply for one of five interdisciplinary summer schools offered in Germany during their funding period:
   • University of Frankfurt –  Environmental and Remote Sensing Data Analysis via Geospatial Technologies in Research and Teaching  (27th August – 18th September 2023)
   • Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) – Education and Research orientated Training in Health Sciences (1st August – 31st August 2023 )
   • Heidelberg University – Enhancing Academic Qualifications in Teaching and Research in Global Health (8th August – 31st August 2023)
   • University of Applied Sciences Cologne (TH Köln) – Climate Change Adaptation: Risk Assessment and Design of Interventions (CC-Adapt) (12th August – 3rd September 2023)
   • University of Leipzig – Innovators, Doers and Entrepreneurs [at] summer school (IDEAS) (3rd – 24th September; Virtual Conference: 26th – 30th June, 24th – 28th July, 18th – 20th October  2023)

Students Application Closing Schedule

Application Deadline: 11 July 2023

2023/2024 NRF-DAAD In-Country Scholarship for South Africans