Applying for a scholarship
The Heinrich Böll Foundation's Scholarship Program awards undergraduate and doctoral scholarships to German and international students and doctoral candidates.
The Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung grants graduate and PhD scholarships to international students and PhD candidates from the EU and DAC countries.
Each year, we run two application procedures. The deadlines are 1 March and 1 September.
For details about our scholarships, please refer to our pages "Application for a graduate scholarship" or "Application for a PhD scholarship".
Your application process will have six steps:
- As a first step, check whether you will be able to submit your application in time for the next deadline and whether you meet the formal requirements.
- Educate yourself about the application formalities and the application process.
- Start compiling the required documents early (such as expert reports).
- Register for the online portal (starting 6 weeks before the deadline).
- Complete the required information and documents for your application in the online portal.
- Don't forget to submit your online application after uploading your documents.
We wish you every success with your application!
Further information
Before you start preparing your application, please review our info pages and read our mission statement as well as our info sheets for graduate students and PhD candidates.
Application forms
Application for a "graduate scholarship"
Welcome to our pages detailing the application procedure for a Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung graduate scholarship for international applicants. Here, you will find information on our deadlines, eligibility requirements and timelines, and where to find answers to any additional questions you may have. At the bottom of the page, you will find our application forms.
Our next application deadlines:
Fall 2026: 15 July 2026 until 1 September 2026
Spring 2027: 15 January 2027 until 1 March 2027
Who can apply?
Students:
International students who have completed their first degree abroad can apply prior to starting a Master's degree program in Germany.
Students of all disciplines may apply to study full-time at a state-recognized university.
Priority is given to applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time of their application.
Application for a "PhD scholarship"
Welcome to our pages detailing the application procedure for a Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung PhD scholarship for international applicants. Here, you will find information on our deadlines, eligibility requirements and timelines, and where to find answers to any additional questions you may have.
Our next application deadlines:
Fall 2026: 15 July 2026 until 1 September 2026
Spring 2027: 15 January 2027 until 1 March 2027
Who can apply?
PhD students:
International PhD students who have completed their graduate degree abroad may apply for a PhD program in Germany.
Priority is given to international applicants from DAC countries who have not yet taken up residence in Germany at the time of their application.
We only accept applications submitted via our online portal.
Please understand that we can only consider complete applications, with this one exception:
- While you should make an effort to submit your certificate of enrollment (or at least a confirmation of university admission) along with your application, this document may be submitted at a later point, but no later than the interview in the third stage of the selection process. If this is not possible, please let us know by when you will submit your enrollment certificate.
- Please complete the application using only Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Since space on the application form is limited, please stay within the sections provided. Your full answer must be legible on a paper printout. This also applies to the expert opinions and the reference on your civic engagement).
Once you submit your final application in the portal, you will immediately receive a confirmation email. After that, you will no longer be able to log into the portal.
