(These FAQ refer to DAAD Applications for Research Grants and Study ...
application form be filled in, the CV, motivation letter or research proposal etc.
DAAD Scholarships - Frequently asked questions (These FAQ refer to DAAD Applications for Research Grants and Study Scholarships, including Scholarships for Artists) For the DAAD scholarships in Israel only Israelis can apply!
1. Do I really need to submit my Bagrut? 2. What do you mean by certified photocopies and authenticated translations of diplomas and Bagrut? 3. (Degree) Diplomas 4. Do I need to be admitted to a German university when applying for a study scholarship for a Master program? 5. When will the interview take place? 6. In which language will the interview be, in which language should the application form be filled in, the CV, motivation letter or research proposal etc. be written? 7. Can I have a telephone interview instead or be interviewed in Germany directly? 8. What does it mean having to submit the application with one original and one duplicate? 9. Where/How do I submit the application? 10. Recommendation letters / referee’s report (Are scanned documents acceptable?) 11. What is an invitation letter, and what does it need to include? (Are scanned documents acceptable?) 12. How long should the research proposal or motivation letter be? 13. Health certificate 14. Language certificates 15. Is there an age limit? 16. Re-Invitation 17. Application Deadline 18. When will I know whether my application was successful? 19. What is the earliest point in time that the grant can be paid? 20. I have already spent considerable time in Germany, can I still apply?
1. Do I really need to submit my Bagrut papers? Yes, you do, regardless whether you apply for research, study or as an artist. Even if you hold a further degree such as Bachelor or Master, for all long-term applications (duration of 6 months or more) we do need the Bagrut. Please submit it as certified photocopy of the original together with an authenticated translation (either into German or English). (see 2. below)
Only for “short-term” applications (duration of up to 6 months), the Bagrut is not required, but degree diplomas and grade transcripts are required, cf. application form. The Re-invitation Programme for Former Scholarshipholders and the Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists do not need to submit the Bagrut, they fall into the categorie of “short-term” anyway.
2. What do you mean by certified photocopies and authenticated translations of degree diplomas and the Bagrut? We do not require or accept originals of your supporting documents, i.e. degree diplomas and Bagrut. We require certified photocopies of the original documents as well as certified photocopies of authenticated translations of documents in Hebrew (Bagrut). Authenticated here refers to translations made by/or approved of by a notary/lawyer. The translations should be in German or English. Degree diplomas or secondary school leaving /matriculation certificates in English, French or Spanish DO NOT need to be translated, in case you finished secondary school or accomplished a degree abroad. Most universities provide diplomas in English – please ask your university/college/academy. If so, simply photocopy the diploma(s) and have photocopy certified. The same applies to the required grade transcripts. The German Embassy provides certification of copies free of charge for scholarship applicants during office hours Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri from 08.30 to 11.30 am. An appointment is necessary and should be requested around 3 weeks before – check the website of the German Embassy (https://service2.diplo.de/rktermin/extern - Deutsche Botschaft Tel Aviv - Sonstige Beglaubigungen und Bescheinigungen) For authentication/approval of translations please contact an entitled notary/lawyer. A list with possible choices can be found on the website of the German embassy: www.telaviv.diplo.de
3. (Degree) Diplomas The application needs to come with all grade transcripts and all degree diplomas you have, i.e. by your Bachelor grade transcript and diploma and, if you have, by your Master (and PhD) grade transcript and diploma(s), translated into English or German, if the university does not issue them in English on demand. (French and Spanish are also acceptable, if you accomplished a degree abroad) Grade transcripts alone are not enough! Only if you are a recent graduate and your university has not yet issued the diploma, your grade transcripts will be sufficient at first. But you need to attach a note saying when you expect the diploma and you need to submit it by mid-December, otherwise your application cannot be considered.
4. Do I need to be admitted into a German university when applying for a study scholarship for a Master program? Ideally, yes, you will submit your certified photocopy of the admission letter to a German university. If you do not yet have an admission (letter), you will need to submit the correspondence with the German university regarding your admission. Also, you need to provide three university alternatives. (If you have already been admitted to a university, you do not need to give alternatives, of course.)
5. When will the interview take place? The interview will take place in either the second, third or fourth week in November at the German Embassy in Tel Aviv, most likely on a Thursday or Friday. The exact date will be communicated to you about 10 days before. Applicants for scholarships for artists do not have an interview.
6. In which language will the interview be, in which language should the application form be filled in, the CV, motivation letter or research proposal etc. be written? In German or in English – preferably in the language which will be the (dominant) language of instruction or research/communication in Germany. Please be prepared to summarize and present your research project clearly to an audience of academics who are not necessarily experts in your academic field. The same applies to the application form, CV, research proposal/motivation letter etc.: Everything should be filled in/written by you (not a native speaker friend) in German if German will be the main or only language of instruction or communication/research. (Don’t worry, comprehensibility is what matters and counts, not grammar mistakes.) If German will be not relevant for your study or research plans for Germany, everything can be filled in/written in English.
7. Can I have a telephone interview instead or be interviewed in Germany directly? Only under special circumstances (for example studies/research have already begun in Germany) can we conduct a telephone interview. Applicants who will be in Germany already at the time of the interview because their study /research /Phd program will have started before the interview, will, of course, get telephone interview. A short stay abroad does not qualify for an exception to the rule of personal interviews! Interviews in Germany are not possible.
8. What does it mean having to submit the application with one original and one duplicate? The original application is one application form filled in, together with all supporting documents. Do NOT attach real original supporting documents but always have certified copies made of your original documents. In the context of this application, they will be part of the original application. Then you make a copy of all of this (application form plus documents), this is the duplicate. Then you submit the two stacks, separated into original and duplicate. You have to hand in two sets of applications, bound/stapled together respectively. Do NOT simply submit each document two times leaving the sorting to us. The Embassy and the DAAD are NOT sorting your application. The application would be considered as incomplete and rejected. Please note: As stated above in FAQ 2, we do not require or accept originals of your supporting documents. We require certified photocopies of original documents. If original documents are in Hebrew (e.g. Bagrut, degree diplomas if they cannot be issued in English) we require certified photocopies of the Hebrew original as well as the authenticated translation of it. The German Embassy provides certification of copies free of charge for scholarship applicants during office hours Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri from 08.30 to 11.30 am. An appointment is necessary and should be requested around 3 weeks before – check the
website of the German Embassy (https://service2.diplo.de/rktermin/extern - Deutsche Botschaft Tel Aviv - Sonstige Beglaubigungen und Bescheinigungen) Also: The DAAD wishes that you DO NOT put the application documents into plastic file holders. And please really stick to that. Simply staple the application form together and attach the supporting documents. Photographs need to be GLUED onto the application form! We only need one original photo, so glue it first to the application form and then photocopy it.
9. Where/How do I submit the application? Please send it to the German Embassy, Cultural Section, marked with “DAAD scholarship” (Postal address: POB 16038 in 61160 Tel Aviv). Personal delivery is not necessary although possible during opening hours. Then please just hand it in to the receptionist of the Embassy on the 19th floor in 3 Daniel Frisch Street, 64731 Tel Aviv. Note that the Embassy is closed on Sunday, but open on Friday until 1 pm. Do NOT leave any documents with the security guards in the entrance lobby of the building! Use the elevator on the very left to reach the 19th floor. 10. Recommendation letters / referee’s report Do not be irritated by the term referee’s report in the application form (page 5), It means a detailed recommendation, not simply a line saying that you are an excellent student. Best you use the form provided on the DAAD website (-> services -> application forms) http://www.daad.de/imperia/md/content/de/foerderung/recommendation.pdf The recommendation letters are part of the application. Please submit everything altogether and do NOT have the recommendations sent separately to the Embassy. The recommendation letter/referee’s report can be “free-style” but it must have a header giving name, institution and contact of the person that recommends and it must have a header giving name, position and dept. & university address of the referee and end with his/her signature by hand, the full name given in print below the signature. Again, best is if you use the form provided by the DAAD on its website. Scanned recommendation letters, that means letters with scanned signatures, are not acceptable. In individual cases, because of serious time pressures/constraints (e.g. first postal sending got lost, your referee is abroad etc.), scanned documents may be acceptable on a temporary basis and only with our explicit consent prior to the application deadline. Yet, we need to insist on the hand-signed original document to be handed in later, on the day of the interview.
11. What is an invitation letter, and what does it need to include? For research scholarships and scholarships for artists that will be supervised on an individual basis: One of the most crucial aspects of an application to the DAAD for research and in some cases for artists is a well-established contact to a German professor at your chosen host university. This person needs to invite you with an official letter (header and footer, hand-signed as with the recommendation/referee's report) that - indicates familiarity with and interest in your research project and - states his/her willingness to supervise/mentor you and - confirms that all you need to conduct your research will be at your disposal, e.g. access to library, laboratories etc. - If you do not speak German, the professor also needs to state that you can communicate with your German academic partner(s) in English or another foreign language, e.g. French, Spanish, Russian etc.
Scanned recommendation letters, that letters means with scanned signatures, are not acceptable. In individual cases, because of serious time pressures/constraints (e.g. first postal sending got lost, your referee sits is abroad etc.), scanned documents may be acceptable on a temporary basis and only with our explicit consent prior to the application deadline. Yet, we need to insist on the hand-signed original document to be handed in later, on the day of the interview. Instead of an invitation letter, applicants for study scholarships for a Master program, including study scholarships for artists should either submit a certified copy of the admission letter to their chosen host university or, if they are not admitted yet, give three university alternatives. Also, if a German host university provides you with a tentative admission letter, please give two alternatives to that university.
12. How long should the research proposal or motivation letter be? The length of the research proposal strongly depends on your research project and academic field. Hence, it is very difficult to give concrete advice here. Very generally spoken, research proposals for short-term applications (up to 6 months) can be between 2-3 pages, for long-term applicants (6 months and longer) between 4-6 pages, if you apply for funding for a full PhD or wish to include a list of references maybe 1-2 pages more. Try to write/describe your project as precisely/ concisely as possible - this is highly appreciated by everyone. Applicants for short-term grants (up to 6 months), please, check the application form for the required work plan. Motivation letters are requested from all applicants for study scholarships, including study scholarships for artists. They substitute for the research proposal required from applicants for research grants only. However, applicants for research grants should include information on why the research is best conducted in Germany and/or in what way(s) both sides, the Israeli applicant and the German host, will benefit from it – if that is not self-evident from the research proposal/project itself. Motivation letter means a short text (essay of 250-500 words, not a list or table) giving your reasons for applying, i.e. why you apply altogether, why in particular for this course, maybe why for this university, why studying in Germany is academically important for the work/for you.
13. Health certificate Health certificates are NOT necessary at the time of application. 14. Language certificates Language certificates are definitely required if your studies or research in Germany will be in German. Language certificates must not be older than 6 months. Applicants for study scholarships, including study scholarships for artists, should prove that they meet the language criteria of the study program, regardless whether it is in English or German. For the latter, it might be possible to get 4-6 months intensive German courses in Germany prior to your studies paid by the DAAD. For this you need to do a language test with one of the DAAD lecturers or a DAAD-Sprachzeugnis from the Goethe-Institute. 15. Is there an age limit? There is no age limit for application.
16. Re-invitation In order to apply for a re-invitation you have to have had a DAAD scholarship for a one year minimum. Retired professors/ emeriti cannot apply. No exceptions are made. Please note the different regulations for the re-invitation program that are stated on the application form for this program
17. Application Deadline The deadline for application submission truly is the 31st October of every year. Any application handed in after this date will be returned to you.
18. When will I know whether my application was successful and I will be awarded a scholarship or not? The first selection takes place in November in the Embassy in Tel Aviv (see 5. above). Afterwards you will be notified by the Embassy via E-Mail whether your application will be passed on to the DAAD Germany. There, the final decision will be made in January/February. In late February, you will be informed whether you are awarded a scholarship. Applicants for study scholarships for artists do not have an interview in Israel but their applications need to pass two committees in Germany. Hence final decisions will be made in late February and announced in the first half of March.
19. What is the earliest point in time that the grant can be paid? The earliest point in time from which the grant can be paid is April of the following year, there is no payment in retrospective. (Different regulations for the re-invitation program are stated on the application form for this program) Research applicants, please plan the start of your research stay in Germany accordingly.
20. I have already spent considerable time in Germany, can I still apply? If you have been living in Germany for 12 months or longer at the time of application (31st Oct.) or if you spent 24 months or more in Germany to date, you cannot apply. If you have been previously sponsored by the DAAD (study, research and artists) please inquire with the “DAAD-Lektoren” whether you can apply again. If you only had a DAAD-grant for a language course in the past, you can apply.
Further specifications are given on pages 4 and 5 of the application but are not covered here, remain unaffected / are not impaired!
