Funding for International Researchers

Are you looking for funding for your research or doctoral studies? Here you'll find information on scholarships, employment contracts, and self-funding.

PhD
Postdoc

Bild von Händen, die Münzen zu verschieden hohen Stapeln sortieren.

Plan the financing of your doctoral studies well in advance!

Various financing options:

One way to finance your doctoral studies is through a scholarship. Although these are usually limited to a relatively short period, they generally cover a significant portion of your doctoral studies. There are a number of options:

You can find funding opportunities at the University of Siegen on the House of Young Talents Young Academy website .
The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) also offers a range of scholarship programs.
The EURAXESS Germany portal provides information for researchers working internationally and is part of an EU-wide network. It includes a funding database that provides information on funding programs and a job portal. It also offers a wealth of information on living and working in Germany.
The Research in Germany website also provides an overview of various scholarship databases and funding opportunities.

This list is not exhaustive, so you will find many other funding opportunities online.

It is quite common for a doctoral degree to be funded through an employment contract with the new department. This can range from approximately 20 to 40 hours per week and is typically limited to a few years. Please check the university’s job portal to see if there are any open positions.

A job at the university is, of course, ideal, but you can also finance your stay through another job. Please note, however, that the number of working hours and the nature of the work will affect your residence permit. Many jobs in the region also require a good command of German.

One way to finance your doctoral studies is to live off your savings. If this is an option for you, please make sure that you have the required amount available as proof for the Immigration Office when you apply for a residence permit.

Funding for International Postdocs

It is important that you know, even before you arrive in Siegen, how you will finance your stay in Germany, because the different types of financing affect how you plan your stay. If you are a third-country national planning a stay of more than three months, this point is particularly important, as the Foreigners’ Registration Office requires proof that you can cover your living expenses during your stay in Germany.

Ways to finance your postdoc position:

One way to finance your stay is through a scholarship. There are a number of organizations that offer a wide variety of scholarships, some of which allow you to come to Germany for a few months, while others allow you to stay for a few years. You can find some databases here:

The EURAXESS Germany portal provides information for researchers working internationally and is part of an EU-wide network. It includes a funding database that provides information on funding programs and a job portal. It also offers a wealth of information on living and working in Germany.
The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) offers a range of different scholarship programs. You can browse the scholarship database to see if there’s something that suits you. You can also search there for non-DAAD scholarships.
For funding opportunities at the University of Siegen, please visit the Research Funding page.
The Research in Germany website also provides an overview of various scholarship databases and funding opportunities .

This list is not exhaustive, and you can find many more funding opportunities online.

Another way to finance your stay is through an employment contract with the university. This typically involves working between approximately 20 and 40 hours per week and is usually limited to a few years. Please check the

university’sjob portal to see if there are any open positions.

It is also possible to finance your stay by living off your savings. If this is an option for you, please make sure that you have the required amount available to provide as proof to the immigration office when applying for a residence permit.