Supported by the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Graduate School of Geosciences (GSGS) is happy to offer two further promising international doctoral candidates the opportunity to pursue a doctorate and carry out their own research project closely related to ongoing research in the working group of their potential supervisor, a Cologne Geoscientist.

Eight such PhD scholarships were awarded between 2021 and 2024. Two further scholarships will start in 2025. The 2025 call will be published here by 10 December, 2024 and applications will be accepted  from then until 31 January 2025). Both scholarships are funded by the DAAD for up to 4 years. Please read here for more information about the application process.   

The scholarships include:

• a scholarship instalment of currently € 1,300 per month;
• a travel allowance;
• payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover;
• a research allowance of currently € 460 per year (for scholarship holders from countries listed in the DAC List of ODA recipients), or € 260 per year (for scholarship holders from other countries)
• under certain circumstances, grant holders may receive the following additional benefits:
  • monthly rent subsidy (calculated individually, usually about € 50 to 125 per month);
  • monthly allowance for accompanying family members (about € 200 child allowance per child and about € 275 marriage allowance);
  • in the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from the disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers (see this link, in Section F, point 8);
• preparatory German language course (if available, applicable and feasible, taking into account the starting date of the scholarship);
• a material resources and supervision allowance of currently € 1,000 per year, which is paid upon application to the host institution.

Regulations regarding planned field work / stays abroad during the scholarship: research phases outside Germany during the funding period can be supported if they do not exceed 25% of the total funding period, and do not take place directly at the beginning of the funding period.

Please also read the DAAD “Guidelines and Information for Nominees”.

The scholarship recipients will be members of the GSGS for the duration of their doctoral studies.