PhD Positions & Scholarships in Germany 2026–2027: 37+ Open
37 verified phd positions & scholarships in germany for 2026–2027 are open right now. The soonest deadline is 31 October 2026 — closing-soon entries are flagged in the list. Hosted by Max Planck Society, German Academic Exchange Service and Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies. Listings are re-verified daily against official sources.
Studying in Germany with funding
37 verified phd positions & scholarships in germany for 2026–2027 are open right now. The soonest deadline is 31 October 2026 — closing-soon entries are flagged in the list. Hosted by Max Planck Society, German Academic Exchange Service and Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies. Listings are re-verified daily against official sources.
Germany offers tuition-free public universities, so most PhD positions are structured as paid research jobs (typically 50-75% TV-L E13) rather than traditional scholarships. The DAAD funds international students across all levels.
Common funding types
•Paid PhD employment (TV-L E13/50-75%)
•DAAD scholarships
•Excellence-cluster funded positions
•Max Planck / Helmholtz / Fraunhofer positions
Typical levels
•PhD positions
•Master's (DAAD)
•Research assistantships
English requirement
Many graduate programmes are taught in English; German is rarely required for PhDs in STEM.
Timing
PhD positions are advertised year-round on university portals; DAAD scholarships have annual deadlines.
Berlin Graduate School of Ancient Studies · Germany
BerGSAS offers 3 predoc scholarships at Freie Universität Berlin in Ancient Studies. EUR 1,000/month for up to 6 months starting 1 March 2027. For doctoral preparation and external funding applications. Deadline: 1 Dec 2026. The 00:00 CET cutoff is at the beginning of 1 December, not the end of that day.
Partially FundedEUR 1,000 per month for up to 6 months.
Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research (CGA) · Germany
The Cologne Graduate School of Ageing Research offers up to 12 fully funded PhD positions in ageing research at Germany's leading ageing research cluster. Three-year contracts with TV-L E13 salary. Application deadline: 3 November 2026.
The DAAD EPOS Scholarship offers fully funded Master's and PhD studies in development-related fields at German universities. Monthly stipend €992 (Master's) or €1,300 (PhD) plus insurance, travel, and family allowances. Open to developing and emerging countries.
✓ Fully Funded€992/month
Varies by course (typically August–March for 2027 intake)Details Details
DAAD RISE Germany 2027: paid summer research internships in Germany for undergraduate science and engineering students. €992 monthly stipend plus travel allowances. Apply by 30 November 2026 (11:59 pm CET).
The H2T Lab at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) offers a doctoral researcher position in human-robot interaction and dexterous manipulation. Salary TV-L E13 (100%). Open until filled.
✓ Fully FundedTV-L E13 (100%) - approximately €50,000 - €55,000 per year.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships support excellent postdoctoral researchers in the life sciences for up to two years. International mobility is a key requirement. Includes salary, relocation allowance, and child support. Applications accepted throughout the year with cutoff dates. Next deadline: 22 January 2027.
✓ Fully FundedStipend/salary rate set by the funder — see the official listing
EMGS is the long-running Erasmus Mundus master in global studies coordinated from Leipzig with partners including Vienna, Wrocław, Roskilde and global network universities. Recent cycles used a 28 February scholarship deadline with a 31 May window for all other applicants, and the 2027 round is expected to match.
EMMIR Consortium (University of Oldenburg) · Germany
EMMIR is the first African-European-Asian Erasmus Mundus master in migration studies, run by eight partner institutions from Germany to Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and India. Applications for Edition 14 (2027-2029) are open now: scholarship and non-fee-paying places close on 20 December 2026 at 23:59 CET, while fee-paying self-funded applications run until 15 July 2027.
Freie Universität Berlin - Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies · Germany
The Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies offers up to 10 PhD positions for 2027, including 5 nine-month scholarships of EUR 1103 for outstanding applicants without external funding. Open to all nationalities. Deadline: 15 November 2026. Admission does not guarantee doctoral funding: only a limited number of nine-month stipends are available, while other candidates need external funding.
The Georg Arnhold Program at the Georg Eckert Institute (GEI) funds international research on education for sustainable peace, offering senior and early-career fellowships in Braunschweig, Germany. Each year's call, with its application window and award tracks, is published on the GEI application page.
GLOBE is the Erasmus Mundus master in global studies run jointly by Leipzig, Vienna and Wrocław universities, now open for its third edition (2027-2029). Applications run from 28 September 2026 to 4 January 2027, and a B2 English level must already be demonstrated by the Stage 1 deadline.
HAB Research Fellowship 2028 offers Post-doc (6-10 months, €2,200/month) and Short-term (1-3 months, €1,800/month) fellowships. Funded by State of Lower Saxony. Deadline: 31 Jan 2027.
The Heidelberg IMPRS programme offers doctoral research in astronomy and cosmic physics. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Heidelberg. Apply by 3 November 2026, 14:00 CET. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
The Munich IMPRS astrophysics programme recruits doctoral researchers for the 2027 intake. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Munich. Apply by 1 November 2026, 23:59 CET. Applicants can apply without IELTS - German doctoral hiring assesses English through documents and interview.
Berlin's IMPRS Biology and Computation recruits doctoral researchers working across biological questions and computational methods. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
Frankfurt's IMPRS Cellular Biophysics programme is preparing its next recruitment call. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Frankfurt. Apply by Next call: winter 2026/27; exact deadline not announced. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
This Jena IMPRS programme studies chemical communication in ecological systems. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Jena. Apply by 30 November 2026. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
IMPRS Cognitive NeuroImaging in Leipzig supports doctoral research into the brain and cognition. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Leipzig. Apply by 2 November 2026, 23:59 CET. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
IMPRS Condensed Matter and Quantum Materials recruits candidates for research in the physics of materials and complex systems. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
IMPRS-CPQM (Max Planck / TU Dresden / St Andrews) · Germany
IMPRS-CPQM 2027 call: 20+ funded PhD projects in quantum materials across the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, TU Dresden and the University of St Andrews. Apply by 30 November 2026. Applicants can apply without IELTS - German doctoral hiring assesses English through documents and interview.
IMPRS Intelligent Systems recruits doctoral researchers in Stuttgart and Tübingen. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Stuttgart / Tübingen. Apply by 15 November 2026, end of day Anywhere on Earth. Applicants can apply without IELTS - German doctoral hiring assesses English through documents and interview.
10+ fully funded PhD positions at IMPRS for Molecular Organ Biology. Research in genetics, development, regeneration, stem cell biology, cancer, and cardiopulmonary research. Deadline: 11 Nov 2026.
IMPRS Science and Technology of Nano-Systems offers funded PhD positions in Halle. Hosted by Max Planck Society in Halle. Apply by 15 November 2026. Applicants can apply without IELTS - German doctoral hiring assesses English through documents and interview.
IMPRS Translational Psychiatry connects basic research with questions in mental health and psychiatry. No IELTS or TOEFL certificate is required; English is assessed through the application and interviews.
