KAAD Scholarship for Postgraduate Study in Germany

Written by Keagan HendricksStaff Writer (Unisa Alumnus)

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The KAAD (Katholischer Akademischer Ausländer-Dienst, the Catholic Academic Exchange Service) is a Bonn-based scholarship organisation of the Catholic Church in Germany. Its Scholarship Programme 1 brings graduates with work experience from developing and emerging countries to German universities for a Master’s, a PhD or a short research stay, on the condition that they return home afterwards. South Africans should read the rules closely before spending time on it: KAAD recruits in Africa through partner committees in a handful of focus countries, South Africa is not one of them, and KAAD says applications from other countries are considered only in exceptional cases.

Where South Africa fits in KAAD’s Africa work

KAAD’s Africa Department covers sub-Saharan Africa and works through four regional partner committees, which pre-select applicants. The focus countries are Ghana in West Africa, Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa, Kenya (with Uganda and Tanzania also in focus) in East Africa, and Zimbabwe in southern Africa. In 2025 the department supported 93 scholars from eight countries.

Two further points narrow the field. First, KAAD says that for Africa its scholarships to Germany are almost entirely for doctorates; Master’s funding in Africa is mainly given “in-country” at Kumasi, Addis Ababa, Nairobi and Harare. Second, doctoral scholars are drawn either from young academics new to KAAD or from alumni of those in-country Master’s programmes. A South African Master’s graduate hoping for a German Master’s place is therefore unlikely to be a fit, while a South African planning a PhD would be an exceptional case outside the focus countries.

Conditions for Scholarship Programme 1

KAAD lists these requirements. Applicants must:

• come from, and currently live in, a developing or emerging country in Africa, Asia, the Middle East or Latin America;
• hold a university degree and have professional experience in the home country;
• plan a Master’s, a PhD or other postgraduate study, or a postdoc or research stay of two to six months for academics, at a German university;
• be Catholic, or more generally Christian (a rule KAAD applies especially to applicants from the Near and Middle East); people of other religions can be funded if Catholic partners propose them because of a documented commitment to interreligious dialogue;
• have some German before arrival.

German level B1 and the obligation to go home

KAAD expects scholars to reach German at level B1 of the European framework, or A2 if the degree itself is taught in English, because its compulsory educational programme runs in German. Applicants are expected to take preparatory German courses at home, and KAAD can pay for a language course in Germany of up to six months, either full time or alongside study.

KAAD also expects above-average academic potential and religious and social commitment. The most important condition is return: study or research must be aimed at permanent reintegration into the scholar’s home region. If it is not, KAAD treats the scholarship as a loan. KAAD does not publish the monthly amount of its Germany scholarships on these pages.

The online inquiry form

First contact is through KAAD’s scholarship inquiry form. South Africa is in its country list. The form asks for age and nationality, religious affiliation, degrees and overall grade, German level (from none to C2), current employer, the intended degree (Master’s, doctorate or research stay) and university, career goals in no more than 300 characters, the institution or person recommending the applicant, and up to five religious or social activities with the role held and dates. KAAD publishes no fixed deadline for Scholarship Programme 1; timing runs through the partner committees.

South Africans already studying in Germany

KAAD’s Scholarship Programme 2 is for students from the Global South who are already enrolled in Germany with at least ten months of study left, for a Master’s (from the final Bachelor’s semesters), a Diplom or Magister, or a PhD. Applications go only through the Catholic university chaplaincy (KHG or KSG) at the student’s German university, not directly to KAAD. The selection committee meets twice a year, and the chaplaincy gives the exact deadlines.

South African postgraduates with no link to the church or to Germany will usually do better with local funding such as the DSI-NRF postgraduate scholarship, or with the other options in our postgraduate bursaries list.

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