Paderborn University Doctoral Scholarships
Every year, the Executive Board awards doctoral scholarships to excellent young researchers at Paderborn University. The scholarship amounts to �2,000 per month, plus child allowance. We look forward to receiving your application!
The calls for proposals are issued annually in December and the application deadline is in February of the following year. Please refer to the current calls for proposals (see below) for the specific dates.
Application requirements for a degree completion grant
(funding period: up to 12 months)
- A degree completion grant can be awarded if the doctoral project is largely completed and the doctoral dissertation is expected to achieve above-average results.
- Scholarship holders who have already received a full or gender PhD scholarship from Paderborn University cannot apply for a PhD completion grant.
- A degree completion grant can be awarded directly subsequent to employment. In particular, periods of maternity protection (Section 6 (I) German Maternity Protection Act), childcare, and childcare, as well as periods of military service and periods spent devoted to the German Federal Volunteer Service, remain unaffected.
- For applications for degree completion grants, the applicant must submit a work plan that contains verifiable information on the status of the doctoral project and a work plan outlining the content and schedule for the doctoral dissertation.
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Application requirements for a full scholarship
(funding period: 36 months)
- A full scholarship may be granted to applicants who demonstrate academic performance and exam results that are far above average requirements and who are preparing for a doctoral degree.
- As a rule, the period between graduation with a university degree and the commencement of the grant/scholarship funding should not exceed 15 months (exceptions must be explained in detail).
- For applications for full scholarships, prior academic achievements and the preparations for the doctoral project must be described and a work plan outlining the content and schedule for the doctoral dissertation must be submitted. The first two years of funding serve to implement the research work, the third year to write the dissertation.
Application requirements for PhD scholarships in the field of Gender research
(funding period: 36 months)
- A scholarship in the field of gender research may be granted to applicants who demonstrate academic performance and exam results that are far above average requirements and who are preparing for a doctoral degree.
- The academic project should be expected to make an important contribution to research in the field of gender research.
- As a rule, the period between graduation with a university degree and the commencement of the grant funding should not exceed 15 months (exceptions must be explained in detail).
- For applications for scholarships, prior academic achievements and the preparations for the doctoral project must be described and a work plan outlining the content and schedule for the doctoral dissertation must be submitted. The first two years of funding serve to implement the research work, the third year to write the doctoral dissertation.
Overview of application documents
The following application documents must be submitted digitally by the early career researchers themselves (one PDF file):
- Letter of motivation (according to template on the FK website, Number of pages max. 1 page), Defaults Formatting: Font Arial 11 pt., line spacing 1.2
- Description of the doctoral dissertation project: a.) Research Exposé, including the working title of the dissertation (Number of pages max. 2 pages), b.) schedule and c.) literature references, Defaults Formatting: Font Arial 11 pt., line spacing 1.2
- Tabular CV
- Positive endorsement from the applicant’s supervisor
- Statement by the supervisor on the planned institutional affiliation of the scholarship holder and commitment to the use of the infrastructure
- Proof of the applicant's current income
- Proof of the educational qualifications obtained in the form of copies of the secondary school leaving/diploma/degree certificates (university entrance qualification, BSc., MSc.), including translation of the marks, if necessary.
- Declaration of consent to data processing (originally signed by the applicant)
Information on submitting the application
Double applications for the full scholarship and doctoral scholarship in the field of gender research should be avoided. Applications can be submitted in German or English.
Late applications will not be considered. Applications for which the Master's degree will not be awarded until after the final selection meeting will also not be considered.
The application documents must be addressed to the Committee for Research and Junior Academics and submitted via the Dean's Office of the respective faculties of the university. Please submit the application documents in electronic form (one PDF file). The application documents will then be forwarded by the respective Dean's Office to the Office of the Committee for Research and Junior Academics.
Applications can only be submitted within the application deadlines for the current call for applications.
Current tender documents 2026
Full Scholarships and Degree completion grants
PhD Gender Research Scholarships
The next calls for proposals will be issued in December 2025.
Contact person
Head Office Committee for Research and Junior Academics
Office: B2.336
Phone: +49 5251 60-5216
E-mail: katharina.patz@zv.uni-paderborn.de