FFriedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit
Partially funded
Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Scholarships for Non-EU Master's and PhD Students
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit, Germany
Scholarship overview
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the liberal political foundation, funds non-EU applicants for a full-time Master's or a PhD at a German university. Scholars receive a monthly stipend and join the foundation's network of events, seminars and alumni.
Membership of the FDP is not required. Selection looks at the overall profile, including liberal and social engagement, personality and academic performance.
Award Information
- Applicants from outside the EU who obtained their university entrance qualification abroad.
- Full-time Master's programme or PhD at a German university. Medicine students who passed the Physikum and state-exam students in the main study phase can also apply.
- No more than 15 months spent in Germany before funding starts, except for study or research purposes.
- PhD: unconditional admission (auflagenfreie Zulassung) is required.
- Not eligible: Bachelor's programmes, part-time study, second degrees, LL.M., MBA, dental and human medicine PhDs, postdoc programmes, separate stays abroad, and binational Master's programmes with half or less of the study time in Germany.
- Application documents and the interview are in German, even for English-taught programmes. No language test is required.
- Master's students: EUR 992 per month.
- PhD candidates: up to EUR 1,500 per month. Maximum PhD funding is 3 years; minimum funding period is 2 semesters (3 trimesters).
- Family supplements: EUR 276 (spouse) and EUR 259 (child). Health and care insurance contributions are covered.
- Side income up to EUR 603 gross per month, or EUR 7,236 within a 12-month funding period, is allowed; more is offset.
- Stays abroad of up to 12 months can be funded for travel, insurance, fees and living costs, reviewed case by case.
- Scholarships do not have to be repaid.
Two windows a year: 1-30 April and 1-31 October, closing at 23:59 on 30 April and 31 October (current round: 1-31 October 2026). Invitations to interview are sent by 8 February or 8 August. The decision comes by email within three weeks of the selection meeting.
- Register in the online application portal; only online applications are accepted.
- Upload documents as PDFs of up to 5 MB each; merge multi-page documents.
- Send your individual reference link to your reviewers, who submit their reports directly through it (email or post is not accepted).
- Answer confirmation emails and follow-up questions.
- Attend the mandatory in-person selection interview. There are no alternative dates and travel costs are not reimbursed.
Official links
Documents you will need
- Master's: two reports from university professors.
- PhD: one report from the supervisor and one from a professor in the same or a related field; proof of unconditional admission.
- Passport page or ID showing your residence permit.
- Documents need not be certified. Do not submit documents that were not requested. Recommendation letters are not accepted as expert reports and can be uploaded under "References".
How selection works
- Staff and committee members make a preliminary selection from the overall profile.
- An independent selection committee decides after a personal interview.
Contact: [email protected], +49 30 2099-3702.
