Hilde Domin Programme

Students aiming for a Master’s degree and doctoral candidates worldwide who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied educational rights in their country of origin, due to their ethnic, sexual, gender, or religious identity, and/or their political or civic engagement.

The duration of funding for a

• Master’s degree is usually 24 months, 
• doctoral degree is up to 48 months (12 months at first, with annual extensions of 12 months up to 48 months in total).

Please note: A second Master’s or doctoral degree will not be funded.

Students and doctoral candidates from all disciplines may be nominated, with the exception of those in human medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and law,

• who can prove or credibly demonstrate a threat to their personal well-being or safety (e.g. physical violence, arrest, denial of civil and educational rights, etc.) to the nominating institution,
• who are in possession of educational certificates that enable entrance to a higher education institution and warrant the pursuit of a desired higher education qualification according to the anabin database,
• who are not already residing in Germany or the European Union at the time of nomination,
• who provide the necessary language certificates required by the respective degree program; if the certificate is not available, the scholarship may only be awarded with conditions,
• who hold a passport that is still valid for at least one year on the DAAD application deadline; accompanying spouses and/or minor children must also have appropriate passports,
• and who are able to commence their studies in the semester for which they are applying.

All information about the Hilde Domin Programme can be found on the DAAD website.

Documents must be submitted in German or English.

Suitable applicants must be nominated by an institution; nominations can only be made once. You can submit a request for nomination by TUM during the application period via the link below. All further processing is handled by the DAAD.

A nomination does not automatically entitle you to study at TUM. You must apply for a place of study during the regular application periods. You can find all information about applying to TUM here. 

At TUM, students from non-EEA countries are subject to tuition fees; for Master’s programs, these are generally €3,000 or €6,000. The exact amount can be found on the respective program page. These tuition fees are not covered by the DAAD!

You have the option to apply for a waiver or waiver scholarship. A confirmation from the DAAD does not mean that you will receive a waiver or scholarship. The specific requirements must be met, and you must apply separately during the respective application periods. If you are unable to afford your studies, this may result in disenrollment. If you already know that you cannot pay the tuition fees, we recommend applying to a different university and seeking nomination for the Hilde Domin Programme through that university.

Information about applying for a doctoral program at TUM can be found at the TUM Graduate School. Requests for nomination for the Hilde Domin Programme for a doctorate should be sent via e-mail to internationalspam prevention@gs.tum.de.

There is no entitlement to nomination.

If you have been nominated by us, the DAAD will check your data. This can take a few weeks. If you have been selected by the DAAD, you will receive an email from the DAAD asking you to apply online. Some confirmations can only be handed out if you are entitled to study at TUM. Usually you can submit some documents later if you explain this in your application.

For a planned start of studies in the winter semester 2026/27:

• Application to TUM: 18 August 2025 – 31 August 2025
• Selection and nominations by TUM: 1 September 2025 – 15 September 2025
• Application period at the DAAD: 17 September 2025 – 15 October 2025