DAAD: which scholarships for Tunisians

DAAD scholarships for Tunisians: understand the options first

Search for "DAAD scholarship Tunisia" and you will find many pages that talk about "the DAAD scholarship" as if there were only one. In fact, DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service) runs several very different programmes: four-week German summer language courses, development-related master's degrees, public policy and governance master's courses, and full or co-supervised (cotutelle) doctoral grants. Each one has its own audience, calendar and rules.

DAAD has a regional office in Tunis, close to Avenue Habib Bourguiba. It informs and advises applicants from Tunisia, and also from Libya, Algeria and Morocco. It publishes open calls, runs online information sessions and shares deadlines.

This guide covers the programmes that the official DAAD scholarship database shows when Tunisia is selected as the country of application. Every date and amount below was checked on official DAAD pages on 23 October 2026. They can change from one cycle to the next, so always reread the programme page before you submit.

Opporiva is a free information service. We never apply on your behalf and we cannot guarantee that you will receive a scholarship.

Source: DAAD Regional Office Tunis (DAAD-Außenstelle Tunis), homepage · checked 23 Oct 2026

University Summer Courses 2027: the call closes on 30 October 2026

The "University Summer Courses in Germany" programme (Hochschulsommerkurse) funds a four-week German language and culture course, held in person between June and September. The DAAD office in Tunis states that applications for this programme are open until 30 October 2026. The official programme page adds that the window opens every year on 1 September and closes on 30 October at 23:59 Central European Time. For the current call (summer 2027 courses), very little time is left.

What the scholarship covers for the summer 2027 courses, according to the page checked on 23 October 2026:

• the language course fees;
• accommodation arranged by the course provider for the whole course (single room);
• a one-off allowance of 475 euros, paid on site by the course provider;
• a lump-sum travel allowance that depends on the country.

Main conditions:

• be enrolled at a university outside Germany when you apply and throughout the scholarship;
• bachelor's students must have completed at least two years of university study before the course starts;
• be at least 18 when the course starts;
• show German at level A2 or higher (B1 for German studies students), with a recognised certificate less than one year old (up to two years old for B2).

Eligibility for Tunisians: confirmed. The programme page filtered for Tunisia lists the DAAD Regional Office Tunis as the contact, and that office promotes the call itself.

Source: DAAD scholarship database: University Summer Courses in Germany (country: Tunisia) · checked 23 Oct 2026

EPOS: a development-related master's for experienced applicants

The EPOS programme (Development-Related Postgraduate Courses) funds a master's degree, and sometimes a doctorate, in a fixed list of German programmes linked to development: development economics, renewable energy management, urban management, agricultural and forest sciences, global health or hydro science, among others. It targets professionals, not fresh graduates.

Main conditions on the official page:

• a bachelor's degree, normally four years, in a subject related to the chosen course;
• results well above average (top third of the class);
• at least two years of relevant work experience gained after the bachelor's degree;
• a most recent degree that is normally no more than six years old;
• the required language level: for a German-taught course, at least B1 when you apply (a six-month German course then comes before the studies); for an English-taught course, the level set by the course.

Tunisia appears on the list of eligible countries that DAAD publishes for EPOS, so eligibility for Tunisians is confirmed.

On funding, the page checked on 23 October 2026 lists a monthly payment of 992 euros for graduates on a master's and 1,400 euros for doctoral candidates (the rate since February 2026). It also includes health, accident and personal liability insurance, a travel allowance and, where applicable, a rent subsidy and a family allowance. Funding lasts 12 to 42 months, depending on the programme.

Important: you do not apply to DAAD but directly to each course, up to three, ranked by preference. For the 2027/2028 intake, the official deadline list (updated June 2026) refers applicants to each course's website. Exact dates are therefore to be confirmed, course by course.

Source: DAAD scholarship database: Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) (country: Tunisia) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Helmut-Schmidt-Programme: the 2027 cycle is closed

The Helmut-Schmidt-Programme (Public Policy and Good Governance) funds a master's in one of seven partner courses, taught in English at six German universities (the University of Passau offers two): public policy, governance, development, social protection, peace and conflict studies, or nonprofit management. It is aimed at graduates who want to contribute to the social, political and economic development of their home country or region.

According to the official call published in May 2026:

• the application period for master's courses starting in 2027 ran from 1 June to 31 July 2026 and is now over;
• selection takes place in October and November 2026, with results expected in December 2026 or January 2027;
• courses start in September or October 2027, after a mandatory German course in Germany lasting up to four months;
• the 2027 scholarship currently provides 992 euros a month, health insurance, lump-sum travel allowances, a study and research grant and, where applicable, rent subsidies and family supplements; scholarship holders are also exempt from tuition fees. The partly online "Social Protection" master's follows its own funding rules.

You need a first degree in social or political sciences, law, economics or public administration with above-average results (top third), practical experience relevant to the programme (a job, an internship, political activity or community service) and a most recent degree no more than six years old when you apply (issued on or after 1 January 2020 for the 2027 cycle).

Tunisia is on the programme's list of countries, so eligibility is confirmed. Dates for the next cycle (master's courses starting in 2028) are to be confirmed. For reference, the 2027 call was published in May 2026, with applications in June and July 2026; only the new official call counts.

Source: DAAD: Helmut-Schmidt-Programme, call for applications 2027 (PDF, 05/2026) · checked 23 Oct 2026

DAAD doctoral grants: full programme or cotutelle

For a doctorate, the DAAD database shows two options when Tunisia is selected.

The first, Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany, funds a complete doctorate at a German university. According to the page, it pays 1,400 euros a month (funding starting in 2027) for up to four years: it is first awarded for a maximum of three years, results are reviewed every year, and you can apply to extend it for a possible fourth year. The deadline for funding starting in 2027 was 31 August 2026; selection is planned for February 2027 and funding starts in October 2027.

The second, Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees / Cotutelle, is for doctoral candidates who prepare their thesis in their home country and carry out part of their research in Germany (the "sandwich" model), or who do a cotutelle thesis with a German university. Funding covers 7 to 24 months, with 1,400 euros a month during stays in Germany (funding starting in 2027) and no monthly payment during periods at the home university. The deadline for funding starting in 2027 was also 31 August 2026.

Both options require:

• above-average results and a master's degree completed by the start of funding at the latest (for the cotutelle model, admission to a doctoral programme by that date);
• a most recent degree normally no more than six years old;
• if the doctorate has already started, a start date no more than three years before applying;
• for a thesis in English, a test no more than three years old at the deadline, such as IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 79 at minimum;
• a confirmation of acceptance from a supervisor or host institution in Germany.

Eligibility for Tunisians: confirmed, since both pages display when filtered for Tunisia and refer applicants to the DAAD office in Tunis. As the 2027 cycle is closed, the next deadline is to be confirmed. DAAD says its deadlines are updated every year in the second quarter and usually stay close to the previous year's.

Source: DAAD scholarship database: Research Grants, Doctoral Programmes in Germany (country: Tunisia) · checked 23 Oct 2026

What about the master's scholarship for all disciplines?

Many applicants look for the classic DAAD master's scholarship in any field (Study Scholarships – Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines). On 23 October 2026, the programme page, opened with Tunisia as the country of application, did not list the DAAD office in Tunis as a contact and showed only an old deadline (6 September 2022), with no date for a more recent cycle.

We therefore cannot say that this programme is open to applicants from Tunisia for 2027: this is to be confirmed directly with the DAAD office in Tunis. In the meantime, EPOS and the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme are the two master's routes that the official pages clearly link to Tunisia.

Do not trust websites that give a date for this scholarship without linking to the official DAAD page.

Source: DAAD scholarship database: Study Scholarships, Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines (opened with Tunisia selected as country) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Preparing your file and contacting DAAD in Tunis

A few rules come up on almost every official page we checked:

• you apply online through the DAAD portal (for EPOS, to each course), preferably on a computer, because the portal works poorly on mobile;
• a file that is incomplete at the deadline is not considered;
• EPOS and the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme ask for a Europass CV, the summer courses for a CV in table form written in German;
• anyone who has lived in Germany for more than 15 months at the deadline cannot apply for most of these scholarships;
• documents in Arabic or French usually need a German or English translation.

For questions, the DAAD Regional Office Tunis is at Immeuble Kooli, 5th floor, 14 rue du 18 janvier 1952, 1000 Tunis. Its email address is info@daad.tn and its phone number is +216 71 240 833. The office also runs online information sessions: its homepage announced one on the summer courses in September 2026.

Our advice: first pick the programme that matches your profile (student, young professional, doctoral candidate), note its deadline, then plan backwards. A language test, a host's confirmation of acceptance or admission to a German master's often take several months.

Source: DAAD Regional Office Tunis (DAAD-Außenstelle Tunis), homepage · checked 23 Oct 2026