About the Helmut Schmidt program master’s scholarships for public policy and good governance 2027:

Helmut Schmidt program offers the opportunity for future leaders from developing countries to study a master’s degree in disciplines that are relevant to social and economic development to prepare them in a practice-oriented course for responsible positions in or for their regions of origin and contributes to establishing economic and social forms that are democratically oriented and designed to overcome social inequalities.

Graduate students who wish to actively contribute to the economic and social improvement of their home countries can apply for the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in public policy and governance with a full scholarship at prestigious German institutions of higher education, supported by the German Academic Exchange Service. The program enables participants with knowledge and experience. They would need to be future leaders in politics, law, economics, and administration, as well as in their professional lives.

The Helmut Schmidt Scholarship program offers a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Good Governance at the 7 universities in Germany identified below.

The application period for the DAAD Scholarship: 1 June to 31 July 2026

Selection: October/November 2026

Result notification: end of December 2026/January 2027

Program start: September/October 2027

Language of Instruction: English and/or German

List of Universities and Courses

Scholarships in the Helmut-Schmidt-Programme are available for  seven master’s programmes at the following universities:

1. Management in Nonprofit-Organisations at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück
2. Peace and Conflict Studies at Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg
3. Public Policy at Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt
4. Social Protection (blended program) at the University of Applied Sciences Bonn- Rhein-Sieg
5. Development Studies at University of Passau
6. Governance and Public Policy at the University of Passau
7. Development and Governance (one-year program) at the University of Duisburg-Essen

Related: Read about other German scholarships

Similar opportunities: 

•  ZEF Doctoral program at University of Bonn, Germany (DAAD Scholarship)
• DAAD Scholarship for Master’s Program Infrastructure Planning (MIP) in Germany
• DAAD Scholarship to Study Renewable Energy Master Program in Germany
• DAAD Scholarships for Master Degrees in all Disciplines in Germany
• MIPLC DAAD Scholarship for developing countries students

Benefits:

Successful applicants will benefit from the following:

• Accompanying support services
• Events and seminars
• Opportunity to close the exchange with other international scholarship holders
• Networking events

The scholarship will provide the following: 

• Tuition fees
• German language course (6 months, mandatory for all)
• Participate in networking events
• A monthly stipend of €992
• Health insurance
• Travel cost
• Study and research grant
• Rent contributions
• Family allowances

The following deviation regarding funding benefits applies for the ‘Social Protection’ program due to its blended learning concept: A sur-place-rate of € 500 per month is paid in the 4th semester (mandatory online semester in
the student’s country of origin or another developing country).

Eligibility:

Applicants who meet the following criteria can apply for the DAAD Helmut Schmidt Program – Master Scholarships in Public Policy and Good Governance:

• Must have a bachelor’s or equivalent in the fields of social sciences, political sciences, law, economics, or public administration
• University degrees have been obtained within the past six years.
• Applicants have not stayed in Germany for more than 15 months before the application deadline.
• Possess the required Knowledge of English.
• Be strongly motivated to contribute to the development of their home country or region.
• Possess professional experience related to the program, including professional experience, internship, and political or social commitment.
• Be from an eligible country

Eligible countries:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Congo, Democratic Republic, Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, São Tomé und Príncipe, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

You may apply:

60 Government of Ireland International Education Scholarships (GOI-IES)

Required Documents:

• Checklist form (Signed with an indication of place and date )
• DAAD application form (electronically)
•  a single Two-pages Motivation letter (with hand signature and current date)
• CV with the current date (with hand signature and current date- with no gap unexplained) using Europass format
• University degrees copy (with a description of the grading system)
• Transcript copies
• School leaving certificate copy
• Language certificates (German and English)
• Two letters of recommendation (academic or professional)
• confirmation of Work experience, internship or professional experience.

Application process:

Applicants interested in the Helmut Schmidt Master’s program in Public Policy and Good Governance must submit their completed applications and the necessary documents in German or English to the Master of their choice, not the DAAD. You can apply for up to TWO master`s courses and for the DAAD scholarship only to the selected universities with a single application and one motivation letter explaining your reason for selecting those programs and the reason behind your prioritization. You must also specify the priority of your choice (first, second) in the application.

Note: Your application will not be considered if you send it to DAAD or more than two universities.

When the application is selected and proposed for a scholarship, DAAD will contact the applicants to upload their application on the DAAD Portal. Please do not upload any document unless DAAD contacts you to do so.

Selection criteria: 

• Candidate’s personal, academic and professional motivation
• professional experience
• Good grades in the previous degree
• all master’s degree have their own selection criteria

Details of programs here

DAAD Application form

Check Specific programs: 

• DAAD Scholarship for M.A. Development and Governance Program 2026/27
• Master Helmut-Schmidt Scholarship Program for Public Policy and Good Governance (DAAD PPGG) in Germany
• DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program for Master of Public Policy at the Willy Brandt School, Germany
• DAAD Helmut-Schmidt-Program in M.A. Development Studies at the University of Passau
• DAAD Scholarship for Management in Nonprofit-Organisations at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrück

Frequently Asked Questions  (FAQ) about Helmut Schmidt Scholarships to study Public Policy and Governance

You may visit the DAAD scholarship and the relevant universities’ websites for more details.