DAAD Study and Research Grants

The DAAD announced its Study and Research Grant programs earlier this month. A veritable cornucopia of information can be found on the website, including specifics for each grant and grant field available (grants are available in nearly every field).

But what I want to address is the UCSD procedure. We have a campus deadline of Oct. 18, 2006, which means that any interested applicants need to submit a hard copy of the application that will be submitted both in hard copy and online to DAAD. (Again, see the website for specifics.) What this allows us to do is nominate one priority candidate from UCSD, who will receive special consideration in the general applicant pool. This does not always lead to the awarding of a grant, and each year we have awardees who were not UCSD's priority applicant. In order to constitute a faculty committee to evaluate applications, however, I need to hear from anyone who wants to apply no later than Oct. 9 about his/her field and the intended title of the project.

So, to summarize the dates involved:

Oct. 9: email Shannon Chamberlain (sfchamberlain@ucsd.edu) about your intended field of study
Oct. 18: submit complete hard copy of your application to OGS, 2nd floor of 520 University Center, by 4:30pm
Before Nov. 1: Notification of your status

EDIT: I will be sending in hard copies of applications. All you need to do is submit online and bring a hard copy here. Disregard the following.]

[Nov. 1: Applications for music, fine arts, and dance must be submitted online and postmarked to DAAD in New York by the applicant
Nov. 15: Applications in all other fields must be submitted online and postmarked to DAAD in New York by the applicant]

I'd also like to pass along some helpful information I received about compiling the application package:

1. The application package must be sent complete. It must be postmarked on or before the application deadline. Materials that have been postmarked after the deadline will not be considered. This rule will be strictly followed.

2. To ensure a smooth application process, students should arrange their application materials in the proper order, following the guidelines listed on the application checklist.

3. Students' proposals should be concise (do not exceed 5 to 6 pages, double-spaced), yet very specific and detailed. "Study Scholarship" applicants often tend to deliver a letter of intent instead of a well-formulated research or study proposal.

4. Students wanting to enroll in a Master's degree program in Germany should write a letter of motivation. They should explain their choice of program and why it will be beneficial to them and further their career.

5. The proposal should be written in proper academic format.

6. The proposal should have proper footnotes/citations and include a list of references.

7. The CV should be in a professional format and complete. (This is not a narrative CV, but a traditional one.)

8. Invitation letters from Germany are very important! "Study Scholarship" applicants seem to have the most problems in securing such a letter. A letter of invitation from the German host university or research facility reassures the selection committee of the applicant's seriousness.