External funding applicants
Deadlines vary
At a glance
Expected program duration
3.5 years
Students admitted per year
c. 20-30
Language of instruction
English
Admission status
Applications for 2020-2021
Open (external scholarship only)
Deadlines
Internal scholarship applicants
23:59 CEST (UTC/GMT +2)
August 31st, annually
How to apply
Step 1: online registration (click here)
Step 2: prepare your application documents
Step 3: letters of recommendation
Entry requirements
Academic qualification
We require an excellent master's or equivalent degree (GPA higher than 3.0 in the American system, or a grade higher than 2.0 in the German system or equivalent).
Your last academic degree should have been obtained relatively recently prior to application. This guarantees the competitiveness of your application. A gap between your previous academic degree and your application to BIGS-DR means that you should demonstrate how you have maintained your academic rigor (e.g. a longer and current list of publications).
Innovative research idea
Your application must contain a Graduate Research Statement. The statement should describe a development problem you consider interesting and important. Include your main research questions and the proposed methods linked to them and have literature references. The statement should be a maximum of four pages. Your Graduate Research Statement may relate to ZEF's research areas in a broad sense or may address a topic in another development research area. The selection committee will assess all research statements on the basis of orgininality, analytical rigor, and relevance.
English proficiency
Applicants whose native language is not English are required to provide evidence of English proficiency. The following documents may be submitted as proof of eligibility:
- IELTS Academic (minimum band score of 6)
- TOEFL iBT (minimum of 80 points)
- Other English language certification tests (CPE, CAE)
At the discretion of the BIGS-DR team, applicants who have completed their tertiary studies in English may have the English proficiency requirement waived if evidence can be provided that all courses were conducted entirely in English. Usually, the medium of instruction can be found on the transcript or other official university program documents. Alternatively, applicants may also request a letter from their university directly that attests to the medium of instruction.
Application deadlines
The deadline for the internal scholarship is August 31st annually for the following academic year. The admissions period for the next intake usually begins in spring.
For independent and external scholarship applicants, completed application documents may be submitted at any time, capacity permitting. Please note that these funding institutions often have their own deadlines, so be sure to inform BIGS-DR accordingly by including any deadlines in your motivation letter.
The BIGS-DR courses start in early October annually.
