Hans Böckler PhD Scholarships 2025

Hans Böckler Foundation offers various scholarships to international students who wish to pursue doctorate degree programs across various disciplines in Germany. The scholarships are designed for candidates willing to combine their research work with a stay in Germany.

The program focuses on co-determination, research linked to the world of work, and student support on behalf of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB). PhD students from countries across the world in the fields of social sciences, humanities, or economics will benefit from Hans Böckler Foundation’s 2025 scholarships in Germany.

These two scholarships are available under the Hans Böckler Foundation: Dieter Schumacher International PhD Scholarship and Ute and György Széll International PhD Scholarship. Applications are currently open, and foreign students are welcome to apply for a chance to study in Germany.

Dieter Schumacher Scholarship

The Dieter Schumacher PhD Scholarship program provides outstanding international students with funding to study Economics for 12 to 24 months at a German university or research institute. The scholarship program is open to doctoral students under the age of 30.

Ute Und György Széll Scholarship

The Ute and György Széll PhD Scholarship provides financial aid to outstanding students from around the world to enable them to pursue doctorate studies in Social Sciences and Humanities. It is available for a six-month period not only at a German university or research institute but also at a foundation or archive. This scholarship has no age limit.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees for international students range from 1500 euros to 2250 euros per semester for Bachelor’s and consecutive Master’s degree programs at all institutions of higher education in Germany. Ph. D.s at German public universities are usually free of charge for international students.

Dieter Schumacher Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, you must have:

• A description of your doctoral project (3 pages)
• A research paper outlining the topic, questions, methodology, and goals of your research in Germany (3 pages)
• An invitation letter from your host PhD supervisor in Germany, who is responsible for the on-site support and integration into the local and national research contexts in Germany
• A letter of recommendation from your PhD supervisor at your home institution
• Your CV in table form
• The Diploma that entitles you to pursue a doctorate
• Please include the documents above with your application form while applying.

Scholarship Benefits

Recipients of this scholarship will be provided with a monthly stipend of EUR 1550 for living expenses. They will also receive an annual allowance of EUR 1400 for travel expenses. You can apply for a 12 or 24-month scholarship.

Ute Und György Széll Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, an applicant must have;

• Enrolled in a PhD program in the fields of Social Sciences or Humanities
• A description of your doctoral project in the form of a research plan (3 pages). This includes the context of your further career development.
• A research paper outlining the topic, questions, methodology, and goals of your research in Germany (3 pages)
• An invitation letter from your host PhD supervisor in Germany, who is responsible for the on-site support and integration into the local and national research contexts in Germany
• An assessment by the PhD-supervisor at your home institution
• CV in table form
• Diploma that entitles you to pursue a doctorate

Scholarship Benefits

The benefits attached to this scholarship in Germany include a monthly stipend of EUR 1450 for living expenses and an annual allowance of EUR 1300 for the recipient’s travel expenses.

Application Procedure

• Visit the scholarship portal.
• Complete the application form.
• Please save, print out, sign, and send the PDF file to the Hans Böckler Foundation by post. Alternatively, you can email the signed PDF file and the other documents to [email protected].
• The selection process and announcements will be formally handled and approved by the Hans Böckler Scholarships.
• The HBS Department of Study Promotion will pre-select the applicants, with Ute and György Széll participating.
• The HBS Ph.D. committee will make the final decision. The Ute and György Széll scholarship project is limited to five years (2022-2027).

Deadline/Expiration: February 28th

Find other scholarship programs currently open for application