Germany Scholarships for Pakistani Students 2027: What's Open

The main scholarships in Germany open to Pakistani students are the DAAD awards (EPOS for development-related master's, plus doctoral and research grants), the Deutschlandstipendium, and Erasmus Mundus master's degrees with a German partner. Most public universities in Germany also charge no tuition, so many Pakistanis go self-funded and apply for support once there. Timing is the catch: several DAAD deadlines for 2027 have already passed, while others close between now and January.

This guide sorts the options by what you can still apply for, using DAAD, university and German Embassy pages checked on 19 October 2026. Rupee figures use about PKR 310 to the euro (October 2026) and are approximate.

The options at a glance

Option	Level	Pays	Next deadline
DAAD EPOS	Master's (some PhDs)	€992 a month for master's, plus insurance and travel	Set by each course; many 2027 deadlines have passed
DAAD study scholarships in the arts	Master's in fine art, design, film, music, performing arts	€992 a month	Fine art, design and film: generally end of November
DAAD doctoral and research grants	PhD, postdoc	€1,400 a month	Generally end of August (next round for 2028 funding)
Deutschlandstipendium	Bachelor's and master's, once enrolled	€300 a month	Set by your university
Erasmus Mundus with a German partner	Master's	Full scholarship	Varies; many close December to February
Public university, self-funded	All levels	No tuition in most states	Set by your university

DAAD EPOS: the best-known route for a master's

EPOS stands for development-related postgraduate courses. DAAD funds places on a fixed list of master's (and a few PhD) courses at German universities, in subjects such as renewable energy, water, public health, urban planning, agriculture and development economics.

According to the DAAD scholarship database:

Who can apply: graduates from eligible countries, including Pakistan, with at least two years of work experience, a bachelor's degree (normally four years) in a related subject with results in the upper third of the class, and a degree normally no more than six years old.
What it pays: €992 a month for master's students (about PKR 307,500), health, accident and liability insurance contributions, a travel allowance, and in some cases a rent subsidy and family allowance.
How to apply: directly to the course, not to DAAD. You can apply to up to three courses, ranked, with one motivation letter.

Check the deadline now. DAAD's list for the 2027-28 intake gives no dates; each course sets its own, and some close about a year before the course starts. Two examples:

SuRE (renewable energy), University of Oldenburg: the course page gave 15 October 2026 for DAAD applicants starting in October 2027, which has just passed. Self-funded applicants can apply until 15 January 2027 through uni-assist.
Urban Management, TU Berlin: the course page gives 15 June to 31 August for DAAD applicants in the year before the course starts, and 1 January to 30 April for self-funded applicants.

So if you missed this year's EPOS window, you have two honest choices: apply to the same course as a self-funded student now, or build your two years of work experience and apply for EPOS in the 2028 round.

Other DAAD scholarships for Pakistanis

The DAAD Pakistan programme list also includes:

Arts master's. Study scholarships in fine art, design, visual communication and film (generally closing at the end of November), music (generally early October) and performing arts (generally end of October). They pay €992 a month for 10 to 24 months. For fine art and design, DAAD asks for your portfolio only after a first check, not with the first application. With an end-of-November deadline, this is the DAAD option most likely to be open right now. Confirm the exact date in the DAAD portal.
Doctoral Programmes in Germany. For a full PhD at a German university, with €1,400 a month for up to four years. Applications open on 1 June and generally close at the end of August; the current round was for funding starting in 2027.
Research Grants. For a 2 to 12 month research stay in Germany during a PhD you are doing in Pakistan or elsewhere, also at €1,400 a month and generally closing at the end of August.
Helmut-Schmidt-Programme. Master's scholarships in public policy and good governance, generally closing at the end of July.

Our funded PhD guide explains how to find a German supervisor, which most doctoral routes need.

Deutschlandstipendium: €300 a month once you are there

The Deutschlandstipendium pays €300 a month (about PKR 93,000), half from the federal government and half from private sponsors. Heidelberg University's page describes it as open to high-achieving students of all nationalities and not linked to income. It is usually given for two semesters and can be extended. You apply through your own university, so check its scholarship page once you have an offer. Because the award is decided by the university, plan your visa funds without counting on it.

Erasmus Mundus master's with a German partner

Erasmus Mundus joint master's are run by groups of universities, and many include a German one. The scholarship covers fees and a monthly allowance. Two examples from our catalogue, with deadlines confirmed on the programme pages today:

EMMIR (migration and intercultural relations), starting at the University of Oldenburg: scholarship applications close on 20 December 2026.
CoDaS (communications engineering and data science), with TU Braunschweig as a partner: applications run from 1 December 2026 to 5 January 2027.

Browse all programmes and deadlines on our Erasmus Mundus page.

Going self-funded: tuition, the blocked account and costs

The DAAD's cost page says most public universities charge no tuition. The main exceptions are public universities in Baden-Württemberg, which charge non-EU students €1,500 a semester (about PKR 465,000), and the Technical University of Munich, which has charged non-EU students since winter 2024-25. Every student pays a semester contribution, which DAAD puts at about €100 to €350.

For the student visa, you must show you can pay your living costs. The German missions in Pakistan say the usual way is a blocked account (Sperrkonto) of €11,904 a year, or €992 a month (about PKR 3.69 million), the amount for visa applications from 1 January 2025. A sponsor living in Germany can sign a formal obligation instead. The same page says that among Pakistani scholarships only one awarded by HEC is accepted as proof, not one from a Pakistani university. If you have a scholarship, ask the embassy how your award letter will be treated before you open an account.

The blocked account is your own money, not a fee. After you arrive you can withdraw a set amount from it each month, as the Federal Foreign Office explains. Our cost calculator and the Study in Germany guide give city-by-city costs and the visa steps.

Documents to prepare now

HEC-attested degree and transcripts: uni-assist's Pakistan page asks for degree documents with HEC attestation stamps (see our HEC attestation guide)
IELTS or TOEFL for English-taught courses (DAAD does not accept an institutional TOEFL for EPOS), or German at the level the course asks for
A CV and a motivation letter for each course
A work experience letter if you are applying for EPOS
Recommendation letters, usually two

Our document checklist and paperwork tool help you plan the order.

A word on agents

You apply to DAAD, to universities and to Erasmus Mundus programmes yourself, on their official portals. No one can buy you a DAAD place, and you never need to pay anyone to apply. Read our guide to avoiding scholarship scams before you sign anything.

Your next step

Pick two or three courses this week and write down each one's DAAD and self-funded deadlines from its own website. If you work in art or design, check the DAAD portal for the November deadline today. Then run your profile through our eligibility checker. Confirm every date and amount on the official DAAD, university and embassy pages before you apply.