University of Erfurt Doctoral Scholarships 2027 in Germany

About the scholarship

The University of Erfurt is awarding doctoral scholarships under the Thuringian State Graduate Support (Thüringer Graduiertenförderung) — the state of Thuringia’s scheme for funding doctoral researchers. Up to four scholarships are on offer in this call. The core award is a basic scholarship of €1,400 per month with a standard funding period of three years, which can be extended by one additional year on request. On top of the basic amount there are family allowances and an annual research budget, and funded researchers join the university’s structured doctoral training programme (the Erfurt Doctoral and Postdoctoral Programme, EPPP), with academic-skills courses, networking and science-communication platforms. Funding starts on 1 April 2027 (no later than 1 July 2027).

The application mechanics matter more than the money: the entire dossier goes as one PDF, no larger than 5 MB, in the university’s official document order with a table of contents, emailed to the graduate services office. The letter of recommendation is NOT part of that PDF — your reviewer sends it separately, on the university’s prescribed form, directly by email. You do not need to be formally accepted as a doctoral candidate when you apply; proof that you have contacted a Graduate Centre or the Max-Weber-Kolleg is enough — but formal acceptance, full Graduate Centre membership and matriculation must all be in place by the funding start.

Eligibility

• Above-average academic achievements: your examination results must show clear aptitude for academic research.
• Doctoral acceptance by funding start: you must be accepted as a doctoral candidate by one of the University of Erfurt’s faculties or the Max-Weber-Kolleg by the start of funding at the latest, and maintain that status throughout. You do not need this at application time — documented contact with a Graduate Centre or the Max-Weber-Kolleg suffices.
• Matriculation: you must be matriculated at the University of Erfurt by the start of funding.
• Graduate Centre membership: full membership in a certified Graduate Centre or the Max-Weber-Kolleg by the start of funding.
• Health insurance: current proof of health insurance by the start of funding.
• No double funding: no parallel public funding for the same period and purpose.
• Employment limits: up to 12 hours/week of research/teaching work at a higher-education or research institution, or up to 5 hours/week of other employment; teaching no more than 2 hours/week on average per academic year.
• Open to all origins: the official call’s equal-opportunities clause welcomes applications regardless of origin. Your doctoral project must sit within the Erfurt Doctoral and Postdoctoral Programme — for example a certified Graduate Centre, the Max-Weber-Kolleg, or CEREB (economics/behavioural sciences).

Benefits

• €1,400 per month basic scholarship for three years, extendable by one further year on request.
• Family allowance: €300 per month for the first dependent child and €150 per month for each additional child.
• Research budget: up to €600 per funding year for research-related material and travel costs (subject to available funds).
• Structured doctoral training: integration into the EPPP, with at least six Academic Skills courses, networking and science-communication opportunities.
• Evaluation takes about 10 weeks; decisions are expected by the end of February 2027.

Documents required

Confirmed from the official August 2026 call (PDF). Assemble Part 1 in the official order, with a table of contents, into one PDF of ≤5 MB.

1. Cover letter (max 2 pages): name the Graduate Centre or Max-Weber-Kolleg, explain why you are applying, state your project’s progress, and add any voluntary personal circumstances.
2. Tabular CV plus the university’s CV supplement form.
3. Exposé: project outline of 6–8 pages (excluding cover page and bibliography) plus a three-year work and time schedule.
4. Contact form: official form confirming contact established with a Graduate Centre or the Max-Weber-Kolleg (or the admission form if you are already a full member).
5. Faculty/Max-Weber-Kolleg confirmation of doctoral acceptance, if already available.
6. List of academic publications and presentations, if applicable.
7. Degree certificates (Diploma/Magister or Bachelor’s + Master’s) — certified German/English translation if the originals are in another language.
8. Complete copy of your final thesis (Diploma/Magister/Master’s) — include a 2-page German/English summary if the original is not in either language.
9. Signed consent to the processing of personal data.
10. Letter of recommendation on the university’s prescribed form, written by a professor/university teacher (University of Erfurt or another higher-education institution) — submitted SEPARATELY by the reviewer by email, NOT inside your PDF.

How to apply

1. Read the official call and document checklist on the university’s announcements page, and establish contact with a Graduate Centre or the Max-Weber-Kolleg early — that contact is a hard requirement at application time.
2. Assemble the dossier in the official order with a table of contents into one PDF of ≤5 MB. Do not include the checklist itself in the application.
3. Email it to graduiertenfoerderung@uni-erfurt.de with the subject line “Application for the State Graduate Scholarship 2026 – surname, first name” (use your own surname and first name) by 24 November 2026, 11:59 p.m. CET.
4. Arrange the recommendation letter separately: your reviewer emails it directly — on the prescribed form, and on time — to the same address.
5. Contact for queries: Ms Xiaolei Dong, Research and Graduate Services, +49 (0)361 737-5042. Decisions are expected by the end of February 2027.

FAQs

Verified 17 Oct 2026 via the official University of Erfurt announcement (August 2026 PDF: deadline 24 Nov 2026 11:59 p.m. CET; €1,400/month × 3 years, extendable by 1 year; €300/€150 family allowances; ≤€600/yr research costs; full 10-item document list with the separate-email recommendation rule; subject-line format; Ms Xiaolei Dong contact), corroborated by globalsouthopportunities, researchersjob, truescho and Bright Scholarship trackers. Funding starts 1 April 2027; decisions expected end of February 2027; up to 4 scholarships.