Programs

Structured doctoral programmes in Germany from the official DAAD International Programmes database. 157 of them charge no tuition.

171 of 171 programmes

• Göttingen Graduate Centre for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences (opens in new tab)

  University of Göttingen · Göttingen

  No tuition fees

  Deadline: No deadline stated

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: Not statedTuition: No tuition feesDuration: Not statedStart: Not stated
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• Hannover Biomedical Research School (opens in new tab)

  Hannover Medical School · Hannover

  No tuition fees

  Deadline: No deadline stated

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: Not statedTuition: No tuition feesDuration: Not statedStart: Not stated
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• Heidelberg Biosciences International Graduate School (HBIGS) (opens in new tab)

  Heidelberg University · Heidelberg

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester, Summer semester

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester, Summer semester
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• Helmholtz Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme for Environmental Research (opens in new tab)

  Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ · Leipzig

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• Heritage Studies (opens in new tab)

  Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg · Cottbus

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester, Summer semester

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester, Summer semester
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• Hohenheim Graduate School of Life Sciences (opens in new tab)

  University of Hohenheim · Stuttgart

  Tuition varies

  Deadline: No deadline stated

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: Not statedTuition: Tuition variesDuration: Not statedStart: Not stated
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• HZDR Doctoral Programme in Energy, Health, Matter & Data Science (opens in new tab)

  Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf · Dresden

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• IMPRS - International Max Planck Research School on Astrophysics (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics · Garching b. München

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester

  Deadline: Register by 1 November 2026

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester
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• Integrated Graduate College of the SFB/Transregio 185 (Bonn-Kaiserslautern): Open System Control of Atomic and Photonic Matter (OSCAR) (opens in new tab)

  RPTU University Kaiserslautern-Landau · Kaiserslautern

  English · No tuition fees · 8 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 8 semestersStart: Any time
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• Integrated Graduate School Solvation Science (iGSS) (opens in new tab)

  Ruhr-Universität Bochum · Bochum

  English · Tuition varies · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: Tuition variesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• Integrated Research Training Group in Molecular Evolutionary Sciences (IMES) (opens in new tab)

  Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München · München

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters, 8 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semesters, 8 semestersStart: Any time
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• Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environment Systems Graduate Programme (IRI THESys) (opens in new tab)

  Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin · Berlin

  English · No tuition fees · 9 semesters or more · Winter semester, Summer semester

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 9 semesters or moreStart: Winter semester, Summer semester
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• International Doctoral Programme Computational Neuroscience (opens in new tab)

  Technische Universität Berlin · Berlin

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester

  Deadline: Register by 15 March 2027

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester
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• International Doctoral Programme – Environment Water (ENWAT) (opens in new tab)

  University of Stuttgart · Stuttgart

  English · No tuition fees · 8 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 8 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Giessen Graduate Centre for the Life Sciences (GGL) (opens in new tab)

  Justus Liebig University Giessen · Gießen

  No tuition fees

  Deadline: No deadline stated

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: Not statedTuition: No tuition feesDuration: Not statedStart: Not stated
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• International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) (opens in new tab)

  Justus Liebig University Giessen · Gießen

  No tuition fees

  Deadline: No deadline stated

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: Not statedTuition: No tuition feesDuration: Not statedStart: Not stated
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• International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) (opens in new tab)

  Justus Liebig University Giessen · Gießen

  German · English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester

  Deadline: Register by 1 February 2027

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: German, EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester
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• International Graduate School GFL – German as a Foreign Language (opens in new tab)

  University of Education Freiburg · Freiburg im Breisgau

  German · English · Tuition varies · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: German, EnglishTuition: Tuition variesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Leibniz Research School for Microbial and Biomolecular Interactions (ILRS Jena) (opens in new tab)

  Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology - Hans Knöll Institute · Jena

  English · No tuition fees · 8 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 8 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) – Quantum Dynamics and Control (QDC) (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems · Dresden

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Other

  Deadline: Register by 30 April 2027 + 1 more

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Other
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• International Max Planck Research School for Biology and Computation (IMPRS-BAC) (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics · Berlin

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: Please check our website for more details. We would like all new doctoral candidates to attend a Welcome Week in November 2027. This means that your degree should be granted by October 2027. Exceptions may be possible.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Max Planck Research School for Chemistry and Physics of Quantum Materials (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids · Dresden

  English · No tuition fees · 8 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: This programme has no deadline.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 8 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Max Planck Research School for Epigenetics, Biophysics and Metabolism (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics · Freiburg im Breisgau

  English · No tuition fees · 8 semesters · Winter semester

  Deadline: The programme has one recruitment round per year, with a new call opening at the end of the year.

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 8 semestersStart: Winter semester
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• International Max Planck Research School for Global Biogeochemical Cycles (IMPRS-gBGC) (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry · Jena

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Any time

  Deadline: Twice a year, the IMPRS-gBGC accepts applications for PhD positions. The deadlines are announced on our website . Stay informed about future calls for application .

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Any time
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• International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Organ Biology (IMPRS-MOB) (opens in new tab)

  Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research · Bad Nauheim

  English · No tuition fees · 6 semesters · Winter semester

  Deadline: Register by 31 January 2027

  Requirements

  Language of instruction: EnglishTuition: No tuition feesDuration: 6 semestersStart: Winter semester
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