University of Erfurt PhD Scholarships 2027 - EUR 1,400 a Month

Germany's best-funded doctoral offers are usually advertised as jobs, which means a contract, social contributions and a supervisor who has already chosen you. The Thuringian state scholarships at Erfurt work the other way round: you apply with a project, and the university decides whether it fits one of its structured doctoral programmes. That is a narrow door, but it is a door you can walk through without knowing a professor first.

What it covers

Up to four scholarships are awarded from 1 April 2027, at EUR 1,400 a month for three years, extendable by a further year on application. A family allowance of EUR 300 a month is added for a first child and EUR 150 for each additional child, and scholars can claim up to EUR 600 a year for research-related expenses. The award is a stipend rather than an employment contract, which means no income-tax withholding and no social-security contributions - a distinction that matters when you compare it with a TV-L doctoral position, because the stipend does not build pension entitlement even though the monthly figure looks generous.

Who can apply

Anyone of any nationality with a doctoral project that fits the structured Erfurt Doctoral and Postdoctoral Programme. In practice that means three doors: the Center for Empirical Research in Economics and Behavioral Sciences (CEREB), which covers behavioural economics, decision-making, organisational behaviour, corporate ethics and health psychology; the Max-Weber-Kolleg, which is oriented to cultural and social theory; and the certified research training groups attached to a graduate centre. A project that could sit anywhere in Germany but has no Erfurt supervisor is unlikely to survive the first cut, so the fit has to be argued, not assumed.

Eligibility self-check

Can I name the Erfurt centre or training group my project belongs to, and one or two people there whose work it extends? Is my research question narrow enough to finish in three years? Do I have a master's degree or equivalent, with a transcript that shows research training? Can I write and present in German or English at the level the group works in? Have I checked whether the group I am targeting has advertised a specific thematic call this year? Can I start on 1 April 2027, or at the latest 1 July 2027?

Deadline

Applications close on 24 November 2026 at 23:59 Central European Time. Funding begins on 1 April 2027, with 1 July 2027 as the latest start. There is one round a year, so a missed deadline costs a full cycle.

Application materials checklist

The completed application form from the call document A research proposal with question, method, timeline and expected contribution CV with your degrees, publications and any teaching or research assistance Certified copies of your bachelor's and master's certificates and transcripts A writing sample, typically a chapter of your thesis or a published paper Two academic references, or referee contact details if the call asks for those A short statement explaining why Erfurt and which centre you are applying to

How to apply

Read the call document on the university's research announcements page first: it carries the form, the document list and the selection criteria for this cycle. Assemble everything into the format the call specifies and submit through the route it gives. Questions about eligibility and the doctoral programme go to the Graduate Services team named in the call, not to individual professors.

https://www.uni-erfurt.de/en/research/news/research-news/news-detail/scholarships-for-phd-students

Common mistakes to avoid

Sending the same proposal you wrote for a Dutch or British PhD. Those programmes expect a three-year plan with a defined supervisor; Erfurt expects a project that fits a structured cohort, and the fit is assessed separately from the topic. Applying to CEREB with a purely theoretical or humanities project. Leaving the funding question vague - if you need laboratory time or archive travel, say what it costs and how the EUR 600 allowance fits. Missing the certification requirement on degree copies. Writing to a professor asking for supervision in November when the deadline is in three weeks and the group's decision is made collectively.

Tips to win

Read two recent publications from the centre you are targeting and cite them in the proposal, showing the specific gap your project fills. Name the methodological skills you already have - survey design, econometric modelling, qualitative coding, experimental design - because empirical centres select on method as much as topic. If you have teaching experience, mention it: the EPPP expects scholars to take part in structured training, and departments notice candidates who can already teach. Keep the proposal to the length the call states; longer is not stronger here.

Other scholarships worth reading

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=93

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=105

https://www.oeacnetwork.com/index.php?page=post&id=5

Talk to an OEAC advisor

An OEAC advisor can check whether your project fits CEREB or the Max-Weber-Kolleg rather than a different German programme, and review the proposal against the call's criteria.

Last updated: 9 November 2026