Funding to Study in Germany (Religion/Philosophy/Theology)

[SemperDiscentes]

Hello! I would absolutely love to study in Germany for a year but would need some outside funding to afford the cost of living. Does anyone know of any good resources, scholarship sources, or ideas/suggestions? I've included my research interests below (also I'm okay with German-based instruction). 

Research Interests:

History of Christian Thought, Continental Philosophy, German Romanticism & Idealism, Theories of Religion, Philosophical Hermeneutics, 19th Century Theology, Affect Theory.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks! 

[saucyknave]

Hello there! I'm just starting my PhD in Germany, and I'm going through this process right now. Your best option might be either through DAAD or Fulbright, but also check out the Humboldt Foundation (they have very science-oriented images on their website, but funding is open). If you know what university you would like to attend, and you haven't been in touch with their international office yet, maybe check them out and see what kinds of opportunities they may be able to connect you with. Having someone walk you at the university at least walk you through how grant applications work would be helpful, as it's wildly different from institution to institution. I hope that helps and isn't repeating things you've already looked at, but feel free to send me a message to ask more questions/commiserate about German funding!   

[SemperDiscentes]

Thanks! This is very helpful. I was concerned about who to contact first (i.e., school or grant organization). Within the school, did you talk to the international office or the office related to your studies? I was thinking about emailing the dean of the school(s) I'm interested in with my info and interests to see if they can direct me to the right direction. Would that be too forward? Most of these protestant theology faculties are quite small I believe. 

[saucyknave]

It's always worth emailing both, I think. I've found some departments to be very hierarchy-focused, so maybe just keep that in mind until you get a sense of how friendly/open they are. That's also information worth knowing for you, in my opinion, so you can understand what their expectations are. If you already have a supervisor in mind and you're not in contact with them yet either, I would also email them. They will be your biggest advocate for acceptance as a PhD candidate, and this relationship is figured quite differently than how it works in the US. If your international office or university has some kind of graduate student academy, you may also talk with them to get a good sense of what PhD candidate life is like.