RWTH Aachen University offers 15+ scholarships, of which 10+ are accessible to Indian applicants. Awards range from EUR 300 per month (INR 32,790) to fully funded PhD contracts worth INR 5.06 Lakhs gross per month.
The university charges zero tuition for all public Bachelor’s and regular Master’s programs. Indian students therefore stack a monthly award on top of the semester contribution of EUR 329 (INR 35,960).
- Standard tuition (public programs): EUR 0 (INR 0). Semester contribution EUR 329 (INR 35,960) applies.
- With fee waiver: No blanket waiver. RWTH International Academy paid Master’s tracks offer a Global Talent award worth up to 35 percent off program fees.
- With scholarship plus fee combo: Deutschlandstipendium (EUR 300 per month) offsets EUR 3,600 (INR 3.93 Lakhs) of annual living cost.
- Next actionable deadline: BEIS Scholarship for Particularly Involved International Students, tentative March 1, 2027.
Currency Note: All INR conversions use the live rate of 1 EUR = INR 109.30 as of September 2026. Amounts above INR 1 Lakh use Lakhs; smaller figures use raw INR.
RWTH Aachen University Scholarships for UG Students
Bachelor’s applicants can pursue 3 university-run awards, most paying INR 32,790 monthly for two semesters minimum. All require prior enrolment, so plan them as top-ups after admission.
| Scholarship | Amount (EUR / INR) | Duration | Eligibility | Deadline (2027 cycle, tentative) |
|---|
| Deutschlandstipendium | EUR 300/month (INR 32,790), or EUR 3,600 (INR 3.93 Lakhs) per year | 2 semesters, renewable | Above-average academic record, social engagement, or personal achievement. Around 359 slots per year at RWTH. | June 2027 application window |
| BEIS (Scholarship for Particularly Involved International Students) | EUR 300/month (INR 32,790), total EUR 1,800 (INR 1.97 Lakhs) | 6 months (July to December) | Non-German nationals, minimum 2 semesters at RWTH, documented intercultural activity, monthly income below EUR 1,295 (INR 1.42 Lakhs). | March 1, 2027 |
| Scholarship for Completing Studies for International Students | EUR 500/month (INR 54,650) | 1 to 5 months | Non-German nationals, thesis phase, no parallel scholarship, side income below EUR 1,095 (INR 1.20 Lakhs), degree completion within 12 months. | Round 1: October 25 to November 25, 2026. Round 2: May 15 to June 19, 2027. |
BEIS is the fastest route for Bachelor’s students who have already spent a year at RWTH. Selection weights intercultural volunteering as heavily as CGPA, so buddy programme or ISO event work counts.
Bachelor programs at RWTH are almost entirely taught in German, so most Indian UG applicants need TestDaF 4 or DSH-2 first. Check the RWTH Aachen University Admissions page for language proof rules and APS certificate requirements.
RWTH Aachen University Scholarships for PG / Master’s Students
Master’s applicants can access 6 higher-value awards, most through the RWTH International Academy or DAAD partnerships. A regular Master’s student can stack DAAD (EUR 992 per month) with Deutschlandstipendium (EUR 300 per month), reaching INR 16.95 Lakhs per year.
| Scholarship | Amount (EUR / INR) | Duration | Eligibility | Deadline (tentative) |
|---|
| Deutschlandstipendium (Master’s) | EUR 300/month (INR 32,790) | 2 semesters, renewable | Enrolled Master’s students with above-average Bachelor’s CGPA. Master’s continuation window opens February 2 to March 2, 2027. | June 2027 for regular cycle |
| DAAD Study Scholarship for Graduates | EUR 992/month (INR 1.08 Lakhs) plus travel and health insurance | 10 to 24 months | Bachelor’s completed within 6 years, minimum 8.5/10 CGPA, portfolio for architecture and design tracks. | October 31, 2026 (for winter 2027 intake) |
| DAAD EPOS Development-Related Master’s | EUR 1,200/month (INR 1.31 Lakhs) plus full tuition and travel | 12 to 24 months | Two years relevant work experience, India qualifies as an eligible country, only listed development-focused programs at RWTH qualify. | September 30, 2026 (course-dependent) |
| RWTH Global Talent Scholarship | Up to 35 percent tuition reduction on RWTH International Academy Master’s programs | Full program duration | Admitted to a paid English-taught Master’s at RWTH International Academy, above-average Bachelor’s grade of 1.7 or higher (German scale). | March 1, 2027 (non-EU applicants) |
| RWTH High Potential Student Grant | Up to 25 percent tuition reduction | Full program duration | Admitted to an International Academy Master’s, CGPA equivalent to German 1.7 or higher, motivation letter and academic references. | March 1, 2027 (non-EU applicants) |
| RWTH Women in Engineering Scholarship | Partial tuition reduction on International Academy engineering Master’s | Full program duration | Women admitted to an eligible engineering Master’s, strong Bachelor’s grades. | March 1, 2027 (non-EU applicants) |
Reddit Insight: Indian Master’s applicants in r/germany peg DAAD Study Scholarship acceptance from India at roughly 8 percent. Most treat the RWTH Global Talent Scholarship or Deutschlandstipendium as their realistic backup route.
The RWTH Global Talent, High Potential, and Women in Engineering awards only apply to the paid Master’s tracks run by RWTH International Academy. Regular English-taught Master’s on the main university side stay tuition-free without needing these. The RWTH Aachen University Programs list separates the two routes.
India-Specific Scholarships at RWTH Aachen University
5 India-specific foundation grants top up the tuition-free base for Indian students at RWTH Aachen. These pay travel, living, and one-time costs that DAAD does not cover.
| Scholarship | Amount | Eligibility | Deadline (tentative) |
|---|
| Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarship | Up to USD 100,000 (INR 83 Lakhs) total, covering tuition and stipend | Indian citizens under 30, Master’s or PhD, minimum 65 percent in Bachelor’s, admit letter from RWTH. | April 8, 2027 |
| KC Mahindra Post-Graduate Loan Scholarship | Interest-free loan scholarship up to INR 10 Lakhs | Indian citizens under 30, Master’s or PhD abroad, unconditional offer from RWTH. | March 31, 2027 |
| Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation Scholarship | Interest-free loan up to INR 20 Lakhs | Indian nationals under 30, admit letter for Master’s or PhD at RWTH, top 25 percent in prior degree. | January 15, 2027 |
| JN Tata Endowment Loan Scholarship | Loan of INR 1 Lakh to INR 10 Lakhs plus gift award up to INR 7.5 Lakhs | Indian citizens under 45, Master’s / PhD / postdoc at RWTH, minimum 60 percent in Bachelor’s. | March 22, 2027 |
| Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship | 50 percent grant, 50 percent loan covering tuition and stipend | Indian nationals under 30, verified financial need, admit letter to RWTH, no other funding secured. | March 31, 2027 |
Only Inlaks pays outright grant funds. The other four are low-interest loans, so read repayment clauses before you accept any offer.
Stacking rules matter. Inlaks bars parallel scholarships above USD 8,000 per year, while DAAD forbids combining with another full stipend. Confirm with each foundation before signing.
Explore More: RWTH Aachen University Overview
RWTH Aachen University PhD Scholarships
RWTH funds 4 doctoral tracks through salaried research contracts, not stipends alone. A TV-L E13 65 percent contract (Germany’s public-sector academic pay grade at part-time rate) pays roughly EUR 3,010 gross per month. That totals INR 3.29 Lakhs monthly, or INR 39.47 Lakhs per year.
| Program | Funding | Duration | Eligibility | Deadline (tentative) |
|---|
| DFG-funded PhD positions (project-based) | TV-L E13 65 to 100 percent, EUR 3,010 to 4,630 gross per month (INR 3.29 Lakhs to INR 5.06 Lakhs) | 3 to 4 years | Master’s aligned with a live DFG grant, direct application to the supervisor and chair. | Rolling; positions posted on EURAXESS and RWTH chair pages |
| AICES Graduate School (Aachen Institute for Advanced Study in Computational Engineering Science) | Full stipend or TV-L E13 75 percent contract, around EUR 2,000 to 3,470 (INR 2.19 Lakhs to INR 3.79 Lakhs) per month | 3 years, extendable | Master’s in computational engineering, mathematics, or physics, research proposal, English proficiency. | January 15, 2027 |
| DAAD Research Grants for Doctoral Candidates | EUR 1,300/month (INR 1.42 Lakhs) plus travel and health insurance | 7 to 48 months | Indian citizens with a Master’s, research proposal, host confirmation from an RWTH professor. | October 31, 2026 |
| Cluster of Excellence PhD positions (Internet of Production, Fuel Science Center) | TV-L E13 75 to 100 percent, up to EUR 4,630 gross per month (INR 5.06 Lakhs) | 3 years | Master’s aligned with the cluster theme, structured selection with proposal defence. | Rolling; annual cohort intake in April and October 2027 |
Indian PhD applicants usually split effort across three routes:
- DAAD Research Grant for guaranteed portable funding tied to a research proposal.
- Direct supervisor pitch for a DFG project contract with higher take-home pay.
- AICES or a Cluster of Excellence for structured cohort admission and mentoring.
Reddit Insight: Indian PhD candidates on r/PhDGermany note that RWTH engineering chairs prefer applicants with a first-author paper or thesis in a related area. Cold emails without an attached research draft rarely get a reply.
External Government Scholarships for RWTH Aachen University Applicants
5 German federal and EU-level programs sit outside RWTH’s in-house awards. Three of them are non-negotiable to know about before you apply.
| Scholarship | Amount | Level | Eligibility | Deadline (tentative) |
|---|
| DAAD STIBET Graduation Grant | EUR 250 to 850 per month (INR 27,325 to INR 92,905), for 2 to 4 months | Master’s / PhD final phase | Enrolled at RWTH, in thesis stage, financial need documented, nominated by department. | Rolling; nominated internally each semester |
| Erasmus+ Programme (EU) | EUR 700 to 850 per month (INR 76,510 to INR 92,905) plus travel grant EUR 490 (INR 53,557) | Bachelor / Master / PhD exchange | Enrolled at an RWTH partner institution in India, or transferring within an EU network. | March 31, 2027 (Winter 2027-28 mobility) |
| Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) | EUR 934/month (INR 1.02 Lakhs) plus study allowance | Master’s, PhD | Indian nationals with above-average grades, civic engagement, German language B2 or higher. | July 15, 2027 |
| Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) | EUR 850/month (INR 92,905) plus semester fee refund | Master’s, PhD | International students from outside the EU with social-democratic engagement, top 30 percent academic record. | April 30 and October 31, 2027 |
| Heinrich Boell Stiftung | EUR 934/month (INR 1.02 Lakhs) plus mobility supplements | Master’s, PhD | Indian nationals with strong academic record, activism or ecological engagement, admit at RWTH. | March 1 and September 1, 2027 |
Living costs at Aachen run about EUR 13,200 (INR 14.43 Lakhs) per year. A single EUR 934 monthly award therefore covers close to 85 percent of that outlay.
Germany’s political foundations (KAS, FES, Boell) reject applicants without a demonstrated civic-society track record. Token volunteering rarely gets through, so start engagement at least two years before applying.
RWTH Aachen University Scholarships: Frequently Asked Questions
Ques. What is the maximum scholarship stack an Indian student at RWTH Aachen can realistically build?
Ans. An Indian PhD candidate on a TV-L E13 100 percent DFG contract reaches around INR 60 Lakhs gross per year. At Master’s level, DAAD Study Scholarship (EUR 992 per month) plus Deutschlandstipendium (EUR 300 per month) reaches INR 16.95 Lakhs per year. Bachelor’s caps at Deutschlandstipendium alone since it does not stack with BEIS, so INR 3.93 Lakhs per year.
Ques. When should Indian applicants submit scholarship files for the September 2027 intake at RWTH Aachen?
Ans. Send DAAD Study Scholarship files by October 31, 2026 for the winter 2027 start. Inlaks Shivdasani closes April 8, 2027, and Deutschlandstipendium opens only after enrolment, tentatively June 2027. RWTH International Academy tuition-reduction scholarships close March 1, 2027 for non-EU applicants.
Ques. How do you apply for the Deutschlandstipendium at RWTH Aachen, before or after admission?
Ans. Only after enrolment. The RWTH Education Fund portal opens once each year around June, and students upload matriculation proof, transcript, CV, and one motivation letter. Selection lands within 8 to 10 weeks, with EUR 300 monthly payouts starting the following winter semester. About 20 percent of applicants are selected each cycle.
Ques. What CGPA does RWTH Aachen expect for a competitive DAAD Study Scholarship shortlist?
Ans. DAAD India benchmarks 8.5 out of 10 for Master’s applicants, and 9.0 or higher stays competitive at RWTH. Applicants below 8.0 rarely clear the DAAD internal review. GATE 95th percentile or GRE 325 plus adds weight for mechanical, materials, and computer science applicants.
Ques. Does the Deutschlandstipendium at EUR 300 per month cover rent in Aachen city?
Ans. Not on its own. Aachen student residence rent runs EUR 265 to 573 per month for a single apartment, so Deutschlandstipendium alone falls short. Most Indian recipients pair it with a werkstudent (Germany’s student-worker) contract, up to 20 hours per week at EUR 12.82 minimum wage.
Ques. Do the RWTH Global Talent and High Potential scholarships apply to regular tuition-free Master’s programs?
Ans. No. Both awards apply only to fee-based English-taught Master’s programs at RWTH International Academy, such as Automotive Engineering M.Sc. or Management and Engineering in Production Systems. Regular tuition-free Master’s at the main university do not need any waiver.
Ques. Are DAAD EPOS scholarships available for Master’s programs at RWTH Aachen?
Ans. Only for select development-relevant courses. RWTH tracks like Water Resources Engineering and Management (WAREM linked) or select renewable energy Master’s qualify. Pure computer science, mathematics, and mechanical Master’s do not qualify. Indian applicants also need two years of professional experience linked to development work.
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