Financial aid/funding

There are several different ways of financing your living costs during your doctoral studies. Many doctoral students support themselves by working at the University or an external research institute, or via a scholarship.

For further information and advice about financing your doctoral studies, please visit: https://www.hra-hamburg.de/en/promovierende/finanzierung.html

Scholarships

The Albrecht Mendelssohn Bartholdy Graduate School of Law awards doctoral scholarships for especially qualified participants in their structured doctoral studies programme. Albrecht Mendelssohn Bartholdy Graduate School of Law scholarship holders receive a monthly scholarship of €1,050 plus a research cost allowance of €100. Where appropriate, a childcare allowance may also be paid. Click here for more information.

Numerous social and political foundations also offer doctoral scholarships. These scholarships not only cover basic living costs, but also contribute towards any relevant travel costs and materials or equipment you need. Furthermore, scholarship holders are often invited to attend seminar programmes as part of their advanced education. The largest and most well-known foundations in this area are the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes), the Hans Böckler Foundation, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) also awards scholarships for periods of study abroad during doctorate programmes.

Doctoral scholarships for mothers and single parents

The Faculty of Law wishes to provide equal opportunities for men and women to develop their careers and so offers this support for doctoral and early career researchers.

Click here for more information.

Doctoral positions

The Faculty employs a number of doctoral students as research associates in a permanent position or for a specific project financed through a third party, e.g. the German Research Foundation (DFG), another funding agency or a business. For more information about this, please speak to your supervisor.

The home page of the Faculty of Law also has a list with paid positions that are currently vacant.

Non-university research institutions such as the Max Planck Society and the Hans Bredow Institute also offer a number of scholarships and/or (generally temporary) employment contracts for doctoral students.

Universität Hamburg doctoral funding

More information useful to doctoral students can be found on the general Universität Hamburg student services pages regarding support for doctoral and early career researchers and in the University’s Guide to Doctoral Funding.