The doctoral completion fellowship is funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate State Gender Equality Program and awarded on behalf of the Central Gender Equality Officer at RPTU. These are earmarked funds for gender equality, intended, among other things, to support female researchers at various career stages or qualification phases. The final-stage doctoral fellowship is intended for women who are in the final phase of their doctoral studies and is designed to enable them to complete their final research work.
Funding includes a basic monthly stipend of 1,750 euros (plus, for parents: a monthly allowance of 400 euros for the first child, and 100 euros per month for each additional child until they reach the age of 18) through December 31, 2026, at the latest.
Eligible applicants are:
- Outstanding female doctoral candidates who plan to complete their doctoral project at RPTU in the near future and who do not hold a position as a research assistant (excluding student assistant contracts) during the funding period.
- Female doctoral candidates with caregiving responsibilities will be given preferential consideration.
The application deadline for the completion fellowship is July 15, 2026. Funding begins on September 1, 2026. Since the program is tied to the duration of the State Gender Equality Program, the final fellowship payment must be made no later than December 2026 . You will receive a decision on your application by August 1, 2026, at the latest.
In addition to the application form, your submission must include the following documents (preferably as a single PDF file containing all attachments):
- Letter of motivation outlining the project’s placement at RPTU
- A brief description of the research project (max. 2 pages) with references and, if applicable, illustrations
- A brief timeline and work plan for the duration of the funding
- To be submitted separately: A letter of recommendation from a professor at RPTU who is supervising the doctoral project
- Curriculum vitae in table format
- Degree certificates (MA/state examination or transcript of records)
- If applicable: Documentation regarding the childcare allowance (child’s birth certificate(s)) or long-term care (care level or similar)
Eligibility requirements:
- Excellent academic performance and exam results, as well as a convincing proposal for completing the doctoral project at RPTU
- Regulations regarding prior employment:
- A prior employment contract within one’s own department at RPTU and a subsequent completion fellowship are mutually exclusive. The following exceptions apply:
- A prior employment contract ends on a project-specific, fixed-term basis. There is a clearly discernible thematic distinction between the employment contract and the fellowship. In this case, the appendix “Distinction Between Employment Contract and Planned Fellowship” must be completed.
- There is a gap of approximately 6 months between the last employment contract as a staff member at RPTU and the fellowship (discretionary rule).
- Previous receipt of a departmental scholarship (possibly in combination with a contract as a research assistant) and a subsequent graduation scholarship are possible and are not mutually exclusive.
- Limited part-time work is permitted at RPTU under the scholarship regulations. Please refer to the general award guidelines for more information.
- Subject to further funding commitments and existing demand, it should generally be possible to apply for an extension of the graduation scholarship in 2027. You will be informed separately regarding this.
- Upon completion of the funding period, a final report (max. 1 page) must be submitted.
- Only complete applications will be accepted. (Please also understand that we cannot consider applications without a letter of recommendation.)
There is no legal entitlement to the award of a scholarship.
Please send yourapplications and letters of recommendationby email to the Office for Equal Opportunity at RPTU (email: annegret.scheibe[at]rptu.de) no later than July 15, 2026. Annegret Scheibe will also be happy to answer any questions you may have via email or by phone (06341 280-31243).
Based on the guidelines of the organizations for the promotion of gifted students (updated: October 2025), published by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space