DAAD EPOS for Nigerian professionals: a funded German master's, two years of work
Updated 13 September 2026
This is the pack behind the EPOS video, from the Rekoja desk in Lagos. It is for the person with a degree and two or more years on the job who stopped opening scholarship pages because they all said "fresh graduate". This one says the opposite.
Which of these is you
- Degree plus two years of work, want to know if I qualify
- Want the course list and this season's deadlines
- Ready to apply, need the documents in order
- Want the motivation letter and reference email
What EPOS is
Development-Related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS) are DAAD scholarships for professionals from developing and newly industrialised countries to take a master's degree at a German university in a field connected to development: public health, engineering, agriculture, water, energy, education management, economics, urban and regional planning, environmental science, media. Nigeria is an eligible country. Source: DAAD scholarship database, EPOS.
Who qualifies
| Requirement | In plain words |
|---|---|
| A bachelor's degree (or equivalent) completed no more than six years before applying, with results in the upper third of the class | A second class upper usually clears this; a strong second class lower with a good position in class can |
| At least two years of related professional experience after the first degree, at the time of application | Employment letters that show the dates and the work |
| Motivation to use the degree for development in your own country | The letter is judged on this |
| Not resident in Germany for more than 15 months at the deadline | |
| Language: English for English-taught courses (IELTS or TOEFL, or as the course specifies); German for German-taught courses | Most listed courses are in English |
Source: the DAAD scholarship database entry above.
What it pays
| Item | Figure | About |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly allowance, master's | €992 | ₦1.56m |
| Health, accident and personal liability insurance | paid | ₦0 |
| Travel allowance | flat contribution to the flight | covered |
| Tuition | most German public universities charge none; semester contributions and course fees vary by course | check the course page |
| Duration | 12 to 24 months, the length of the course | |
| Possible extras | a German language course before the degree; rent and family allowances in defined cases | not automatic |
Source: the DAAD scholarship database entry above.
The course list and the deadlines
EPOS is not one form. DAAD publishes a list of the courses that carry EPOS scholarships for the 2027/2028 intake, each with its own deadline, language and length, and you apply to the university running the course, not to DAAD. Applications sent to DAAD are discarded. The university shortlists candidates and forwards them to DAAD, which confirms the scholarship. Source: List of application deadlines, intake 2027/2028 and daad.de/epos.
Most deadlines on the list fall between August and November 2026; several courses send you to their own website for the exact date. Example, from the course's own page: the M.Sc. Environmental Governance at the University of Freiburg takes DAAD EPOS applications from 15 July to 15 October for the winter semester 2027. Source: University of Freiburg, MEG, application deadlines. A second example: the Master of Science in International Health at Heidelberg takes EPOS scholarship applications between 15 June and 15 October of the year before the course starts, and requires that your last degree is no more than six years old and that you hold a four-year bachelor's with at least one year of relevant work. Source: Heidelberg MScIH, scholarships. The Berlin International Health and Bonn Global Health master's set their own autumn dates on their course sites; read the date there, not on a blog.
Reading the list: pick two or three courses, not one (the DAAD form itself allows up to three priorities); check the language of instruction; check whether the course wants a German course first; note whether documents go by email, post or portal, because some courses still want a posted file.
The documents, in order
| # | Document |
|---|---|
| 1 | DAAD application form for EPOS (downloaded from the course page or the DAAD portal) |
| 2 | Hand-signed CV in Europass format |
| 3 | Hand-signed motivation letter, one to two pages, written for that course |
| 4 | Two recent references: one academic, one from your employer, on letterhead, signed |
| 5 | Employment letters covering at least two years since the degree, current employer's on letterhead, with a line on whether you can return to the job |
| 6 | Degree certificate and full transcript, certified copies, with the grading scale |
| 7 | Language certificate as the course requires |
| 8 | Any additional documents the course lists (a research outline, a project description) |
Source: the DAAD scholarship database entry above (the standard EPOS list; each course may add to it).
Tonight block: the reference email and the letter
To your employer, in English:
Dear [name], I am applying for a DAAD-funded master's in [field] in Germany, a scholarship for professionals with at least two years' experience who intend to bring the knowledge back. The course asks for a reference from my employer on letterhead, signed, by [date]. I have attached a summary of my role and the projects I have led here so the letter is easy to write, and I would be grateful if you could confirm in one line whether I would be welcome back after the degree; the scholarship values that. Thank you.
The motivation letter, four parts: what you have done in the job (one problem you worked on, with a number); why this course (a module, a professor, a partner); what you will fix at home with it (the specific institution and the specific problem); why now. A letter about leaving Nigeria fails; a letter about fixing a named thing in Nigeria is what the selection committee reads for.
A worked example
Ngozi, 29, B.Sc Public Health (second class upper), three years at a primary health centre in Enugu, ₦210,000 a month. Two applications: the Heidelberg international health master's (EPOS window closes 15 October 2026) and a second public-health course from the list, by the date on its own course page. Costs: certified copies, an IELTS test if her university's medium-of-instruction letter is not accepted, courier fees if a course wants a posted file, under ₦350,000 in total. If selected: about ₦1.56m a month for twelve months, insurance and flight paid, no tuition. If not: the same file goes into the Erasmus Mundus public-health programmes in December (see the MUNDUS pack).
Who this is not for
- Fresh graduates with under two years' experience: Erasmus Mundus (MUNDUS pack) has no experience rule.
- Anyone planning to stay in Germany at all costs: the programme selects for return, and the motivation letter is read that way. The rules after graduation are Germany's, and this page does not promise a job.
- Results below the upper third with no other distinction: apply anyway only if the course page invites it.
What quietly kills applications
- Sending the file to DAAD instead of the university.
- One application.
- An employer reference that reads like a job description instead of a recommendation.
- A letter about escape.
- Missing that a course wants a posted file.
Questions people ask (from DAAD's own FAQ)
Do I apply to DAAD? No; to the university running the course. DAAD confirms the scholarship after the university shortlists.
Is two years of experience firm? Yes.
Is there one deadline? No; each course sets its own, most between August and November for the following year.
Before you go
Two years of work is not a gap. In Germany, it is the entry requirement. Pick two courses tonight.
Naira figures on this page use the Rekoja pipeline rate of 12 September 2026 (EUR 1,574.77).
Rekoja provides information and document preparation, not regulated immigration advice, so confirm every rule above with its official source before you act.