FOUNDATION OFFICE ETHIOPIA / AFRICAN

UNION

Sur-place scholarship program in Ethiopia

Local scholarship for post-graduate students in Ethiopia with ex-

cellent performance in academic studies and society
 KAS Ethiopia/AU Scholarship 2023 Announced

What is the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) sur-place scholarship?

The KAS sur-place scholarship is a local scholarship offered by the KAS Office
Ethiopia/AU in the form of financial support to Ethiopians who are enrolled in
and are pursuing post-graduate studies in universities in Ethiopia and who show
excellence in their academic performance and in society. The phrase “sur-place”
is French and means “on site” and the scholarship is named as such to signify
that it is a scholarship offered to students on site where they are studying, in this
case Ethiopia. Find out more information below. We especially encourage women
and persons with disabilities to apply. The scholarship is offered once a year. The
application phase for the new scholarship year usually starts in September.
 
Who is eligible?

In general, there is no age limit and all academic disciplines are eligible to apply.
However, the scholarships are primarily intended for young Ethiopians who have
finished their Bachelor’s degree and who are entering or are already enrolled into
a Master’s program in an Ethiopian university, or to those who are at the start of
their professional careers in Ethiopia and wish to take a course to specialize their
skills. It should be noted that students pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree, a PhD, or
studies abroad are not supported by this scholarship. This scholarship only sup-
ports Ethiopian students conducting a Master's program in Ethiopia. It is impor-
tant to note that the scholarship program is only open to Ethiopians who are pur-
suing studies or projects in Ethiopia (“sur place”) and who share and champion
KAS’ values of Democracy, Rule of Law, Social Market Economy, and Human
Rights. 
 
Who is Konrad Adenauer and what does the Konrad Adenauer Foundation
do?
Founded in 1955, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (or Konrad Adenauer
Foundation) is a German, publicly-funded political foundation close to the
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany. The CDU is the political party of
five Chancellors since 1949. It is rooted in Christian conservative values, the ideas
of European integration, and strongly believes in the transatlantic partnership.
The foundation is named after the first Chancellor of the Federal Republic of
Germany, Konrad Adenauer, who opposed the Nazi regime and used to be the
Mayor of Cologne. During his 14 years as Chancellor, he was responsible for re-
building Germany after the Second World War. Political foundations were
founded in Germany in the 1950s to educate Germans in democracy and the
functioning of a democratic society. In the 1960s, the German government ex-
tended their mandate to contribute to democratic development abroad through
civic education. Today, there are six political foundations in Germany with differ-
ent political ideals and values. KAS is among the biggest. It has one of the largest
alumni networks in Germany and in more than 120 countries worldwide. It is also
among the leading global think tanks in international relations. Every year, be-
sides offering workshops, seminars, and conferences in Germany and abroad,
KAS fosters exchanges between political stakeholders and experts from Germany
and its partner countries. In Ethiopia, KAS was registered as a Civil Society
Organization (CSO) in 2019 under the new CSO proclamation.
 
When is the application period for the next round of scholarships in
Ethiopia?
The application period for the scholarship year that starts at the beginning of
2023 will open on September 1, 2022. The deadline to submit applications is
September 30, 2022.  The selection process including contacting shortlisted can-
didates, assessing them through a written test and an interview, will take place in
November. The candidates that are selected will be notified in December.
 
What types of sur-place scholarships does the KAS Office Ethiopia/AU offer?
There are two categories of scholarships. The "monthly academic scholarship"
and the "training grant".
 
The "monthly academic scholarship" supports students in Ethiopia who have
finished their Bachelor’s degree and who are currently enrolled in a Master’s pro-
gram or are about to enroll into a Master’s program. This scholarship consists of a
monthly stipend of 70 Euro. It is not a full scholarship, but an encouragement for
and a recognition of excellent performance in academic studies and society.
 
The "training grant" is a one-time financial support and is intended for young
Ethiopian professionals who have finished their postgraduate studies (either a
Master’s or a PhD) and who want to cover the cost/tuition to take a short training
course in Ethiopia to specialize and develop their professional skills, for example
by taking an IT course or a project management course or a course on another
more focused topic in their respective discipline. Applicants for the grant are re-
quired to identify a course they want to attend and must mention it in their appli-
cation. In their application, they must provide a 2-3 page long detailed proposal
that introduces the topic, length, and cost of the course they identified, the insti-
tution offering it, as well as how they intend to make use of the course for their
professional development. Applications with insufficient information on these
elements will not be considered.
 
The training grant is not meant to cover tuition for full-fledged master’s pro-
grams. The amount of the grant will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
 
What is the length of the scholarship program?
The length of the "monthly academic scholarship" is one year. Depending on the
scholarship recipient’s performance in the first year, the scholarship is renewable
once if the master’s program extends into the following year. The "training grant"
is a one-time grant and covers a training program that can take  a maximum of
one year.
 
What awaits a scholarship holder during a scholarship year?
The KAS sur-place scholarship program offers more than financial support. The
KAS Office Ethiopia/AU  endeavors to support scholarship holders in their aca-
demic pursuits and in advancing their careers.  Scholarship holders are part of
the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, which today has one of the largest alumni
networks in Germany and in more than 120 countries. They will be given access
to KAS workshops, conferences, discussion fora, and many other resources KAS
offers. You will learn, i.e., about German and European history, discuss interna-
tional relations, questions of development, and peace and security in Africa and
Ethiopia.
 
Does the “sur-place program” support studies abroad?
No. The KAS Office Ethiopia/AU can only support scholarship recipients pursuing
studies or training in Ethiopia (“sur-place”). The scholarship program does not
support students pursuing master’s studies or further training abroad.
 
What are the selection criteria for both scholarships?
The KAS sur-place scholarships in Ethiopia support young people who demon-
strate excellence in their academic studies and in society. To be a successful re-
cipient of the “monthly academic scholarship”, applicants must have a GPA of 3.5
or higher in their Bachelor’s degree (in every year of the Bachelor!). Students ap-
plying for the “training grant” must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher in their Master’s/
or (if applicable) summa cum laude in their PhD. In general, it is a very competi-
tive program. On top of that, we seek students who not only excel in their stud-
ies, but who are highly involved in civic engagement as we fundamentally believe
that countries can only grow if everyone contributes to the community.
 
What constitutes “civic engagement” for the purposes of the scholarship?
KAS does not only seek out excellent students, but also young women and men
who are already involved at a young age in civic engagement in their respective
communities. We want to support young people who are dedicated to working
for and with the society they came out of. The application must therefore provide
evidence of this. There is a wide array of activities that KAS considers to be civic
engagement, whether it be membership or collaboration in a political party, a
professional or youth association, a church, a sports club, in your university or in
your neighborhood. Being a political foundation, we particularly look for people
with a political interest, an understanding of the importance of multiparty
democracy, the Rule of Law, Social Market Economy, Human Rights, and the
world today.
 

And if I only have a GPA of 3.4, can I still apply?

Yes, you can. As described above, there are additional criteria important for KAS
besides good grades.
 
Can I apply if I already receive another scholarship for the same master’s
program?

Students receiving a scholarship for their studies by the Ethiopian Government or

another institution including the university offering the master’s program are
also eligible. In this case, however, they are not eligible for financial support, but
can be part of the KAS network and the mentoring and education opportunities
provided by KAS during the scholarship year.

 
How does the selection procedure work?
The selection procedure has two stages. The first stage is the pre-selection and
shortlisting of the best candidates on the basis of their application documents
(grades, levels of civic engagement, etc.). On the basis of that, KAS will invite the
best candidates to the second stage, the selection weekend.
 
The second stage is the selection of scholarship holders during a weekend which
takes place towards the end of the year in Addis Ababa. The weekend consists of
a written test which assesses the candidates' general knowledge of history, poli-
tics, national and international news, and of global issues. After the written test,
each candidate must present themselves for a 45-minute long interview before
an interview panel. While there is no predetermined number of scholarship hold-
ers that will be selected every year, the badge of 2022 comprised a total of 20
recipients. 
 
What will be in the focus of the written test?
KAS is seeking out the most knowledgeable and well-rounded candidates and
thus expects candidates to be interested in politics and current affairs, that they
have a solid knowledge of the history of Ethiopia and the world, economics, sci-
ence and literature, and that they are   familiar with the history and politics of
Germany and Europe.

 
What application documents do I have to submit?
Please note that we will only consider applicants who submit their documents
correctly and complete. For this, please carefully read the following information
about the necessary application documents:
 
a) For the “monthly academic scholarship”
Letter of motivation
Updated curriculum vitae
2 letters of recommendation (by academic advisor and/or employer)
A copy of Bachelor’s Degree Certificate
Copies of all transcripts of records during your Bachelor’s studies (of each year)
And (if applicable, if you have already started a master’s program) all the tran-
scripts in your Master’s studies so far;
 
Note:
All transcripts must show your GPA
If you have not received your Bachelor’s Degree Certificate yet, you can still ap-
ply. However, by the time of admission to the scholarship program, you must
present your diploma copy of your Bachler’s Degree Certificate which needs to
meet the grade requirements above.
 
b) For the “training grant”
Letter of motivation
In addition to the letter of motivation, a 2-3 pages long detailed proposal that in-
troduces the topic, duration, and cost of training course the applicants intends to
take; the institution offering it; as well as how the candidate intends to make use
of the course for his professional development. Applications with insufficient in-
formation on these elements will not be considered.
Updated curriculum vitae
2 letters of recommendation (by academic advisor and/or employer)
Copy of Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Certificates, and (if applicable) your PhD
Certificate;
Copies of all transcripts of records during your Bachelor’s and MA studies (of each
year)
all documents must show your GPA. If the degree certificates do not indicate GPA,
then copies of transcripts indicating GPAs for each year must be submitted.
 
How to write a strong letter of motivation?
Successful candidates pay special attention to writing a strong letter of motiva-
tion. A strong letter of motivation shows your personality, your motivation for
pursuing your career goals, and it gives an impression of your civic engagement.
Applicants to the “training grant” should also clearly express the kind of training
for which they seek support.
 
Correct submission of application documents:
We only accept applications sent to us by e-mail. Your application must be sent
to us in one single e-mail and with one single pdf document attachment that
does not exceed 5MB. We do not accept applications sent in several e-mails or e-
mails with multiple attachments, or applications sent to us by physical mail.
Please send your application in English by e-mail no later than September 30,
2022 to the following address: scholarships.ethiopia@kas.de.  
 
Due to the large volume of applications we receive, we will only be able to notify
candidates who are shortlisted and invited to the selection weekend.
CONTACT
Alemnew Gebeyehu

Project Assistant

alemnew.gebeyehu@kas.de
+251 115 577 644