Graduate Funding from the State (LGF) at KIT

The Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) of Baden-Württemberg provides funds for the Graduate Funding from the State (LGF):

  1. It allocates a budget centrally to KIT for the individual funding of highly qualified young scientists.
  2. Specifically, it supports cooperative doctoral programs between universities and universities of applied sciences.

KIT awards doctoral scholarships from these funds. The legal basis for this is the ▶ Act on Graduate Funding from the State (LGFG) of July 23, 2008 in conjunction with the ▶ statutes of KIT on the implementation of the LGFG of August 11, 2025 (both documents are only available in German). All funding is subject to the provision of funds by the MWK.

Announcements

Currently, no applications for LGF individual scholarships to finance your doctoral research can be submitted. A decision on the planning of the next round of applications is expected to be made in summer 2026.

A one-time completion scholarship program was announced as part of the LGF for funding in 2026 (application deadline: October 15, 2025).

Three lines can be distinguished in KIT's funding practice:

LGF-Individualcourtneyk – iStock

At KIT, doctoral scholarships are generally awarded for up to three years as part of the LGF individual funding. There are usually annual calls for applications.

LGF Individual Scholarships
LGF-Abschlusswebandi – pixabay

In exceptional cases, completion scholarships of up to six months may be awarded. Applications are only possible in response to a call for applications.

LGF Completion Scholarships
Kooperativenirat – iStock

In the current phase (2022-2027), two cooperative doctoral programs funded by the LGF are operating at KIT in collaboration with the Universities of Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe and Pforzheim.

Cooperative Doctoral Programs

A limited number of doctoral scholarships is available at KIT as part of the Graduate Funding from the State (LGF). It is therefore advisable to consider other  ▶ financing options for your doctorate, such as scholarships from other sponsors.

As a rule, there are hardly any completion scholarship programs. We recommend to discuss funding options for the final phase of your doctorate with your supervisors at an early stage.

Contact

 

Tel. +49 (0)721 608-41922
E-Mail: ▶ lgf15∂khys kit edu

 

Person in charge: ▶ Andreas Hahmann

 

Furthermore, please note the ▶ Privacy Policy for the Graduate Funding from the State at KIT as of August 21, 2025.