- Check out our Video Course (64 min.)
- What is a Statement of Purpose?
- Does DAAD provide SOP samples?
- Why you should NOT use a sample?
Video Course
Get Accepted into Your Dream German University — with the Perfect Letter of Motivation!
22 videos
incl. Checklist + Template
DAAD is usually the first stop for international students who wish to pursue their studies in Germany and at the same time are looking for a scholarship to cover their living expenses once they arrive. If you are one of these students, then you will have to write yet another Statement of Purpose (SOP) specifically for your DAAD scholarship application in addition to the SOPs you will likely need to write for your Bachelor's or Master's applications at German university (not to mention the SOP for Visa which most students need to complete). Keep in mind that the Motivation Letter is the second most important document for your DAAD application after the Grade Point Average (GPA). Taking into account how competitive this scholarship is, your chances of winning it without a high-quality SOP are very slim. That is why you have to take it seriously, instead of trying to produce it in one day.
According to the DAAD itself, students often fail to write high-quality Letters of Motivation. This claim is in line with our own research: the problem is that students usually find SOP writing the most challenging task of their DAAD scholarship application.
That's why many students search the internet to find a high-quality SOP sample. Unfortunately, this decision can lead to dramatic consequences because
A
Students end up using a poor SOP sample as a guide, as finding a very good SOP example is extremely difficult (and they are by virtue of their situation unable to tell the difference), and/or
B
Students end up plagiarizing (in most cases, without being aware of it)
We want to save you from falling into this trap. That’s why we wrote this article: to touch upon the core issues with regard to the Statement of Purpose sample for the DAAD scholarship.
Check out our Video Course (64 min.) on "How to write a Letter of Motivation"
22 videos plus checklist and template
Go to the video courseWhat is a Statement of Purpose for DAAD Scholarship?
A Statement of Purpose is a mandatory application document required for your DAAD scholarship application. Through this document, you should convincingly demonstrate your motivation to obtain the scholarship and explain why you are the best fit/candidate. In other words, it is through the SOP that you can "advertise" yourself in the best possible ways (i.e., showing your strengths, your determination, your qualifications, and so on) and make a formal request for the scholarship.
Does DAAD provide SOP samples?
No, DAAD does not provide Statement of Purpose samples, because it is a document that should be written independently by YOU! But the DAAD does not leave you completely alone here: various DAAD offices do share quite useful guidelines for SOP writing. We strongly recommend you follow these guidelines while composing your own Statement of Purpose. You can find some of the guidelines in the table below.
Table: Statement of Purpose Guidelines by DAAD
|
Issuing DAAD Office |
Country/Region |
Scope |
Guideline |
|
DAAD Headquarters |
All |
Specific program (Master’s in Public Policy and Good Governance) |
|
|
DAAD Headquarters |
All |
Specific program (M.Sc. Business and Psychology) |
|
|
DAAD Headquarters |
All |
DAAD Scholarships in general |
Bewerbung um ein DAAD-Stipendium: Was soll ins Motivationsschreiben? (source available only in German) |
|
DAAD Information Center Islamabad (Pakistan) |
Pakistan (but helpful also for other countries) |
Master's |
|
|
DAAD Headquarters (Section ST32- Africa) |
Africa (but helpful also for other countries) |
Master’s & PhD |
Why you should NOT use a Statement of Purpose sample?
1
Samples are usually of low quality
The Internet is full of SOP samples. However, we do not suggest relying on these while producing the Statement of Purpose for your DAAD scholarship application. As was already mentioned, one of the reasons is that, in most cases, the quality of these SOP examples is quite low. To be more specific, 90% of the Statement of Purpose samples that you can find on the Internet would be rejected by the DAAD. The reason is that what they usually suggest with respect to the structure, content, format etc., is simply wrong. Here and here are some examples of this kind of bad SOP sample.
2
High risk of plagiarism
Even if the sample is of high quality, you still should not heavily rely on it, as you might end up plagiarizing it, which is an absolute no-go. You can, however, use a good SOP sample as a general guideline for the purpose of getting an overall idea of what the SOP should look like. In general, if you plagiarize or copy anything directly from any source, you will not be able to get away with it. As already mentioned above, the DAAD will find out about that, and your application will be immediately rejected.
Advice Box
If you want to be on the safe side and at the same time learn how to write a very good Statement of Purpose for the DAAD scholarship application, you should do the following:
-
Check out our comprehensive video course on this topic. BONUS: if you decide to sign up for the video course, you will receive from us a high-quality sample of Statement of Purpose created by experts from our team! WARNING: PLEASE, DO NOT COPY IT! Just use it for the purpose of getting an overall idea of what the SOP should look like. Otherwise, your application will be rejected.
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Read through our SOP series articles, which you can find here.
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Familiarize yourself with the guidelines provided by the DAAD (see table above).
