DAAD Cotutelle: Bi‑nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees11 Views

The Bi‑nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees (Cotutelle) pathway from DAAD enables a single PhD to be jointly supervised across two universities—one in Germany and one abroad—under a formal agreement that aligns supervision, examination, and degree award. Crucially, it structures mobility and support so candidates benefit from both systems while pursuing a unified thesis. 

Earn a jointly awarded doctorate with two supervisors, two institutions, and one integrated research plan. DAAD’s Bi‑nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees (Cotutelle) model funds your Germany stays, supports mobility and insurance, and formalizes a shared thesis process—so your PhD gains global recognition and genuine cross‑border depth.

Program Overview: What is a Cotutelle Doctoral Degree?

A Cotutelle is not two degrees; it is one doctorate jointly awarded by two institutions under a negotiated framework.
Candidates register at their home university and, once the Cotutelle agreement is finalized, gain formal affiliation with a German partner. Together, the institutions coordinate supervision, assessment, and administrative steps to ensure academic equivalence.

How the joint framework works

The agreement sets out the governing rules for your PhD: home and host responsibilities, supervision structure, examination board composition, and the language(s) of thesis and defense. In addition, it defines where you reside during each phase and how credits, seminars, and milestones map across both institutions.

Academic value beyond mobility

Because two departments co‑own the intellectual agenda, you gain methodological breadth, access to facilities, and expanded

scholarly networks. Moreover, the dual perspective improves the rigor of your argumentation and the reach of your publications.

Eligibility & Funding: Who Qualifies and What Support is Provided?

To qualify, you typically need a Master’s degree (or equivalent) and an active doctoral enrollment at your home university. Both supervisors must agree to co‑supervise, and the institutions must sign the Cotutelle agreement before you submit to DAAD.

What the funding usually covers

DAAD support focuses on the Germany residency phases within your overall PhD:

• • A monthly scholarship calibrated for doctoral study.
  • Health, accident, and liability insurance during funded stays.
  • Travel allowances, which can include multiple round trips if your plan requires periodic mobility.

Timing and length of stays

The jointly supervised structure often includes 18 to 24 months in Germany, distributed as one long stay or split visits, depending on your research design. This period integrates with your total PhD timeline at the home institution.

Practical boundaries and expectations

You remain responsible for institutional tuition/fees as defined locally, while DAAD funding primarily offsets living, insurance, and mobility costs in Germany. Consequently, plan your budget carefully and specify how each stay aligns with concrete research outputs.

Application Process & Timeline

All applications are submitted via the DAAD portal. The

call typically opens in June each cycle, with a deadline defined by DAAD. Because internal institutional steps take time, start early so your agreement and documents are in place.

Step‑by‑step pathway

1. 1. Secure a supervisory pairing
      Approach a German professor whose expertise complements your project. Meanwhile, align your home supervisor on scope, methods, and publication expectations.
   2. Draft the Cotutelle agreement
      Clarify supervision duties, residency phases, thesis language, examination format, and IP/data management. Incorporate administrative requirements from both graduate schools.
   3. Prepare your application package
      Assemble a research proposal with aims, methods, timeline, risks, and outputs; add academic records, CV, proof of enrollment, and any language documentation.
   4. Submit via the DAAD portal
      Complete all fields meticulously; ensure the uploaded agreement and letters match portal guidance.
   5. Monitor and respond
      If the portal requests clarifications, answer promptly and provide precise, verifiable information.

Dates for the next cycle

The call’s opening month remains June, with the exact deadline set by DAAD. For planning purposes, expect a similar cadence in the next cycle; we will update soon with the specific month for decisions once announced.

Institutional and Supervisory Framework

Success depends on how well both institutions coordinate structures and expectations. Thus, design the agreement to minimize ambiguity and reduce friction during examination and graduation.

Shared supervision and progress reviews

Decide

on the meeting cadence, remote vs on‑site supervision, and how progress will be assessed. In practice, many pairs run joint advisory boards or invite external readers to strengthen feedback loops.

Examination, language, and publication decisions

Agree early on:

• Defense location and committee composition.
• Thesis language, plus abstract requirements for the partner language.
• Publication plan, including embargo policies, open‑access choices, and authorship.

Administrative coordination and student services

Beyond visas and housing, align expectations for enrollment status, library access, lab safety, ethics approvals, and data protection. When relevant, confirm intellectual property rules and collaboration contracts with tech‑transfer offices.

Benefits of a Cotutelle Doctorate

A joint award signals a capacity to operate across academic cultures while delivering a single, coherent thesis. Tangible benefits include:

Academic advantages

• • Dual institutional visibility improves your publication reach and conference invitations.
  • Cross‑training in methods and infrastructures strengthens your research portfolio.
  • Combined mentoring provides broader perspective and deeper critique.

Professional and career outcomes

• Joint supervision positions you for international postdocs, industry collaborations, or multisite projects.
• You build a durable network across two systems—advisors, peers, and facilities—that supports long‑term research agendas.

Personal growth and resilience

• • Shifting contexts develops adaptability, intercultural communication,
    and project management.
  • You learn to coordinate timelines, meet standards across two graduate schools, and document decisions clearly.

Strategy Tips: How to Prepare a Strong Cotutelle Application

Because Cotutelle depends on fit and feasibility, invest time in aligning research ambition with operational detail. The following tips help you de‑risk the plan and sharpen your case.

1) Build the partnership deliberately: Write a one‑page concept that highlights your question, methods, and how the German partner’s expertise complements your home team. Then, request a short call to test alignment and supervisory bandwidth.

2) Make the research proposal concrete: State what success looks like at each phase: pilot data, preprints, conference abstracts, or tool releases. Moreover, map methods to resources—labs, archives, field sites, or compute—and specify access arrangements.

3) Plan for risk and contingency: Name the uncertainties (e.g., field access, data licensing, instrument uptime). Next, define fallbacks that still produce publishable learning (method comparison, simulation, archival parallel).

4) Budget with purpose: Justify stays by tying them to time‑bounded outputs. For instance, a three‑month visit might be for experiments, instrument training, and a joint workshop; a shorter return visit might finalize analyses and draft a paper.

5) Document supervision and milestones: Agree on quarterly reviews, shared lab notebooks or code repositories, and authorship norms. This transparency reduces misunderstandings and accelerates publication.

Maintaining Currency: Monitoring and Updating Your Plan

Because policies and living‑cost assumptions evolve, you must keep your plan current.

Review and update cadence

• • Quarterly review: September, December, March, June.
  • Rapid updates: Implement changes within five working days of official announcements.
  • Next scheduled audit: September—we will confirm month‑only details for the upcoming cycle and note any adjustments to allowances or documentation.

What to monitor specifically

• • Portal instructions and templates.
  • Visa or insurance requirements.
  • Institutional rules for data protection and ethics.
  • Any shifts to publication or open‑access policies.

Quick Reference Table: Program Snapshot

Feature	Details
Program Name	DAAD Bi‑nationally Supervised Doctoral Degree (Cotutelle)
Host Country	Germany in partnership with your home institution abroad
Funded By	German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Duration	Typically 18–24 months in Germany within the full PhD timeline
Study Mode	Joint supervision; one integrated doctoral degree awarded by both institutions
Eligibility	Enrolled doctoral candidates with a Master’s (or equivalent), home‑university endorsement, and a signed Cotutelle agreement
Financial Support	Monthly scholarship for German stays, health/accident/liability insurance, and travel allowance for mobility
Fields of Study	Open across disciplines where Cotutelle agreements exist
Deadline	Application window opens in June; exact deadline to be confirmed—we will update soon
Official Website	Click here

Conclusion & Call to Action

The DAAD Cotutelle route blends the strengths of two universities into one doctoral journey, with integrated supervision, structured mobility, and a jointly awarded PhD. If your project benefits from complementary expertise across borders, begin cultivating the partnership now, draft a clear agreement, and prepare your portal materials ahead of the June opening. 

Reference:

• DAAD—English homepage and program overview: Click here

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)