What scholarships and assistantships, like teaching or research assistantships, are available for Master's students in the USA and Germany?

Both countries fund masters students, but the funding shape is different. In the USA, funding usually comes through your specific department as a teaching assistantship, research assistantship, or fellowship, not a single national scheme. In Germany, many public universities charge little or no tuition for consecutive masters programmes, so scholarships like DAAD mainly cover your living costs instead.

USA vs Germany Funding Snapshot

How to Find These Roles

• US research assistantships: Contact professors in labs with funded projects rather than relying on one central portal.
• US teaching assistantships: Availability and stipend vary by department, and some universities restrict TA roles to students already partway through the programme.
• German student jobs: Look for Studentische Hilfskraft or Wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft postings, commonly called HiWi roles, inside university research groups.
• DAAD database: Search the DAAD scholarship database directly by your field rather than assuming one universal deadline applies.

My Advice

Search each US university specifically for MS funding or graduate assistantships rather than assuming a school that funds PhDs also funds its masters students. For Germany, pair a low tuition public university with a DAAD scholarship application, since German student assistant jobs typically supplement rather than fully replace your budget. Start scholarship applications well before your admission deadline, since many close far earlier than the university's own deadline.