PostDocs who have obtained their PhD within the last 4 years, preferably but not necessarily from strategically important international partners of the University of Tübingen (according to the list of eligible partnerships*), and who have spent most of their academic career to date at universities outside Germany. The dissertation should not have been completed in Germany. Candidates should have worked outside of Germany for the last two years prior to their application. 

Doctoral students can only apply if the doctoral degree (submission and defense of the dissertation) is completed before the start of the fellowship. A confirmation from the home university about the successful submission and planned defense of the dissertation must be submitted at least 3 months before the start of the scholarship, otherwise the scholarship will be postponed to the following semester. Fellows must submit their doctoral certificate to the College of Fellows immediately upon receipt. 

Postdocs and doctoral students who are currently or have been funded by other projects at the University of Tübingen or already have or had an employment contract at the University of Tübingen in the past are not eligible to apply.

Applications from universities in the following partnerships are welcome, but not a requirement.

List of eligible partnerships

> Strategic partnerships

> Matariki Network of Universities (MNU)

> CIVIS, incl. African Partner Universities

> The African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA)

• Academic relations with the potential hosting professor at the department where the fellow is planning to spend his/her visit are essential.
• Presence of the fellow on site in Tübingen during the fellowship
• Teaching
  • Classes of at least 2 teaching hours per week (2 SWS) must be held, max. 6 teaching hours per week (6 SWS).
  • The classes offered must be held in English or, in philology, in another foreign language.
  • The classes offered must be made public and be open to all students.
  • The classes offered must not replace fundamental teaching (basic/undergraduate classes or introductory classes) and should be designed to attract a large number of students.
• The participation of the fellow in the workshop "Science Compass" (information on the German scientific landscape and the University of Tübingen) and in a fellow workshop approximately two weeks before the start of lectures, in the semester opening of the College of Fellows  and in the presentation of certificates is obligatory.

Please note:
Teaching is a very important part of the program, and the quality of teaching will be given special consideration in the application process. Teaching face-to-face is mandatory according to university policy.

The Teach@Tübingen Fellowship is open for applications twice a year. The application phases are as follows: 

1 May – 20 June fellowship starts 1 April the following year

1 October – 20 November fellowship starts 1 October the following year

Applications can be submitted online from 1 May / 1 October each year via the application portal. Hint: You can change the language from German to English using the language button at the top right of the online application portal. 

Online Application Portal

The applicant uploads one PDF file with the following documents to the application portal:

• Cover letter from the applicant stating his/her motivation for participating in the Teach@Tübingen program (max. 2 pages)
• CV (max. 2 pages)
• Certificate of language proficiency (English or other language of instruction) - min. C1 (not applicable for native speakers)
• List of most important publications (max. 10)
• Proven teaching experience (max. 1 page)
• Course(s) which will be taught in Tübingen including the title of the planned course(s), independently held weekly course(s), i.e. proseminar, seminar, advanced seminar or lecture (usually no excursion, practical training or exercise), the number of teaching hours taught per week (SWS), and a short abstract on the contents of the planned course(s) (max. 1 page per course)
• Sketch of the planned research project (max. 1 page)
• Certificate of the highest university degree obtained to date (PhD or other)

In addition, the following documents must be sent individually and on time to teach-at-tuebingenspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de:

• Letter of support from the hosting professor at the University of Tübingen (max. 2 pages): The letter of support is sent by the hosting professor to teach-at-tuebingen@uni-tuebingen.de.
• Max. 2 further reference letters: The applicant must ensure that one or two reference letters are sent to teach-at-tuebingen@uni-tuebingen.de. 

Note:

Please apply for one or two semesters. In the current application round from 1 October 2025 to 20 November 2025, funding for the Teach@Tübingen fellowship is secured for one semester (October 2026 to March 2027). If funding is extended, it will be possible to extend the fellowship for another semester (April 2027 to September 2027). Funding is expected to be clarified in the first half of 2026.

1. Fellowship

Postdocs EUR 1853/month

2. Remuneration for teaching (min. 2 SWS/max. 6 SWS)

• PostDocs EUR 50/teaching hour (SWS), if at least 5 students take part in a course
• The remuneration for teaching will be paid in one lump sum towards the end of each semester.

3. Travel expenses 

• Up to a maximum of EUR 1500 will be reimbursed for the journey to Tübingen at the start of the fellowship and the departure from Tübingen at the end of the fellowship (only documented costs, no reimbursement of moving expenses or travel expenses of family members). This concerns travel expenses that are directly related to the fellowship.
• Eligible costs: economy class flight ticket (round-ticket possible), 2nd class rail ticket and public transportation

4. Child benefit

• EUR 400/month (1. child)
• EUR 100/month (each additional child)

Length of stay: 1 semester (min. 4 months) or 2 semesters (max. 12 months)

Start of the fellowship: with the start of the respective term:

• 1 April (summer term)
• 1 October (winter term)

Suggested period for arrival in Tübingen:

• 15 – 31 March (starting summer term)
• 15 – 30 September (starting winter term)

The maximum length of stay within the Teach@Tübingen Fellowship is 1 year (2 semesters). For the submission of an application for extension apply the same deadlines as for new applications (20 June and 20 November of each year). Within the application period you apply as usual as you did the first time via the online application portal. Hint: You can change the language from German to English using the language button at the top right of the online application portal. 

Online Application Portal

For the application you will need the following documents:

• A letter from you explaining why you would like to extend, what you´ve done in the first semester regarding teaching and research and what you´re intending to do in the second semester
• The second letter must be written by your host, arguing why he/she would like to extend your Teach@Tübingen Fellowship at the university for another semester, how the relationship has been to date (integration of the fellow), what the work of the fellow has been, what is planned for the next semester and what is the added value of the extended stay for the chair/institute, etc.

Since the reviewing process takes a while, you will normally receive a reply within 3-4 weeks after the application deadline.

Please directly email a professor with whom you would like to work, and discuss the opportunity for hosting you as part of the Teach@Tübingen Fellowship with him or her.