PhD in Germany at FAU 🇩🇪 | Funding, Stipends, Salary, Professor Outreach

Aashay shares how he moved from Electrical Engineering to Physics in Germany—doing a second Master’s and then a PhD at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg. We cover how second Master’s admissions work, how to contact professors effectively, the two-stage PhD process (position vs. funding), scholarship foundations (Stiftungen), typical stipend amounts, and practical advice for thriving during a PhD. Timestamps 00:00 – Intro: Aashay (PhD Physics, FAU) 00:06 – Quick self-intro & move to Germany (since 2018) 00:17 – Background: EE in Mumbai → Master’s in Germany 00:35 – Arrival & first Master’s (EE) → fell in love with Physics 00:47 – Switching fields: second Master’s in Physics (Offenburg → Erlangen) 01:03 – Starting the PhD in Theoretical Physics 01:09 – How to do a second Master’s in Germany (process overview) 01:34 – Why it can be easier if you’re already in Germany 01:54 – Application story: informal outreach + apply → admit 02:11 – Program strength & flexible intake (no hard cap in some courses) 02:26 – Writing to departments helped (then applying formally) 03:01 – Do grades matter? Rule-of-thumb thresholds 03:34 – PhD applications: 2 stages — find a position & secure funding 03:59 – Where to find positions: university pages, Max Planck, Fraunhofer, companies 04:29 – Most effective path: email professors (even without postings) 04:52 – What to write: show ideas, propose a project, signal motivation 06:11 – Funding models: university contract vs. bring-your-own funding 06:54 – Keep searching broadly; don’t fixate on one university 07:17 – Stiftungen (foundations): political & non-political; Studienstiftung 08:21 – Myth-busting: many foundations also fund applicants from abroad; DAAD options 08:56 – Typical stipend amounts & yearly adjustments (+extra health/research allowances) 09:41 – Total take-home comparable to an entry-level IT engineer (≈ after-tax figure) 10:06 – Advice: treat your PhD as “your baby,” follow your interests 10:41 – Have a hobby; grant bodies value multi-faceted profiles 11:11 – Wrap-up 🔗 Stay Connected 📸 Instagram:   / ankit.in.germany   ▶️ More videos:    / @ankitingermany   📝 Book Appointment : https://topmate.io/ankit_sakhuja #phdingermany #fau #studyingermany #physicsphd #stiftungenstärken