Scholarships and funding for study in Germany

1. What German scholarships actually pay for

In systems with high tuition, a scholarship is usually a fee waiver. In Germany the fees are already low or nil at public universities, so scholarships are overwhelmingly about living costs: a monthly stipend, sometimes with travel, insurance or a research allowance on top.

That has a useful consequence for international applicants. A scholarship that covers your monthly living costs can serve as the financial proof for your student visa, which means you do not have to lock a year of money into a blocked account.

2. DAAD

The German Academic Exchange Service is the largest single funder of international students and researchers in Germany. It runs its own programmes and, more usefully, maintains a searchable database covering funding from many other organisations.

DAAD programmes are typically targeted: by degree level, by subject, by country of origin, and sometimes at applicants with professional experience. Search by your own combination rather than looking for a single general scholarship, which is what most applicants do and why they conclude nothing applies to them.

3. The foundations, and why they are under-applied to

Germany has an unusual system of Begabtenförderungswerke: organisations funded from public money to support talented students, each associated with a political party, a church or the trade unions. Between them they support a large number of students, and they take international applicants.

They are consistently under-applied to by international students, largely because their existence is not obvious from outside Germany and because applicants assume a political or religious affiliation is required. In general it is not: what they look for is academic strength plus demonstrated social or civic engagement.

That second criterion is the real filter. These are not purely academic awards. Voluntary work, community involvement, student representation and similar activities carry genuine weight, and an application that ignores them is usually unsuccessful regardless of grades.

• Foundations associated with each of the major political parties
• Catholic and Protestant foundations
• A trade-union-linked foundation
• The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, which is independent and highly selective
• Subject-specific and regional foundations, often with far less competition

4. Deutschlandstipendium

The Deutschlandstipendium is a monthly award funded half by private sponsors and half by the federal government. It is administered by each university individually, not centrally, and international students enrolled at a German university are eligible.

It is worth applying for precisely because it is decentralised: the competition depends entirely on how many people at your university apply, which in some departments is very few. It is not means-tested and it does not reduce BAföG.

5. BAföG, and whether it applies to you

BAföG is the state student support scheme: part grant, part interest-free loan, and means-tested against parental income. It is primarily for German nationals and for people with a settled connection to Germany.

Some international students do qualify. Eligibility depends on your residence status and, in some cases, on how long you or your parents have worked in Germany. EU citizens who work in Germany, recognised refugees and holders of certain settled statuses are among those who may qualify.

It is worth checking rather than assuming, because BAföG is considerably more generous than most scholarships and there is also a separate route for a repayment-free final-phase grant near the end of a degree.

6. Making an application that works

Scholarship applications in Germany are conservative in form and specific in content. A polished generic application performs worse than a plain one written for that particular funder.

1. 1

   Start twelve to eighteen months ahead

   The major programmes have long lead times, and some close more than a year before the study start.

2. 2

   Search by your specific profile

   Degree level, subject, country of origin and career stage. Narrow funding has far less competition than the well-known general awards.

   Scholarship database (opens in a new tab)
3. 3

   Read what each funder actually selects for

   Academic record, social engagement, research fit or development relevance. These are genuinely different criteria and the application should be rewritten for each.

4. 4

   Get academic references early

   Most programmes require at least one, on the funder’s own form. Give referees weeks, not days.

5. 5

   Write the motivation letter for that funder

   Say why this funder, this programme and this country. Reused letters are recognisable and are the most common reason strong candidates are rejected.

6. 6

   Apply for several, and to your university too

   Include the Deutschlandstipendium and any departmental or regional awards, which are often the least competitive.