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Photo credit: Anna Logue

Scholarships for Studying Abroad

The easiest way to go abroad on a scholarship is to apply for one of the Erasmus exchange programs at the University of Mannheim. They usually combine the allocation of a study place abroad with Erasmus funding. However, there are many attractive scholarships available for other destinations. Depending on the scholarship, applications may have to be submitted to the International Office or directly to the respective funding organization.

Tip: The Stipendienlotse (only available in German) offered by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research is a helpful search engine. It also lists smaller funding organizations that we are unable to include here.

Also take a look at the funding options for internships abroad or stays abroad as a foreign language instructor (Fremdsprachenassistenz).

  • Erasmus scholarship

    Information on scholarships as part of Erasmus can be found in the Erasmus+ program section.

  • PROMOS scholarship

    Through the PROMOS program, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides financial resources for the funding of shorter stays abroad to higher education institutions in Germany.
     

    Target group

    Students in a bachelor’s program who are planning to stay abroad in a non-European country (including Russia) during a semester are eligible to apply for the PROMOS scholarships. This includes both stays abroad as part of a university exchange program as well as stays abroad as a free mover.

    Students in master’s or state examination programs at the University of Mannheim can apply for a Baden-Württemberg Scholarship for stays in the same countries.

    For stays in European countries, only the Erasmus program is available from the University of Mannheim.


    Application

    Please be aware of the different application deadlines:

    • March 31, 2019: Application deadline for students who were admitted to a non-European exchange program with their studies starting in the fall semester 2019 or who are planning a free mover stay in a non-European country for that period.
    • October 15, 2019: Application deadline for students who were admitted to a non-European exchange program with their studies starting in the spring semester 2020 or who are planning a free mover stay in a non-European country for that period.

    To apply for the PROMOS scholarship, the following documents have to be submitted to the International Office in due time:

    • Application form
    • Letter of motivation (one page)
      Generally, the letter of motivation should be written in German. However, you may write the application in English, for example if German is not your first language.
      Free movers should include the status of their application for admission at the selected higher education institution and possible alternatives in their letter of motivation.
    • Curriculum vitae (without additional documents/certificates)
    • Current transcript of records (in English or German)
    • Proof of language proficiency for your host country. Only one copy is needed.

    Please note: The application does not require an evaluation!

    The application documents are to be submitted by the application deadline, even if they were previously submitted to the International Office with the application for a placement abroad. Only complete applications will be processed.

    Please submit your application documents in the order specified above. Documents out of order will have a negative effect on your application. Place your documents in a transparent plastic folder open on two sides. Do not use other covers or folders. Expensive application folders do not enhance your chances and create processing issues.

    Submit your application by the application deadline either in person at the Express Service on the ground floor of L1,1 or in time via mail (the date of the postmark is decisive).

    Address:

    Universität Mannheim

    Akademisches Auslandsamt

    68131 Mannheim

     

    Selection process and criteria

    Scholarship recipients are selected within two months as of the application deadline. The same criteria apply as were used in determining admission of the applicants to the different exchange programs. These include general eligibility and academic performance so far, how reasonable it is for the student to go abroad, and if they have the language proficiency required for the envisaged stay abroad. The curriculum vitae, which should contain extra-curricular activities, serves as an additional criterion.

     

    Scholarship benefits

    • The funding period usually is four months (might be shorter for shorter stays)
    • Monthly scholarship payment according to the DAAD country rates (EUR 300 per month; exceptions: China, Singapore and USA EUR 400 per month; Japan EUR 500 per month)

    Free movers: Reimbursement or partial funding of tuition fees abroad is not possible.

     

    Combining the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship with other scholarships and/or BAföG

    Whether the scholarship can be combined with other public funding programs depends on the funding purpose. The funding purpose of the partial PROMOS scholarships is funding the stay abroad. If, for example, another scholarship provides funding only for travel expenses, it can be combined with the partial scholarship. However, if a scholarship has the same purpose of funding the stay abroad, you cannot receive additional funding through the partial PROMOS scholarship. In this case, you would have to choose between the two scholarships.

    Receiving BAföG and the PROMOS scholarship at the same time is possible. Please ask your BAföG office about the effect of the PROMOS scholarship on the amount of BAföG you receive.

    Combining the PROMOS scholarship with funding from private organizations is always possible.

    Receiving the Deutschland Scholarship and PROMOS funding at the same time is also always possible.

    The PROMOS scholarship advertised by the University of Mannheim can be combined with the Fulbright Travel Scholarship.

    Please keep in mind that you will have to notify other sponsors of being funded by the PROMOS scholarship.

    I would be happy to help you with your questions about the PROMOS scholarship:

    Gela Wittenberg

    Gela Wittenberg

    Scholarship Administration (ERASMUS, Baden-Württemberg scholarship, PROMOS)
    University of Mannheim
    Division II - Student Affairs
    International Office
    L 1, 1 – Room 103
    68161 Mannheim
    Phone: +49 621 181-1127
    E-mail: wittenberg(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de
    Opening hours:
    Mon 9 a.m.–noon and Wed 2–5 p.m.

  • Baden-Württemberg Scholarship

    The Baden-Württemberg Scholarship supports highly qualified German and international students in their exchange abroad. General information on the program, events and more can be found on the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship website.

    Every year, the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung enables about 1,200 young people from all over the world to go abroad through the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship. Students from any program who want to use their semester at a partner university abroad to develop their subject knowledge and intercultural competencies, as well as students from partner universities who want to spend a semester at the University of Mannheim are eligible for the program. The foundation is not affiliated with a political party and is active in the areas of research, education, society and culture. It is their mission to promote a sustainable and forward-thinking Land of Baden-Württemberg.

    Good to know: In line with an agreement with the Ministry of Science, Research and Arts Baden-Württemberg (MWK), international students who receive a Baden-Württemberg Scholarship are exempt from tuition fees according to section 6 of the Act on Fees in Higher Education of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (Landeshochschulgebührengesetz, LHGebG).
     

    Target group

    Only students in a master’s or state examination program at the University of Mannheim who are planning a stay abroad outside of Europe (including Russia) during the fall and/or spring semester are eligible to apply for the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship. Free movers cannot apply.

    Students in a bachelor’s program at the University of Mannheim can apply for the PROMOS Scholarshipfor a stay abroad in the same countries.

    For stays in European countries, only the Erasmus program is available from the University of Mannheim.
     

    Application

    Please be aware of the different application deadlines:

    • March 31, 2019: Application deadline for students who were admitted to a non-European exchange program with their studies starting in the fall semester 2019.
    • October 15, 2019: Application deadline for students who were admitted to a non-European exchange program with their studies starting in the spring semester 2020.

    Applications are to be submitted on paper and/or by upload to the BWS-World portal of the Baden-Württemberg-Stiftung.

     

    The following documents are required:

    Application form (see below) submission on paper only, no upload required
    Curriculum vitae (without additional documents/certificates) submission on paper and upload to the BWS-World portal
    Letter of motivation (one page) submission on paper and upload to the BWS-World portal - generally, the letter of motivation should be written in German. However, you may write the application in English, for example if German is not your first language.
    Current transcript of records (in English or German) submission on paper and upload to the BWS-World portal

    The application form is available for download in Word and PDF format.

    Please note: The application does not require an evaluation!

    The application documents are to be submitted by the application deadline, even if they were previously submitted to the International Office with the application for placement abroad. Only complete applications will be processed. Please submit your application documents in the order specified above. Documents out of order will have a negative effect on your application. Place your documents in a transparent plastic folder open on two sides. Do not use other covers or folders. Expensive application folders do not enhance your chances and create processing issues.

    Submit your application by the application deadline either in person at the Express Service on the ground floor of L1,1 or in time via mail (the date of the postmark is decisive). Remember to also upload your application to the BWS-World portal.

    Address:

    Universität Mannheim

    Akademisches Auslandsamt

    68131 Mannheim
     

    Selection process

    Scholarship recipients are selected by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung after pre-selection by the University of Mannheim. Scholarship notifications will be sent out in July for the fall semester and in December for the spring semester.

     

    Scholarship benefits

    • The funding period usually is four months (might be shorter for shorter stays)
    • The monthly scholarship payment amounts to EUR 600

     

    Report

    Within four weeks after their return, scholarship recipients have to write a report on their experiences while studying abroad for the BWS-World portal to complete the scholarship program.

     

    Combining the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship with other scholarships and/or BAföG

    Students who are funded by other scholarships for stays abroad cannot be granted the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship for the same time period. It does not matter whether funding is provided by a public or private funding organization. Scholarships for other purposes or in the form of additional funding (for example grants for travel expenses, free student housing) do not interfere with the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship. Therefore, for example, a combination with the Fulbright Travel Scholarship is possible.

    Please keep in mind that you will have to notify other sponsors of being funded by the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship.

    Receiving BAföG and the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship at the same time is possible. Please ask your BAföG office about the effect of the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship on the amount of BAföG you receive.

    The Baden-Württemberg Scholarship

    I would be happy to help you with your questions about the Baden-Württemberg scholarship:

    Gela Wittenberg

    Gela Wittenberg

    Scholarship Administration (ERASMUS, Baden-Württemberg scholarship, PROMOS)
    University of Mannheim
    Division II - Student Affairs
    International Office
    L 1, 1 – Room 103
    68161 Mannheim
    Phone: +49 621 181-1127
    E-mail: wittenberg(at)verwaltung.uni-mannheim.de
    Opening hours:
    Mon 9 a.m.–noon and Wed 2–5 p.m.

  • DAAD scholarships

    The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the biggest funding organization for the international exchange of students and researchers worldwide. The DAAD does not only offer scholarship programs, their website also provides the most comprehensive information on stays abroad. In addition to funding programs, the website contains country-specific information, lists of helpful links as well as many useful tips on studying abroad, internships abroad and learning foreign languages.

    The DAAD one-year scholarships are especially appealing. All scholarships offered by the DAAD can be found on the scholarship database (available in German only). There, you can enter your search criteria. Be aware that the “Undergraduates” status applies to students in bachelor’s programs and the “Graduates” status to students studying in master’s programs. The search results contain all scholarship options available to you, including scholarships offered by other organizations collaborating with the DAAD.

    Under certain conditions, students who are not German citizens can also apply for scholarships, provided that they are enrolled in a program of study at a German higher education institution. As this website is available in German only, please contact us if you require assistance.

  • Foundations

    If your studies in Germany are funded e.g. by the scholarship from a foundation it is likely that your funding organization will also grant funding for your stay abroad. The governmental Internet portal for the promotion of young talent gives an overview of the organizations supporting especially gifted students.

    Some organizations for the promotion of young talent also offer special programs for stays abroad that do not require being admitted into a scholarship program beforehand. Check out the German Academic Scholarship Foundation (available in German only) and the programs captioned “Promoting future generations” offered by the Haniel Foundation.

  • Scholarships of universities abroad

    It is rare that host universities grant scholarships to their exchange students. If the International Office is aware of such cases, we let the eligible students know. In some cases, scholarships may be granted to degree-seeking students (bachelor's or master’s programs) studying abroad. You will be provided information by the respective university abroad you are applying at for admission.

  • Country- or region-specific funding

    You are looking for scholarships available for your host country? Find out more on the country-specific funding page.

The PROMOS scholarship supported me well during my semester abroad in Australia. The application requirements for the scholarship are very clear and easy to meet. I particularly like that it is possible to apply for a scholarship on short notice and that the academic achievements as well as the letter of motivation are taken into account when scholarships are being awarded. I very much appreciated the financial support. In an expensive country like Australia, the grant allowed me to participate in some cultural events outside the university. I can only recommend applying for the PROMOS scholarship.

Flavia Saxler, student in the bachelor’s program in Culture and Economics: Media and Communication Studies, University of Technology Sydney (Australia) / Photo credit: Leonie Kopetzki
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