Deutschland Scholarship

The main selection criterion is outstanding performance at school and university. Moreover, the university looks for excellent extra-curricular activity such as sports achievements and/or social commitment.

Special personal circumstances such as having a migrant or non-academic background are also taken into account.

Students of any bachelor’s, master’s or state examination program may apply for the Deutschland Scholarship. They need to be enrolled at the University of Mannheim and complete their degree within the standard period of study. Students may apply for a Deutschland Scholarship already while applying for a study place in a bachelor's, master’s or state examination program. However, they will only receive funding provided that they actually start pursuing a degree program at the University of Mannheim.

We will only consider applications submitted in due time and form and including all requested documents. We do not accept any subsequent submissions of individual proofs or certificates.

Application deadlines vary by program and degree status:

Application period for applicants to a master's program and application period for students of all degrees and subjects who are already enrolled at the University of Mannheim and who are in the standard period of study.

Application period for applicants to a bachelor's program.

In your letter of motivation, you should give a thorough (not excessive) explanation of why you apply for the Deutschland Scholarship. Consider the following questions when composing your letter of motivation:

• Why do you apply for a Deutschland Scholarship?
• What makes you stand out personally and in your field of competence?
• What significance does the scholarship have for your professional career?
• Is there any additional information relevant for the decision to award a scholarship that has not yet been mentioned?

Please do not exceed the maximum number of 3,800 characters. Please take the number of characters indicated in Word as a guideline.

Please direct your letter of motivation to the selection committee.

You need a detailed, current curriculum vitae (CV).

Please include your university entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur or equivalent qualification).

You can obtain a Transcript of Records from the Express Service. Please make sure to include your current average grade if you have already acquired more than 30 ECTS. We accept a transcript of records automatically produced by the Express Service that is valid without signature. The transcript of records including the overview of grades from Portal² is sufficient, too.

If you have already graduated from another program of study, please present your degree certificate.

These include awards or prizes in national or international competitions in science, arts or sports or other outstanding achievements. The respective achievements must not be older than two years.

Proof of previous professional activity and completed vocational training, dating back no longer than five years and lasting at least two years (including training).

Proof of internships, part-time positions, and tutorials that do not date back more than five years and have lasted at least eight weeks. Only evidence indicating the total duration and the number of working hours completed will be taken into account.

Proof of voluntary work, social or political commitment or participation in religious communities, associations or clubs: The activity must not date back more than two years and must have comprised at least four weeks or 160 hours per year.

Proof of participation in an accredited student organization or departmental student committee: The activity must not date back more than two years and must have comprised at least four weeks or 160 hours per year.

Proof of assuming an elective office within the self-governance processes of the university (including student organizations): The activity must not date back more than two years and should have lasted at least one semester.

Please attach a signed certificate to your documents, which includes a description of the activity, the institution/organization/association etc. as well as the exact period of your active membership (total duration and number of working hours you have completed).

The activity should not date back more than five years.

For more information on the allocation of the Deutschland Scholarship, please refer to the statutes of the University of Mannheim for the awarding of Deutschland Scholarships (Satzung der Universität Mannheim zur Vergabe von Deutschlandstipendien, StipS).

The number of scholarships awarded depends on the total number of students at the university and the private funds that the university is able to raise. In the 2024/2025 academic year, 131 scholarships are being awarded.

Funding amounts to EUR 300 per month. In addition, the university establishes contact between funding organizations and scholarship holders. This can lead to non-material support such as internship opportunities, invitations to events, or inclusion in a talent development program. The University of Mannheim also hosts a scholarship ceremony at the beginning of each fall semester.

The university strives to award scholarships for the duration of the standard period of study in a degree program. But the scholarship is initially granted for one year. An extension of the funding period depends on the scholarship holder’s academic performance and on further funding agreements with funding organizations. Student performance is verified each spring.

The selection committee of the respective school will decide on who is going to receive a scholarship.

The focus is essentially on performance in school and at university. But the university also looks for social engagement or sports achievements. Personal circumstances such as a migrant, non-academic background, the upbringing of a child or the care for a relative are also taken into account.

No.

Yes. Applicants for study places can also apply for a scholarship. However, you have to start studying at the University of Mannheim before you can receive the scholarship.

No. You must first apply for a specific degree program and then you can apply for a Deutschland Scholarship.

No. In order to receive a Deutschland Scholarship from the University of Mannheim you need to be enrolled.

All students who are studying within the standard period of study can apply. This applies to all students pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or state examination program. A grant may still be useful towards the end of your program of study.

Yes. Students pursuing a second or additional degree are also eligible for funding.

Yes. Please reapply for the Deutschland Scholarship when you submit your application for admission to a master’s program.

If you are in the first semester of a master's program, you can submit your bachelor's degree certificate as proof of your academic achievements.

No. Your doctorate cannot be funded with this scholarship.

Further information on scholarships for doctoral candidates

Yes. You may apply again for a later funding period.

No. Unfortunately, we only accept applications for the fall semester.

We will send responses (confirmations and rejections) in fall. If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact stipendiummail-uni-mannheim.de.

You can edit your application within the application period as long as you have not clicked the “submit” button. To edit, just select the respective data block, correct as necessary, and select the “save” button. Once your application is submitted, you can no longer change any of your data.

No. Only those applications will be processed that were completed using the online portal before the specific application deadline of the respective degree program and part of the program.

Since you upload your documents as PDF files, certified copies are not necessary.

In addition to the applicant’s individual performance and commitment, the university would like to take special personal circumstances into account when selecting scholarship holders, and particularly encourages students with a migrant or non-academic background to apply. In order to be able to assess each application in its individual context, the application form contains questions on personal circumstances. Though answering these questions is voluntary, it may increase your chances of being awarded a scholarship. Your data will be treated confidentially.

Please state the degree program for which you have applied. If you have submitted more than one application, you can only apply for a Deutschland Scholarship for one program of study. As Deutschland Scholarships are assigned to the university's individual schools, this information is required.

In the application form for the Deutschland Scholarship, the section “information about studies” follows the item “contact data”. There you can indicate your intended Master's degree, the program start date and the expected graduation date (within the standard period of study). On the second page after that, you can provide information on your previous bachelor's degree and your final bachelor's grade under “Previous studies”.

In this case, please enter your home address in the semester address field. Please do this, even if you have already stated your home address on the application. Your address during the semester can be added at a later date.

No. International students are also eligible to apply for a Deutschland Scholarship. However, you must be enrolled at the University of Mannheim or be applying for a study place at the University of Mannheim.

Every university entrance qualification that is accepted for enrollment at the University of Mannheim can also be used to apply for a Deutschland Scholarship. Please convert all grades and points to the German system. If the grades of your university entrance qualification cannot simply be transferred to the German grading system, please enter a zero in the form.

The Deutschland Scholarship includes both financial support (EUR 300 per month) and non-material support (for example, contact with potential employers). It does not cover the tuition fees. Under certain conditions, an exception to the obligation to pay tuition fees exists for international students.

This is determined by the amount and type of funding. Students who already receive a talent- and performance-based material grant amounting to EUR 30 or more per month cannot receive a Deutschland Scholarship during the current funding period. This applies to students who receive a scholarship from the organization for the promotion of young talent, for example.

For further information, please visit the homepage of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. 

The Deutschland Scholarship can be combined with the ERASMUS program as long as you remain enrolled at the University of Mannheim without taking an academic leave of absence for the ERASMUS period.

When funding is provided by the DAAD program, a distinction must be made between partial scholarships with the aim of promoting mobility and full scholarship programs. While partial scholarships can generally be combined with the Deutschland Scholarship, full-ride scholarships are excluded from double funding. For further information, please see the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). 

No. BAföG and the Deutschland Scholarship are two programs that complement each other. Students may benefit from both means of funding at the same time without deductions being made.

No. The Deutschland Scholarship does not count towards other social benefits such as housing benefit or unemployment benefit received in the household.

No.

No.

Yes, you may apply. Usually, scholarship payments will be suspended during your leave of absence. When you return to studying, the duration of your academic leave of absence will be added on to the duration of your funding period. You must inform the Deutschland Scholarship coordinators at the University of Mannheim of your academic leave of absence immediately. Otherwise, you may lose your entitlement to the scholarship.
Provided that the scholarship holder spends a subject-related semester abroad, funding payments may be granted even if the student is on an academic leave of absence. However, please consider whether the Deutschland Scholarship is compatible with other funding programs (see above).

Scholarship payments will be suspended during your leave of absence. As soon as you resume your studies, the funding period will be extended by the duration of your leave of absence. You must inform the Deutschland Scholarship coordinators at the University of Mannheim of your academic leave of absence immediately. Otherwise, you may lose your entitlement to the scholarship.

A differentiation has to be made between a compulsory internship and other internships. Compulsory internships form part of the program of study and are no obstacle to the payment of the scholarship. If the scholarship holder takes an academic leave of absence for another internship that is not included in the study regulations, scholarship payments will be suspended during this time.

The University of Mannheim considers the Deutschland Scholarships to be more than just financial support, and therefore would like to facilitate contact between scholarship holders and sponsors. This enables them to network in the long term.

No. The employees of the University of Mannheim who are tasked with the selection and decision-making process will only see your application. In the case that you are granted a scholarship, the funding organization will be provided with your contact information. However, this will only happen if you have given your consent in the form of a data protection declaration or if you have agreed to share your data with a sponsor in the section “contact data”.