International Office

Scholarships, BAföG

Usually, scholarships are awarded for a limited time period only and are partial scholarships, meaning that they might not cover the all living expenses for the entire study period in Germany!

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the applicant's previous academic performance and other criteria, e.g. social commitment or letters of recommendation from professors at their previous/current university. Some scholarship foundations may also require proof of German language proficiency.

Given this, if you plan on earning a degree in Germany, you must make sure to have enough money to support yourself throughout your entire degree programme, as a successful application for a scholarship is never guaranteed. Moreover, it is especially unlikely to secure a scholarship that begins in your first semester; an exception to this would be if you successfully applied for a scholarship from your home country (e.g. DAAD scholarship for a master's programme). In this case, you will receive financial support from the very beginning.

Scholarships for international students and doctoral/PhD candidates:

  • Graduation scholarships for students
  • Scholarships for emergency assistance
  • Scholarships for students engaged in volunteer work

Other scholarships for students and doctoral/PhD candidates:

  • Scholarships for students
  • Scholarships for doctoral/PhD candidates
  • Scholarships databases

For further information please contact the Studierendenwerk Ulm.

Because of the vast number of foundations/scholarships on the Internet, it is important to read the complete information and to keep in mind that there are foundations/scholarships who sponsor (a stay abroad for) German students exclusively or whose sponsoring refers to another city/university other than Ulm. 

Generally, there are scholarships for B.Sc. and M.Sc. students, doctoral/PhD candidates, and students working on their thesis (B.Sc., M.Sc.). However, not all foundations support all kinds of students and the monthly scholarship amounts may vary between € 100 and € 1,000 (on average: € 300 - 600). Furthermore, some foundations only offer support programmes without financial support.

Some foundations are organised in foundation groups. The scholarships are then awarded by the individual foundation or by the group. Sometimes an application is only possible through the university, i.e. by a professor or an employee of the department. You cannot apply by yourself in these cases. To get a scholarship when writing your thesis, there might have to be a cooperation between a company and the respective department of the university.

Most foundations demand excellent or above-average scores (better than the German grade 2,0). Voluntary/social commitment of the applicant is also very important. Moreover, sometimes it is necessary to verify that the student would not be able to continue or finish their studies without financial support.

  • Letter of motivation
  • Application form
  • CV
  • Enrolment certificate
  • (Certified) copies of study certificates
  • (Certified) copies of higher education entrance qualification, intermediate diploma, B.Sc., M.Sc.
  • Often two letters of recommendation from professors on academic and personal qualification of the candidate (in most cases, professors have to send these letters directly to the foundation)
  • Proof of income (parents, own income)

Please note: All application documents are usually required in German!