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Scholarships
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
The largest provider of scholarships for stays abroad is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Its scholarship databank provides you with a list of potential funding options for your stay abroad. The International Office also has a DAAD brochure for you to refer to.
A further important scholarship provider, especially for the USA, is the Fulbright-Commission. It gives out full, partial and travel scholarships. You can find further funding options e.g. under the StipendiumPlus scholarship.
Applying
Scholarships are usually awarded on the basis of achievement. Deadlines for applications are often a year or more before the date of departure for stays abroad. You should apply online using the DAAD portal and submit the following documents:
- application form
- curriculum vitae
- letter of motivation
- outline of your intended studies abroad
- one or two recent letters of recommendation by university professors or lecturers
- tabular overview of all courses you have taken so far (academic record/transcript) with grades
- language certificate
- copies of all university certificates (e.g. Bachelor, Master, 1st State Examinations)
- copy of your school-leaving certificate (Abiturzeugnis)
Every semester, the International Office offers information meetings which are intended to help you put together your application for a scholarship.
Selection Interviews
The selection procedures of the DAAD, the Fulbright Commission and other scholarship providers involve selection interviews. Some providers carry out these interviews themselves. Some of the selection procedures base their selections on your written applications alone. If you are invited to a selection interview, you should not only prepare to answer questions on your specialist field, but also political, historical and cultural aspects of your target country and its current affairs. You will also have to answer questions on your intended course of study abroad, what you have done to prepare for it, and your motives for applying for a scholarship.
