Financing
Studying abroad is often associated with additional or higher costs than at the home university, for example due to travel costs, higher accommodation costs and/or costs of living in other countries. However, there are numerous opportunities to receive financial support for your stay abroad through scholarships, Foreign Federal Training Assistance Act (Auslands-BAföG) and Osnabrück University’s own funding programs.
Financial benefits for exchange programs
Costs for living expenses and accommodation vary depending on the host country. Tuition fees are waived for almost all students placed within the agreed exchange quota. In addition, some partner universities provide additional places in return for payment of a reduced tuition fee (so-called "payment places"). Study places within the Erasmus+ program are generally exempt from tuition fees.
Fee exemptions or reductions always refer to the tuition fees only. In some cases, not inconsiderable administrative fees or similar may have to be paid, which can be found on the partner universities’ homepages. Costs for accommodation, meals, travel, visa fees, health insurance, and personal needs are to be borne by the students themselves.
Students who take part in an exchange program can also apply for other scholarships as well as for funding through the Foreign Federal Training Assistance Act (Auslands-BAföG)!
Scholarships and grants
The Program to Increase the Mobility of German Students (PROMOS) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It is aimed at all German students and foreign students who are fully enrolled and is intended to enable shorter stays abroad. This includes study and practical stays as well as language and specialist courses.
Get a better impression of how and why PROMOS makes it possible to study worldwide through Lively travel reports.
Application deadlines (valid every year)
November 30: for stays abroad in the first half of the following year
April 30: for stays abroad in the second half of the current year
Funding is available for
- Stays at partner universities or self-organized study visits abroad of up to six months
- Shorter stays at foreign universities, for example to complete a thesis (one to six months)
- Internships abroad with a duration of one to six months. The Specific internship programs of the DAAD are to be given priority.
- Language and specialist courses at state and private universities and at established language institutes abroad for students and doctoral candidates (language courses: three weeks to six months, at least 25 hours per week, specialist courses: up to six weeks)
Not eligible for funding:
- Study and research visits and internships for doctoral students
- Study visits to the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Croatia, Norway and Turkey (Erasmus area). Exception: a further Erasmus stay is excluded due to previous Erasmus funding.
Application documents
Only a single copy of the application documents is required.
- Online application (a printed and signed copy will be sent to the International Office)
- PROMOS application form (PDF, 270 kB)
- Letter of motivation incl. justification for choice of university or internship (informal)
- Curriculum vitae (complete, in tabular form)
- Expert opinion from a university lecturer (informal), not for language courses within the framework of PROMOS. The expert opinion must be sent directly to the International Office by in-house mail or email.
- Language certificate* (DAAD language certificate (PDF, 145 kB), TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo), not for basic language courses as part of PROMOS. Other language certificates are generally not accepted. In justified exceptional cases, the selection committee will decide on the admissibility of the submitted language certificate.
- Proof of previous academic achievements (transcript of grades, transcript of records, Bachelor’s certificate, intermediate diploma/intermediate examination certificate or similar)
- Approval from the foreign university or confirmation from the foreign internship provider. (can be submitted later if necessary)
* In the Promos program, the following students are exempt from submitting a language certificate:
- Students of the "Cognitive Science" degree program (only if English is the language of instruction or working language during the stay abroad)
- Students of a modern foreign language (only if the language studied is the language of instruction or working language during the stay abroad).
Important notes
For internships at international organizations, EU institutions, institutions and organizations that administer EU programmes, German missions abroad, the German Humanities Institutes, the Goethe Institutes, the German Archaeological Institute, and German schools abroad, it is still possible to submit an Individual application to the DAAD.
A separate DAAD funding program is available for internships for student teachers (Teacher Education.International).
PROMOS scholarships are awarded in a joint application and selection process with the Osnabrück University mobility grants. This means that all applications are automatically considered for both funding programs, so there is no need to apply twice!
Contact
Online consultation hours
Here you can access Beate Teutloff ’s virtual consultation hours (Wed 2 pm to 3:30 pm, Thu 10 am to 12 pm).
Note online consultation: Please wait after entering the Big Blue Button room until you are invited to the virtual consultation hour. Access to the room is granted on first come, first served terms. There may be waiting times for online consultation hours.
Students who complete a stay abroad as part of the Erasmus+ program receive an Erasmus grant for their stay. For further information, see Exchange studies with Erasmus+.
The largest provider of scholarships for stays abroad is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). You can search for suitable funding opportunities in the DAAD scholarship database. A DAAD brochure is also available from the International Office.
Another important scholarship provider, especially for the USA, is the Fulbright Commission. It awards full, partial, and travel scholarships.
You can find further funding opportunities at StipendiumPlus, for example.
Application and selection procedure
Scholarships are usually awarded on the basis of merit. The application deadlines are often more than a year before the start of the stay abroad. Applications are submitted online via the DAAD portal.
The selection process of the DAAD, the Fulbright Commission and other funding organizations includes selection interviews. In some cases, the funding institutions conduct these interviews themselves. In some programs, only a paper selection is made. If you are invited to a selection interview, you should not only prepare for questions about your subject, but also about the political, historical and cultural circumstances of the host country and current events. You will also be asked about your study plans abroad, how you prepared for them and your reasons for applying for the scholarship.
Students who have so far fallen just short of the income limits also have a chance of receiving the Foreign Federal Training Assistance Act (Auslands-BAföG). This is because higher costs can be claimed for education abroad.
Important: It is not the BAföG office in Osnabrück that is responsible, but there are various state offices for funding education abroad.
Prerequisites for receiving the Foreign Federal Training Assistance Act (Auslands-BAföG) include at least two semesters of study in Germany, language skills, and proof of a place to study abroad. As a rule, the German funding rate, a country-dependent foreign allowance (only for non-EU countries), a lump sum for travel expenses, health insurance costs (if applicable), and tuition fees up to a maximum of €5,600 are granted.
Studying at a university abroad is generally funded for one year and, under certain conditions, does not count towards the maximum funding period.