What is a scholarship?
Scholarships are usually granted to support students (or sometimes interns) on their further educational journey. Most scholarships are monetary grants at their core. However, some also offer additional, non-material support, such as access to networking events or student consulting.
In most cases, scholarships are granted based on previous academic achievements or special activities that qualify the students for financial support.
Who offers scholarships?
Many institutions offer scholarships for different fields of study, degree programmes, and purposes. These scholarships are available to people from all over the world who wish to study in Germany. The main sponsors of these scholarships are political organisations, businesses, religious institutions, and academic institutions such as the DAAD.
More information about the different patrons of scholarships can be found below.
What are the requirements for a scholarship?
As mentioned above, there are certain requirements to be granted a scholarship. Because each scholarship provider has unique requirements, it is not feasible to provide a definitive guide to applying for them. However, we can give you recommendations on what is usually expected of scholarship holders. This may increase your chances of being awarded a scholarship.
Firstly, it strongly depends on the scholarships that you choose to apply for. There are scholarships that are awarded strictly based on past academic successes. One example of such a scholarship is the Deutschlandstipendium.
Certain scholarships also prioritise socially, culturally, or financially disadvantaged students. The main objective is to help them make their dreams come true. The following are the most common requirements for scholarship applicants:
- Involvement in associations, political parties, initiatives, youth organisations, or university groups
- Above-average performance in previous studies or work experience
- A high level of motivation to achieve your goal, often expressed through a letter of motivation