Financing your Studies

In Lüneburg, you can expect to pay between €300 and €600 per month for a dorm room. Heating, electricity, telephone and internet are usually included in the room price.

You can find more information about the dormitories on the following websites:

Campus Wohnen e.V. has six student dormitories on the university campus and in the immediate vicinity

• 2 to 9-person shared flats, single apartments or flatshares with children
• Electricity, water, heating and internet access are included in the rent.
• Unfurnished rooms, shared bathroom and kitchen.
• Other facilities: washing machine and dryer room, bicycle and car parking spaces, cellar rooms.
• Apply directly to the shared flat via WG-Gesucht.de or via the Campus Wohnen website.

Studierendenwerk Ostniedersachsen has six residential complexes throughout Lüneburg.

• 2-9 person shared flats, single apartments
• Electricity, water, heating and internet access included in the rent
• Furnished and unfurnished rooms
• Further facilities: washing machine and dryer room, bicycle and car parking spaces, some with balcony, barrier-free, community and party room
• Special: first semester house Wichernstraße
• Hall of residence for first-year students directly on the campus by the refectory for two semesters
• Online application via the website of the Studierendenwerk Ostniedersachsen

If you would like to live in a private shared flat or your own apartment, it is best to find out more about shared flat search portals on the internet. This will give you a quick overview of prices on the private rental market. Rooms in shared flats in Lüneburg cost a little more than rooms in halls of residence, depending on the size and location. Studio flats often cost significantly more.

Other sources include the property listings in the local newspaper Landeszeitung, the housing associations Wohnungsgenossenschaft Lüneburg eG and Lüneburger Wohnungsbau GmbH, as well as real estate agents/websites and classified ads.

FUNDING THROUGH FOUNDATIONS

A very attractive way to finance your studies is to be supported as a scholarship holder by one of the numerous funding organisations and foundations. As a scholarship holder, you will not only receive financial support, but you can also benefit from numerous other support services provided by the scholarship providers.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR A SCHOLARSHIP?

In principle, all students and school leavers can apply for a scholarship. There is a misconception among students that scholarships require particular success in school and university and a high level of talent, and are therefore only available to a small group of people.

However, scholarship providers in Germany award their scholarships according to a wide range of criteria. In addition to academic performance, some foundations view it positively when you identify with their political values or are socially active in a variety of areas.

Other foundations award scholarships to students with certain personal characteristics, for example, with a vocational background, an immigrant background, certain fields of study or to students who have disabilities or chronic illnesses.

You too can find scholarship offers that match your personal profile.

HOW TO APPLY

The rules for how to apply for the various scholarships vary greatly from organisation to organisation.

Often, you have to write a letter of motivation in which you explain why you are applying for the scholarship. You will also need to provide your CV and certificates. Some foundations require reports from professors or teachers who assess your performance at university or school. Find out in advance which application documents your preferred foundation requires.

Applying to the German National Academic Foundation is more complicated. Here you have to be nominated by your school principal (immediately after graduating from high school) or by a university lecturer. You can also apply to the foundation yourself, but then you have to pass a selection test.

Since many scholarship providers are able to accept you into their programme early on, you should apply as early as possible. Make sure you meet the deadlines set by the scholarship provider.

Overview of some Providers

Deutschlandstipendum

Leuphana advertises the Deutschlandstipendium once a year. You can find more information here.

THE 13 MAJOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR THE TALENTED

In Germany, there are 13 major funding organisations that award scholarships to suitable students. Among the most important are the six political foundations, each of which is aligned with a political party.

If you are looking for a foundation with which you feel a political affinity, you can apply to the relevant party-affiliated foundations. You can also apply to confessionally oriented funding organisations, as well as to the funding organisations of the German Trade Union Confederation (Hans Böckler Stiftung) and the employers (Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft).

Aufstiegsstipendium

The Aufstiegsstipendium (career advancement grant) from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is aimed at committed, highly motivated and particularly talented skilled workers who have completed vocational training or advanced further training and have at least two years of practical experience. The scholarship is intended to create an additional incentive to take up a course of study. Funding is available for a first degree, taken full-time or part-time while working, at a state or state-recognised higher education institution. The Foundation for the Promotion of Talent in Vocational Education and Training (SBB) is responsible for awarding the scholarships.

You can find out more about this funding under upgrading scholarship (German only).

Weiterbildungsstipendium

The Weiterbildungsstipendium (Further Education Scholarship programme) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports young professional talents in obtaining additional professional qualifications after successfully completing vocational training. The scholarship supports further professional training, for example to become a technician, master craftsman or business administrator, but also interdisciplinary further training such as IT courses or intensive language courses, as well as part-time degree programmes that build on the training or professional activity.

You can find out more about this funding at www.weiterbildungsstipendium.de (German only).