Funding for Study Abroad

You can find a link to an overview of current scholarship announcements for students and graduates with information about the provider, requirements and contact details here (only in German).

Scholarships for studies worldwide

The largest scholarship provider for students, graduates, doctoral students and professors is the German Academic Exchange Service (Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst - DAAD). You can find more detailed information about individual funding and scholarship programmes in the DAAD funding database

The scholarship portal of the Initiative for transparent Student Grants can be found at: www.mystipendium.de

The European scholarships database can be found at: www.scholarschipportal.eu

Scholarships for studies in the UK

The Education UK Website is a good starting point while looking for scholarships for studies in the UK. It provides a database with which you can look for financial aid programmes. Simply use the option “Find your UK education” at the top of the page, then choose “scholarships” from the drop-down menu and then your field of study. The list does not contain all available scholarships, so it is always a good idea to inquire directly at the specific universities, since they often offer their own scholarships.

Scholarships for studies in the US

The German-American Fulbright-Commission awards travel-, part-, and full scholarships for students and graduates planning to study in the USA. Applications have to be made through the International Office.

BAföG funding is differentiated for studies inside the EU and those outside of it.

Study abroad inside the EU

After studying at a domestic university for at least one year, studies at a foreign university in the EU can be funded up until to the graduation at the foreign university. The domestic BAföG then basically applies for the studies abroad.

Study abroad outside the EU

Studies in foreign countries have to be beneficial to the level of education (this means basic knowledge must have been acquired during at least one year of domestic studies) and they have to be, at least partially, credited towards the domestic studies (confirmation of the university).

A study abroad can be funded for up to one year; an extension for 3 more semesters is possible if the visit at the foreign university is of particular importance to the overall education.

• necessary tuition costs (up to 4.600 EUR per academic year)
• travelling costs
• additional costs for foreign health insurance if necessary
• additions for staying outside of the EU to cover elevated living costs, depending on the country (between 60 EUR and 450 EUR per month) .

The additional payments as per the “BAföG-Auslandszuschlagsverordnung” will be afforded fully as a grant, they do not need to be payed back later.

Please note: The high additional costs of an education abroad can mean that even students who would normally not be applicable for BAföG funding, due to the high income of their parents, could receive funding for their stay abroad.

Applications for funding are to be made at the appropriate Landesbafög department. These will also give out relevant information concerning funding of studies abroad. In all cases, the applications have to be made at least 6 months before the start of the education abroad.

Students in advanced study phases are eligible for a time-limited, low-interest student loan for a study abroad. Up to 7.200 EUR can be granted for one study phase. The repayment conditions are moderate. The student loan can also be granted in addition to BAföG. More information is be found on www.bildungskredit.de