Funding opportunities
More ways to fund your time abroad
A semester abroad broadens your horizons...
...however, it also puts a strain on your finances. You may have to cover travel expenses, living costs, accommodation, visa fees or high tuition fees at the local university.
There are various forms of financial support for your time abroad that can help you overcome these financial challenges.
Please note that some of the resources listed below are only available in German.
HAW.International
The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) supports students at universities of applied sciences during their stay abroad. Students on bachelor's degree and master's degree programmes at German universities of applied sciences can receive grants through this programme to fund a stay abroad as part of their studies or for their final thesis.
HAW.InternationalConference and trade fair trips
The programme "Kongress- und Messereisen" (Conference and Trade Fair Trips) programme enables students, doctoral candidates and researchers at universities of applied sciences and technical colleges (HAWs/FHs) to actively participate in international conferences and trade fairs abroad.
Kongress- und MessereisenAuslands-BAföG
Central international offices in Germany are responsible for processing BAföG applications for study abroad, with the specific office depending on the destination country. You can find further information here.
Auslands-BAföGBayerische Hochschulzentren
The Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts has established its own centres of excellence to promote cooperation and exchange with specific regions; these centres work together with universities in Bavaria to foster international contacts and academic exchange.
Bayerische HochschulzentrenBayFrance (Franco-Bavarian University cooperation centre)
The grant is aimed at students at Bavarian universities who are planning a study visit or a research placement in France. It is intended to cover, for example, additional travel costs for a return journey before the start of the mobility period to look for accommodation, as well as language and induction courses.
BayFranceSemester stays
The Fulbright Commission awards travel and study grants specifically for semester-long or year-long stays in the USA. The main aim is to promote mutual understanding between the USA and Germany through academic and cultural exchange.
Fulbright GermanySummer Institutes
The Fulbright Commission also offers scholarships for short stays as part of its ‘Summer Institutes’ programme. This wide-ranging programme is aimed specifically at students at universities of applied sciences.
ReadDAAD
The DAAD awards a wide range of annual and semester scholarships to students and postgraduates. Information on funding opportunities can be found directly on the DAAD website.
DAAD databaseEuropean Funding Guide
A database of scholarships and competitions for study projects within the EU.
European Funding GuideScholarship Portal
A database of scholarship programmes across Europe for students from all over the world.
Scholarship PortalStudienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German Academic Scholarship Foundation)
The open scholarship programmes run by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes support study abroad placements in a variety of countries. All programmes are run and funded in cooperation with other foundations, companies and institutions.
StudienstiftungDAAD – "Go East" Summer and Winter Schools
A scholarship programme to support attendance at summer schools in countries in Central, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe.
Go EastPolitical foundations
Political foundations are independent of political parties, and their educational programmes on democracy and social policy are open to everyone. As a rule, they also support scholarship holders’ stays abroad.
Political foundationsHeinz Nixdorf Stiftung
The scholarship programme run by the Heinz Nixdorf Stiftung and GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH), the German society for International Cooperation, is designed to promote experience of the Asia-Pacific region among young German professionals.
Heinz Nixdorf StiftungBayer Foundation
The Bayer Science & Education Foundation offers scholarships to provide financial support for study projects abroad in the fields of natural sciences and engineering.
Bayer FoundationSchwarzkopf Stiftung
The Schwarzkopf Foundation awards travel grants to give young people the opportunity to explore neighbouring European countries through a study trip and to engage with current political and cultural developments in Europe.
Schwarzkopf StiftungBritish Council IELTS Award
The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations, offers the British Council IELTS Award in Germany. A successful candidate will receive up to £10,000 to cover the tuition fees for one academic year on an English-taught degree programme.
British Council IELTSGemeinschaft für studentischen Austausch in Mittel- und Osteuropa (GFPS)
The partner associations of the GFPS (an association for student exchange in Central and Eastern Europe) in Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic award scholarships to students and doctoral candidates to enable them to undertake a study visit or a semester-long language course in Poland, the Czech Republic or Belarus.
GFPSOliver Wyman Fellows
Oliver Wyman General Management Consulting’s “Fellows Programme” has been designed for students who wish to spend a semester abroad and aim to enter the strategy consulting industry after graduation.
Wyman FellowsThe Eidam & Partner international scholarship
A scholarship for semesters and work placements abroad. In addition to financial support for a maximum of six months, each scholarship holder receives free intercultural training. Only undergraduate and postgraduate students are eligible to submit an application.
Eidam & PartnersWilly Scharnow-Stiftung für Touristik
The Willy Scharnow-Stiftung für Touristik awards grants for internships with a tourism company abroad.
Willy Scharnow-Stiftung für TouristikDeutsche Bildung
As a social enterprise, Deutsche Bildung has been supporting students from all disciplines since 2007, including those studying abroad. Repayment is income-based.
Deutsche BildungHeinrich und Lotte Mühlfenzl Stiftung
Funding for work placements or study abroad semesters for students at Hochschule München
Heinrich und Lotte Mühlfenzl StiftungNeufert Foundation
The Neufert Foundation supports architecture students who wish to undertake a master's degree programme abroad after completing their bachelor's degree.
Neufert Foundation
