F A Q

General questions

The foundation supports students worldwide in pursuing their educational goals by financing the costs of living and tuition fees.

We do not support travel cost, internships, conferences, research-stays not related to the studies or other short-term events.

No, there are no restrictions.

Yes, PhD projects are awarded on equal terms with other scholarships. The same application documents must be submitted, and the same conditions apply. Please also refer to our page “Application documents”.

Yes, the country of studies and the country of origin are irrelevant for the award of a scholarship; an application is independent of nationality.

Our focus is usually on first studies, however depending on the individual situation we also support longer-term study projects.

No, the individual situation of the applicant is considered.

Repayment is only expected for the interest-free loans.

You can apply at any time, but there must be a remaining period of at least 6 months.

The initial funding period is for a maximum of 6 months. By submitting the certificate of enrolment and certificates that verify successful academic performance, an extension of the scholarship can be requested.
The studies should have a remaining term of 6 months when the scholarship is awarded.

We cannot decide without viewing the complete application documents and unfortunately, we cannot make any promises in advance from our foundation.

No, we have no application deadlines or application rhythms. Instead, we review applications on an ongoing basis and make decisions based on the motivation, performance, personal profile, and financial situation of the applicant, and of course the available funds of the Foundation.

As a rule, you will receive an invitation to an interview or a letter of rejection approximately 4-6 weeks after submitting a complete application.

No, this is not required.

You can add this later, but at the latest before the scholarship is awarded.

Application documents

The following documents should be attached to your application in the portal:

  1. Letter of motivation (maximum 2 pages)
  2. Completed scholarship application form
  3. CV
  4. Copy of your high school diploma or comparable document
  5. Certificate of enrollment for your course of study
  6. Performance record (grade transcript)
  7. Two letters of reference from professors concerning your planned course of study as well as your personal and academic qualifications
  8. Income statements from your parents

The application form can be filled out by hand or by machine. Only a signature is required.

Yes, all documents can be submitted in German or English. For documents and certificates in other languages a simple translation is required. This can be done by yourself.

All applications are made online, meaning that each candidate must register via the Internet and upload all application documents. Documents sent by e-mail or regular mail cannot be taken into consideration due to data protection reasons. Exception: reference letter from professors.

In exceptional cases, a letter of admission from the university is sufficient for the application. However, we need the certificate of enrollment to grant and pay the scholarship.

The reference letters should be submitted directly, together with the other documents. They can also be sent directly from the professors by e-mail, mentioning the name of the student in the subject of the e-mail.

There is no guideline for the reference letters; these should be drafted individually.

Yes, the letters of reference must be from professors.

Yes, two letters of reference are required.

Exception: start of study, as no reference letters from professors can be obtained.

Provide us with letters of recommendation from your current or former professors (exception: first-year students).

Yes, it is possible.

No, we require two professors’ reference letters.

We expect professors’ reference letters. If there are reasons why these cannot be submitted, then we request confirmation from the university that a professor’s reference letter cannot be provided in this case.

Depending on the employment, evidence is submitted in form of tax assessment notices, pay slips, etc.

Yes, even if your parents are no longer liable to pay maintenance, we need the proof of income to assess your family financial situation.

Yes, if you share a common household.