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PROMOS partial scholarships

Campus of Bielefeld University
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PROMOS partial scholarships

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Scholarship alternatives

DAAD Stipendiendatenbank

The PROMOS programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports the international mobility of students by awarding scholarships for stays abroad. At Bielefeld University, the programme is used to enable qualified and high-performing students to study, research or do an internship abroad.

PROMOS complements existing exchange programmes such as Erasmus+ and particularly supports stays in regions where Erasmus funding is not available, for example in countries outside Europe. In this way, the programme helps to make international experiences more widely accessible to students and to further strengthen the international orientation of Bielefeld University.

The next application period is going to run from 1 October to 31 October 2026 for projects starting from August 2026 until July 2027. 

Application instructions

 

Eligible Applicants

  • Who and what is supported?

    Students of Bielefeld University of all subjects and degrees (Bachelor, Master, state exam(ination), doctoral students).

    Stays abroad of up to 6 months

    Mobilities outside the Erasmus+ programme countries (no EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey).

  • What is subsidised?

    Study (3 - 6 months)

    Thesis or research stay (6 weeks to 6 months)

    Internship (6 weeks to 6 months).

    Internships for which the DAAD offers the funding programme 'Short-term scholarships for internships abroad' arenot funded, see here.

Funding

  • This is a partial scholarship. The funding depends on the destination country and length of stay. It is based on the DAAD rates for mobility and partial scholarship instalments (monthly flat rates).

    Due to limited funds, Bielefeld University can only cover part of the costs (e.g. mobility costs plus proportionate months of stay). The exact funding amount will be announced after approval in the allocation procedure.

    Tuition fees are not subsidised.

    For stays that begin in the second half of the year, funding cannot be provided for longer than February of the following year.

    Up to six months in total per study cycle (Bachelor, Master, state exam(ination)) can be funded.

    Students living with a disability or chronic illness can also be supported. The International Office in co-operation with the ZAB provides information about this possibility.

  • Combination with other subsidies

    If you receive funding other than PROMOS for your stay abroad, the International Office will check whether it can be used in parallel.

    Combination with the Deutschlandstipendium is possible.
    PROMOS funding must be registered with the responsible office for BAföG abroad. The benefits may be offset.
    PROMOS cannot be combined with other DAAD funding.
    Other grants (e.g. Studienstiftung, private foundations) for the same purpose cannot be combined.

    The International Office will check each individual case. If you have any questions about the application process or other funding options, please contact the International Office.

Prerequisites

  • Requirements for an application: in person

    Enrolment at Bielefeld University during the application and during the entire stay abroad

    Bachelor's degree or state exam(ination) from the 2nd subject-related semester, Master's degree from the 1st subject-related semester

    Very good academic performance typical for the subject

    Current proof of language proficiency in the working/teaching language at a level of at least B1 (according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

    International students (without German citizenship) who are seeking a degree at Bielefeld University can only apply for programmes outside their home country.

  • Requirements for an application: general

    An existing strategic partnership between Bielefeld University and the target institution is desirable and is viewed favourably.

    There should be no travel warning for the target country or region issued by the Federal Foreign Office.

    There is no legal entitlement to a PROMOS scholarship.

Application

  • Procedure

    Applications must be submitted via the Mobility-Online application portal. The link will be activated four weeks before the application deadline and can be accessed via the application button on this page.
    The portal will guide you through the registration process. Once registration is complete, enter your personal details and upload your application documents. A confirmation of receipt will follow automatically.
    Please ensure that all scans are legible (resolution).

  • Changes in application

    Please inform the International Office if the conditions of your application change:
    - If you receive a different scholarship for your stay abroad or
    - if the dates and/or duration of your stay in the host country change compared to the dates in your application or the scholarship acceptance letter.
    If you do not indicate any changes, your scholarship may be cancelled.

  • General documents

    • Certificate of enrolment
    • Copy of the Bachelor's certificate (Master's students)
    • Letter of motivation
    • Curriculum vitae in tabular form
    • Transcript of Records stating the grade point average (from the examination office)
    • Proof of knowledge of the language of instruction/working language (at least B1)

    Please check additionnal documents depending on study, internship or thesis.

  • Study

    In addition to the general documents

    • Admission letter from the host university or other proof that you have been admitted to the programme
    • Learning Agreement

  • Internship

    In addition to the general documents

    • Certificate from the host organisation (company, NGO, etc.) with letterhead and precise details of period, working language, payment

  • Thesis or research stay

    In addition to the general documents

    • Exposé and timetable
    • Confirmation of supervision from Bielefeld supervisors
    • Confirmation of supervision from the official contact person at the target university abroad with confirmation of the time period

Selection

The International Office will check your application for the following criteria:

formal (timely receipt of application, completeness of documents, etc.)
Academic (academic achievements, motivation with reasons, strategic partnership between Bielefeld University and the target institution desirable)

You will receive the result by email no later than 6 weeks after the application deadline. Please refrain from enquiring about the status of your application before this deadline.
If you are accepted, you will receive information about the amount of funding and how to proceed (payment of the scholarship, etc.).

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