Questions and answers

The Deutschlandstipendium consists of a grant of 300 euros per month, of which 150 euros are donated by a private sponsor, i.e. private individuals, foundations, companies, associations, etc. The remaining 150 euros are provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The remaining 150 euros are provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

No, the money does not have to be repaid as it is purely a scholarship.

The Deutschlandstipendium is usually awarded from the winter semester (beginning of October) and is generally granted for at least two semesters (end of September of the following year). An extension of the funding period up to the end of the standard period of study of a degree program can be granted if you continue to perform well in your degree program and the funds to finance the scholarship are available. Continued funding is not automatic, so an annual reapplication is mandatory.

Yes. If the duration of studies is extended for significant reasons, such as a disability, pregnancy, the care and upbringing of a child or a study-related stay abroad, the maximum funding period can be extended on application in individual cases. The application must be submitted to the following e-mail address: deutschlandstipendiumdstip.tu-dortmundde.

If students successfully complete their studies, the Deutschlandstipendium will continue to be paid until the overall result is announced, but no later than the end of the second month after the last examination.

In the event of a discontinuation of studies/change of subject, the funding ends at the end of the month in which the studies were discontinued or changed.

In the event of a change of university to the same subject area, a transitional semester is granted, i.e. the scholarship continues to be paid for one semester. This gives the student the opportunity to apply for a Deutschlandstipendium or other funding at the new university. This applies both to a transfer to a university in Germany and to a university abroad.

The funding ends at the end of the month in which the scholarship holder

• has successfully completed their studies,
• dropped out of university,
• has changed the subject specialization or
• is removed from the register of students (in German: exmatrikuliert).

In addition, funding ends when the maximum funding period (end of the standard program duration) has been reached and/or the academic achievements no longer justify the continuation of the scholarship.

You can apply during the specified application period using the online application form.

You can find help on this in these FAQs, in particular in the section "Questions about the online application form".

The application deadlines are regularly announced here and via the departments. Please inform yourself in good time, as late applications cannot be considered!

All students enrolled at TU Dortmund University (from 1 October at the latest).

This refers to students

• of all subjects and disciplines,
• from the 1st semester (still enrolled in the degree program for at least 2 semesters),
• within the standard program duration (exception: corona semester),

• in the Bachelor's degree program,
• in the Master's degree program,
• in the transition from the Bachelor's degree program to the Master's degree program,
• international students (regardless of permanent residence),
• with refugee status,
• in a second degree program,
• in postgraduate studies,
• when changing the subject of study,
• if you have dropped out of a previous degree program,
• when changing to TU Dortmund University in the winter semester,

but also

• current scholarship holders who are applying for further funding,

(Please do not forget to indicate that you are already receiving funding!)

• students whose application for a Deutschlandstipendium has been rejected in a previous application phase and

• potential first-year students (e.g., high school graduates).

• doctoral candidates,
• students who have exceeded the standard program duration (exception: corona semester),
• retroactive applications are not possible!
• If you have been granted another scholarship already (for details, please refer to section G).

Please note: The individualized standard program duration is increased by one semester for students who were enrolled in a degree program at TU Dortmund University in the summer semester 2020, winter semester 2020/2021, summer semester 2021 and/or winter semester 2021/2022 or who were admitted to such a degree program as a cross-registered student in accordance with Section 52 (2) of the North Rhine-Westphalia Higher Education Act (NRW Hochschulgesetz, HG). If, for example, the individualized standard program duration has already been increased by one semester for the summer semester 2020, it will be increased by a further semester (corona semester) if the according students are also enrolled or admitted to TU Dortmund University in the winter semester 2020/21. Please contact your Central Examinations Office to find out about the standard program duration that currently applies to you.

Selection is based on the criteria set out in the Scholarship Program Act (Stipendienprogramm-Gesetz, StipG).

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of talent and performance. In addition to previous achievements and personal career to date, social commitment, the willingness to take on responsibility or special social, family or personal circumstances resulting from family origin or a migration background, for example, are also taken into account.

Performance and aptitude can be demonstrated as follows:

• For first-year students, the average grade of the university entrance qualification (e.g., grade of the Abitur or similar school leaving certificate) with special consideration of the individual grades relevant to the chosen subject or the special qualification that entitles the applicant to study at TU Dortmund University.
• For students who are already enrolled, by the academic achievements to date, in particular the achieved credit points. For Master's students, the final grade of the Bachelor's certificate is also taken into account.

In the overall assessment of the applicant's potential, particular consideration is given to

• Special successes, awards and prizes, previous professional experience and internships,
• Extracurricular activities or activities outside school such as voluntary work, social, university or political commitment or participation in religious societies, associations or clubs,
• Special personal or family circumstances, e.g.:
  • diseases and disabilities,
  • taking care of one‘s own children, especially as a single parent,
  • the care of close relatives in need of care,
  • working in a family business,
  • gainful employment during the studies,
  • family background or a migration background.

There is no general answer to this question. Good to very good academic performance is important to determine eligibility for funding - however, other criteria such as social commitment, willingness to take on responsibility or special social, family or personal circumstances resulting from family background or a migration background, for example, also count for the Deutschlandstipendium.

After the application deadline, your application will be forwarded to the relevant department. The respective selection committees of the departments will make a selection based on the above criteria. The sponsor can be involved in the selection process in an advisory capacity. Due to consideration of data protection, only anonymized applicant data will be forwarded to the sponsors.

The responsible department decides on the allocation of funds. It can appoint representatives of private sponsors to selection committees in an advisory capacity or involve them in the selection process.

You must first register for the online portal. Registered students should preferably use their @tu-dortmund.de e-mail address. There you can choose a password and receive a link to confirm your registration. Once registration is complete, you can log in using the password you have chosen and the e-mail address you have provided.

If necessary, you can edit and save your application in several sessions during the application period. Once you have completed your application, you can submit it online. Once you have submitted your application, you will no longer be able to edit it!

Click on "Forgot password" at the bottom of the registration form and then enter your e-mail address in the mask. You will then receive a message with a link to change your password. Please also check your spam folder if you do not receive the e-mail.

Please choose a password with at least twelve characters. The password must contain at least one upper case letter, one lower case letter, one special character (!#$%&()*+,-./:;<>=?@[]^_{|}~) and one number.

Please select only the PDF format for your attachments. The files must not exceed a total size of 10 MB. When using certain Internet browsers, it is possible that the files cannot be attached to the application despite the correct format and size. In this case, please try to upload the attachments using a different Internet browser. If the attachments still cannot be uploaded, please send an e-mail to deutschlandstipendiumdstip.tu-dortmundde.

As part of the online application, information on personal circumstances, the previous career and academic achievements is required.
You are welcome to attach documents to your application that substantiate the information you have provided and/or show a differentiated picture of your achievements.

• Students who are already enrolled should enclose a current transcript of records issued by the Central Examinations Office, if available. To obtain this transcript, you can contact the person responsible for your degree program by e-mail.
• First-year students should enclose their university entrance qualification.
• Further documents can be:
  • certificate of a previous (university) education (e.g. intermediate diploma, Bachelor's certificate)
  • results of interim examinations,
  • certificates for special awards or honorary/voluntary activities,
  • references of employment activities or internships.
• A certificate of enrollment is not required.

Please note that you must also upload all documents once in an anonymized form so that no conclusions can be drawn about your person. This means that all personal data, such as your name, date of birth, address, Student ID number, gender, etc. must be redacted/blackened. Please note that your name is listed on every page of your transcript of records, for example. In other words, the redaction is required on every page.

The letter of motivation should contain a maximum of 1500 characters (including spaces). In the letter of motivation, you can go into more detail about your previous achievements and social commitment. You are also welcome to mention any activities you have planned for the future. You can explain why you are applying for the Deutschlandstipendium, what sets you apart from other applicants, what has particularly influenced you in your life and how the Deutschlandstipendium could support you in your career plans.

The letter of motivation can of course also be written in English.

Relevant (!) secondary employment can also be listed under "Internship".

Program semesters are all semesters that are completed within a specific degree program (Bachelor's, Master's, etc.). Semesters on leave are not included. If you change the degree program, the number of semesters starts again from the first semester. This means that if you change from a Bachelor's to a Master's degree program, you start with the first program semester in the Master's degree program.

University semesters, on the other hand, are all semesters for which students are or were enrolled at a university within the scope of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz). University semesters also include semesters on leave. If you change degree programs, the university semesters continue to be counted. This means that if you change from a Bachelor's degree program completed within the standard program duration to a Master's degree program, you start your Master's degree program with the 7^th semester of higher education.

Please enter the program semester and the university semester you will be in from the Winter semester 2024/2025.

Example: If you are starting your first degree program at TU Dortmund University, you are in your 1^st program semester and 1^st university semester.

Please inform us by e-mail. Please enter "XXX" in the application form so that you can complete and submit your application. If you are selected for a Deutschlandstipendium, please let us know your German bank details as soon as they are available.

Please enter the subject (teaching subject, vocational or special education subject) in the application that is listed first on your enrollment certificate. Teacher training students in the subjects "Mathematics & Chemistry" should therefore enter "Chemistry" as their 1^st degree program and "Mathematics" as their 2^nd degree program. Your application will first be forwarded to the department to which the subject is allocated under degree program 1.

All scholarship holders are asked to consent to their contact details being passed on. To do so, please sign the corresponding letter which you will receive together with your scholarship notification. If you do not agree to your data being passed on, your data will not be passed on to the sponsors.

We recommend that you agree to be contacted - your sponsor is looking forward to getting to know you!

It can also be worthwhile for you to pass on the contact details, as you can make contact with potential employers at an early stage and gain insights into the respective industries and companies. In addition, some sponsors offer their scholarship holders invitations to workshops, cultural evenings, networking meetings or participation in special mentoring programs.

After the selection process has been completed, all applicants will be informed - in the event of acceptance or rejection. Scholarship holders will receive their scholarship notifications by e-mail to their TU Dortmund University e-mail address. Please note that you will not receive a separate confirmation of receipt after signing and returning the notification. All applicants who could not be considered will receive a message to the e-mail address provided in the application. Please note that the selection process may extend into January. The scholarship will nevertheless be paid retroactively from October.

Payment of the scholarship will be arranged after receipt of the scholarship certificate signed by the scholarship holder. Payment is made at the end of the previous month. If the scholarship notification is received after 1 October, the scholarship will be paid retroactively for the months of funding up to that date. Please note that the payment process may take some time.

No. The receipt of the scholarship is not linked to anything in return. With the scholarship, you do not enter into any obligation to complete internships, working student activities or similar in the company or association. Regular contact between you as a scholarship holder and the sponsor is possible and desirable. You will receive the contact details of your sponsor with your scholarship notification. This gives you the opportunity to introduce yourself to the sponsor and thank them.

Scholarship holders must notify us immediately of any changes in their circumstances that are relevant to the approval of the scholarship and, if necessary, submit supporting documents.

A scholarship ceremony is held regularly at the beginning of the year, at which the corresponding certificates are officially awarded. Following the official part of the ceremony, sponsors and scholarship holders have the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange ideas.

Yes, you can reapply every year as long as you meet the requirements for funding under the Deutschlandstipendium. As part of your application for a Deutschlandstipendium, you can indicate that your application data should be saved for future application procedures.

This depends on the amount and type of scholarship funding. As a general rule, anyone who already receives material support based on talent and performance that amounts to an average of EUR 30 or more per month cannot receive a Deutschlandstipendium. A detailed tabular overview of the admissibility of receiving other scholarships at the same time as the Deutschlandstipendium (e.g. DAAD scholarships, PROMOS etc.) can be found here.

If you receive a full DAAD scholarship, you cannot receive the Deutschlandstipendium at the same time, as both scholarships are dependent on talent and performance. However, you can take a leave of absence from the Deutschlandstipendium while receiving a full DAAD scholarship. If, on the other hand, you receive a partial DAAD scholarship, you can receive the Deutschlandstipendium at the same time.

Only if the material support is based on talent and performance. For example, programs to teach soft skills or interdisciplinary knowledge as well as mentoring programs are not ineligible for funding.

No, the Deutschlandstipendium has no negative influence on the receipt of other social benefits such as unemployment benefit I & II, child benefit or (half) orphan's pensions.

Attention! However, there are exceptions:

• housing benefit (in German: Wohngeld),
• child support claims against the parents (in German: Unterhaltsansprüche).

In this case, receiving the Deutschlandstipendium may lead to a reduction in housing benefit/support. Please contact your local housing benefit office or youth welfare office for information on this.

No, the Deutschlandstipendium is not subject to any tax or social security contributions.

Yes, students who are supported by the Deutschlandstipendium may have a paid job (e.g., as a working student) alongside their studies. The Deutschlandstipendium is awarded irrespective of income.

In the case of a voluntary internship during the lecture-free period or on individual weekdays during the lecture period, the Deutschlandstipendium can continue to be paid; this also applies to an internship with your own sponsor. However, if the internship lasts longer than 8 weeks and is completed full-time, the scholarship will no longer be paid.

In this case, please inform us in good time to avoid any potential refunds for you.

Yes, the Deutschlandstipendium will continue to be paid during a subject-related stay abroad. The mobility funding of the ERASMUS program also has no effect on the Deutschlandstipendium. The important thing here is that the stay is actually subject-related (i.e. relevant to your studies).

During a leave of absence from studies, e.g., due to parental leave or illness, the scholarship will not be paid out. If you resume your studies after your leave of absence, the scholarship period will be adjusted upon notification by the scholarship holder. However, if you have taken a leave of absence for a subject-related stay abroad (e.g., an internship), you can continue to receive the Deutschlandstipendium.