Financing

Spending time abroad, whether for studies, a work placement, a language course or a summer school, always incurs costs. We present an overview of the options for getting financial support for your stay abroad and the advantages of each programme on this page.

A brief overview of funding opportunities at UDE

Erasmus+

Grants for stays abroad in Europe.

 

Find out more!

PROMOS and DUE-Mobil

Grants for stays abroad around the world – irrespective of whether the stay is part of one of UDE’s cooperation agreements or self-organised.

Find out more!

BAföG grants for stays abroad

Study abroad periods and work placements can be funded through BAföG grants for stays abroad.

What can be funded?

  • Study abroad periods with a minimum duration of one semester up to 12 months or
  • Compulsory work placements with a minimum duration of 12 weeks

How much money can I expect to receive?

The amounts below can be paid for study-related stays abroad:

  • Tuition fees (up to €4,600 for a maximum of one year)
  • Travel expenses:
    • Within Europe: €250 each way for one outbound and one return trip
    • Outside Europe: €500 each way for one outbound and one return trip
  • Additional costs for health insurance that may arise
  • Allowance for higher costs of living outside the EU and Switzerland (amount varies depending on the country)

Please find further information on BAföG grants for stay abroad here (in German).

When should I apply?

Applications for BAföG grants for stays abroad must be submitted to the relevant International Office (Amt für Ausbildungsförderung). Find out which authority is responsible for which country here (in German).

Important notice: applications for funding for stays abroad should be submitted at least six months before your planned departure.

Is there an age limit?

Yes. As a rule, you must have been under the age of 30 when you took up your bachelor’s studies and be under 35 if you are enrolled in a master’s course.

However, there are several exceptions to this rule. Please contact the relevant educational assistance office for further information on this.

I do not receive any BAföG grants in Germany. Can I still apply for BAföG for a stay abroad?

Even if you are not eligible to receive BAföG in Germany, you may have a chance to receive financial support through BAföG due to the higher costs of living abroad.

Other funding opportunities

In addition to the most popular funding options, there are numerous other opportunities to receive funding.

DAAD grants

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is Germany’s largest provider of grants. Please find further information on the funding programmes and the documents required for applications, a grant database and comprehensive lists of links on the DAAD webpages.

  • With its year-long grant programme (information in German), the DAAD provides funding for study periods of one year at universities in Europe or overseas. The grants are awarded for studies at recognised higher education institutions. Projects conducted without any association to a higher education institution cannot be funded. The grants are made available for the duration of one academic year. Candidates must be at least in their second semester of studying the relevant discipline at the time of their application.
  • For work placements with international organisations, German missions abroad, German schools abroad and German humanities institutes abroad, you can apply for partial grants and travel allowances from the DAAD. The maximum funding period is three months.
  • Moreover, students can apply for travel allowances from the DAAD if they undertake a work placement arranged through IAESTE (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience).
  • The DAAD also provides funding for medical students participating in the professional exchange, research exchange and public health exchange programmes organised by the bvmd (Bundesvertretung der Medizinstudierenden in Deutschland e.V.; federal association of medical students in Germany). Applications are to be submitted directly to the bvmd.
  • German students of bachelor’s courses in sciences and engineering can apply for research placements and funding abroad as part of the RISE programme from the DAAD.
  • For computer science students, the DAAD arranges two-month work placements in Taiwan (Taiwan Summer Institute Programme) in cooperation with the National Science Council (NSC)
  • With its ‘Russland in der Praxis’ (work experience in Russia) programme, the DAAD provides funding for six-month student work placements in the Russian Federation.

 Fulbright Commission

The Fulbright Commission awards full and partial scholarships, as well as travel grants for complementary and more in-depth studies at an American university. The applicable age limit is 35. A good to outstanding level of academic achievement and a good command of the English language are expected. Please find further information on application requirements on the webpages of the Fulbright Commission.

The following application deadlines apply:

  • Full and partial scholarships: April to June for scholarship periods starting in the following calendar year.
  • Travel grants: December/January for scholarship periods starting in that year.

Grant databases

You can find information on further financing options on the following pages (in German):

Educational loan: Bildungskredit

Students can request an educational loan for a limited term for study abroad periods from the KfW promotional bank.
Bildungskredit loans of up to €300 per month are only available up to the age of 35 and until the end of the student’s 12th semester of study in their discipline. This loan can be requested in addition to BAföG grants. However, there is no legal entitlement for such a loan to be granted.
You can find further information here.

Fancy a chat?

Contact & consultation

Do you have any questions? 

Then please send us an e-mail to auslandsaufenthalte@uni-due.de 

or register for an online or on-site consultation.

We look forward to seeing you!