Scholarships and Funding

Applying for scholarships
Applying for scholarships

Financial Support for Your Studies

International students may be eligible for a number of scholarships and funding opportunities in Bavaria. It is always a good idea to ask your International Office about available grants and other funding possibilities.

Scholarships at State Universities

Universities offer government grants to selected international students.

Eligible applicants for these scholarships 

  • are enrolled at a Bavarian state university
  • can prove first-rate qualifications for their chosen degree
  • possess excellent personal qualifications
  • can provide evidence of financial need

Applications for scholarships can be made through the universities’ International Offices.

Please be aware that if you apply for any of these scholarships, you will have to provide documentary evidence of your financial circumstances. Eligible are students who do not possess the means to fund their studies in Bavaria and also do not receive sufficient funding from a third party.

Scholarships for Students from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe

Graduate students from Bulgaria, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, the Ukraine and Hungary can apply for scholarships through BAYHOST, the Bavarian Academic Centre for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. Please visit the BAYHOST website for further information.

Scholarships from Other Funding Bodies

Many other national funding bodies also offer scholarships to international students.

You can find more information here:

Scholarship Database (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, DAAD)

Fulbright-Kommission  (for students from the USA)

Organisations for the promotion of young talent (Begabtenförderungswerke)

Federal Education Assistance Act (BAföG)

Some international students may be eligible for maintenance grants of the German government, for example if

  • one of their parents is of German nationality
  • they are/have been married to a German national
  • they are a legitimate asylum seeker, a stateless person, or a refugee
  • one of their parents has been legally employed in Germany for three years within six years before the commencement of studies
  • they have been legally employed in Germany for five years before the beginning of their studies 

Please see the pages of Deutsches Studentenwerk (German National Association for Student Affairs) for detailed information.

Elite Network of Bavaria – Max Weber-Programme

The Elite Network of Bavaria provides funding for particularly gifted and motivated students through the Max Weber-Programme. As part of this programme, students receive a grant as well as additional funding for study trips, language courses and semesters abroad. Apart from financial support the programme also includes special mentoring schemes and soft skills seminars.

EU citizens under the age of 23 who are enrolled at a Bavarian university or have obtained their school-leaving-certificate at a Bavarian school are eligible for this scheme. Please see the pages of the Elite Network of Bavaria for further information as well as the FAQ list on the Max Weber-Programme.

Elite Network of Bavaria – International Doctorate Programmes

The Elite Network of Bavaria funds International Doctorate Programmes at Bavarian universities. These allow outstanding young researchers to obtain their doctoral qualification in a structured PhD programme. They provide excellent facilities for training and research in an international environment and extensive mentoring schemes. Additionally, researchers are employed by the university throughout their PhDs, offering them further financial support.

International Doctorate Programmes of the Elite Network of Bavaria