Financing your studies abroad

As part of the University of Bayreuth's exchange programs, students at most universities abroad are exempt from tuition fees. Nevertheless, costs and financing options play a decisive role in choosing where to study abroad.

In addition to visa and health insurance fees, studying abroad naturally also involves daily living expenses—accommodation, food, clothing, and travel costs. In many countries, these are higher than in Germany, which means that studying abroad often costs more than studying in Germany.

Students who have been awarded an exchange place at the University of Bayreuth as part of the ERASMUS+ program receive a guaranteed monthly partial grant. Students undertaking projects abroad outside Europe can, under certain conditions, apply for a PROMOS partial scholarship from the University of Bayreuth or receive the Erasmus+ International partial grant. Further financing options are available from Auslands-BAföG, the DAAD, or an education loan.

Calculate the costs you will incur realistically and for the entire duration of your planned stay. This is because one of the requirements for applying should be that you can finance your stay abroad independently of scholarships.

Erasmus+ Programme Hide

Through the partnership agreements in the Erasmus+ program, every exchange place at one of our Erasmus+ partner universities in programme or partner countries is linked to financial support.

The following program benefits are included in Erasmus+:

Tuition fees at the host university are waived;
Grants depend on the destination country and can be combined with BAföG benefits;
Students with fewer opportunities can receive a grant for additional costs in the form of a top-up;
Students with disabilities can receive a grant for additional costs incurred during an Erasmus stay and, if necessary, apply for a real cost grant.

Erasmus program benefits usually run for one semester. However, funded stays lasting two semesters are also possible.

Detailed information on the Erasmus+ financial grant is available here.

PROMOS partial scholarship for stays outside Europe Hide

The PROMOS partial scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides financial support for semester stays in countries outside Europe.

Detailed information on requirements, application, etc. can be found here.

This scholarship cannot be combined with Erasmus+ International.

Erasmus+ International - outside Europe Hide

Currently, Erasmus+ international funding is only available for study visits to the following universities:

Canada – Université Laval (limited to business administration, philosophy, economics)
Canada – University of Regina
Japan – Akita International University
Jordan – German Jordanian University
Nigeria – Godfrey Okoye University
South Africa – University of Pretoria (cooperation with the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences)
USA – Temple University (subject-specific for sports)
United Kingdom – University of Birmingham
United Kingdom – University of Hull (subject-specific for languages, law)
United Kingdom – Northumbria University (subject-specific for sports)
Vietnam – Phenikaa University (subject-specific for business administration, economics)

The funding conditions correspond to those of Erasmus+ funding in partner countries and can be found here.

AuslandsBAföG - BAföG for studying abroad Hide

Those who decide to study abroad can concentrate fully on their studies or internship thanks to financial support from BAföG

Anyone who receives domestic BAföG is eligible. However, it may also be worth applying if your domestic application has been rejected. We advise you to submit your application for AuslandsBAföG as soon as possible. The responsible BAföG offices usually reserve six months for processing. The special conditions and requirements for receiving funding can be found on the AuslandsBAföG website.

The following supplements are paid for the period abroad:

up to €4,600 for verifiable tuition fees for a maximum of one year,
€250 each for travel expenses for school pupils and students within Europe for a return trip, €500 each for travel expenses outside Europe for a return trip,
for any additional health insurance costs for students (monthly up to the amount of the health insurance supplement according to § 13a (1) BAföG in conjunction with § 5 Auslandszuschlagsverordnung (Foreign Supplement Ordinance)),
for higher living costs for students outside the EU and Switzerland, foreign supplements depending on the respective country.

Check here to see if it is worth applying.

Depending on the country, different authorities are responsible for processing applications for AuslandsBAföG. You can obtain the necessary application forms from them.

Applications for foreign BAföG can now also be submitted digitally. This video provides assistance with the application process. The application forms can be found here.

The webseite of the Studentenwerke provides a summary of the most important information on the subject of foreign BAföG.

External scholarships Hide

In addition to studies at the home university, the organizations for the support of gifted students organizations for the promotion of gifted students usually also support stays abroad.

There are numerous foundations that support students with specific requirements, for example. Furthermore, the DAAD awards short-term scholarships for internships in international organizations. For current information on this, please refer to the DAAD homepage.

Further funding opportunities:

general scholarships

Länderspezifische Stipendien

Lateinamerika:

BAYLAT

Osteuropa:

BAYHOST

Australien:

China:

BayCHINA

Frankreich:

Indien:

BayIND

Israel:

Botschaftsstipendium

Japan:

Kanada:

Tschechien:

Bayerisch-Tschechische Hochschulagentur

USA:

Funding opportunities for doctoral students and early-career researchers Hide

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Science and research are more international today than ever before. An early stay abroad promotes international cooperation in research and the establishment of global networks. A stay abroad is a particularly important part of your qualification, as it shows that you are able to think outside the box in your research, engage with different scientific cultures, and have international contacts.

Doctoral students and young researchers have a wide range of funding opportunities for their stay abroad. The International Office provides the following initial information for your independent research.

If you have any questions about the following funding programs, please contact the respective scholarship provider directly.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers scholarships for one-month to one-year further qualification study and research stays abroad – as part of a doctorate at a German university. They are open to applicants from all disciplines.
The Bavarian university centers BAYHOST, BAYLAT, BayCHINA, BayIND, BayFrance, and BaCaTeC award country-specific mobility grants and partial scholarships to students and researchers at Bavarian colleges and universities with the aim of expanding scientific cooperation.

The UBT Graduate School provides information about funding opportunities during doctoral studies.
The Erasmus+ program for lecturer and staff mobility (STA/STT) supports guest lectureships at Erasmus+ partner universities and further training within Europe.
The PROMOS scholarship from the University of Bayreuth does not support mobility for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers.
Both the ERASMUS+ and Global programs offer collaborations with partner institutions worldwide, where doctoral candidates and early-career researchers can complete a tuition-free stay. Universities with which a doctoral student exchange has been contractually agreed can be found on the interactive partner map.

Further information on mobility and international networking in academic careers is available from HRK Expertise and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Webmaster: Sabine Anders