Financing your stay abroad

Students participating in the University of Bayreuth's exchange programmes are exempt from tuition fees at most universities abroad. However, costs and financing options do play a key role in choosing where to study abroad.

In addition to fees for visa and health insurance, students spending time abroad also have to cover daily living expenses - housing, food, clothing, and travel expenses. In many countries, these costs are higher than in Germany, which means that studying abroad often costs more than studying in Germany.

Students who were granted an exchange place by the University of Bayreuth as part of the ERASMUS+ programme receive a guaranteed monthly scholarship. Under certain conditions, students with exchange institutions outside of Europe can apply for a PROMOS partial scholarship via the University of Bayreuth. Other financing options include BAföG-abroad, the DAAD, external scholarships or a student loan.

Be realistic when calculating the costs you will have to cover over the entire duration of your planned stay. After all, one of the prerequisites for an application should be that you are able to finance your stay abroad irrespective of scholarships.

PROMOS programme to increase mobility among German students Hide

Within the scope of PROMOS, the University of Bayreuth awards partial scholarships for non-European stays abroad with funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

PROMOS bewegt! (daad.de) is a DAAD report featuring a number of interesting stories from different people who were "moved" by the PROMOS programme. We hope you find it both inspiring and informative!

The following international projects can be funded:

Study stays (1-6 months)
Internships (6 weeks - 6 months)
Specialized courses (maximum 6 weeks)
Language courses (3 weeks - 6 months)

Please note that at the University of Bayreuth, only the partial scholarship for residence is awarded. The funding period of your stay depends on the available funding budget and amounts up to 3 months.

Information about the application:

The International Office accepts applications via the MoveON Platform.

Please note that this is a separate application for funding.

Deadlines:

For projects starting in the first half of the year (January - June), please apply by 1 December of the previous year.

For projects starting in the second half of the year (July - December), please apply by 1 June of the respective year.

Detailed information on requirements and the application process can be found in the current PROMOS announcement.

Important documents:

For assistance in writing your motivation letter, contact the Writing Center at the University of Bayreuth.

If you have any questions about PROMOS, please contact Sabine Paez.

Erasmus+ Programme Hide

Through the partnership contracts in the Erasmus+ programme, each exchange place is linked to financial support. There is no need for a separate application for financing.

The following are included in Erasmus:

Waiver of the tuition fees at the host institution.
The grants depend on the respective country and can be combined with BAföG benefits.
Students with "fewer opportunities" can receive addtional funding
Students with disabilities can also receive a specific grant to cover additional costs within the framework of an Erasmus stay.

The Erasmus programme funding generally runs for one semester. Stays of more than two semesters are also possible.

BAföG benefits abroad Hide

Those who decide to study abroad can concentrate fully on their studies or internship thanks to the financial support provided by BAföG.

Anyone who receives domestic BAföG benefits is eligible. An application may be worthwhile even if your domestic application was rejected. When applying for BAföG abroad, we advise you to submit your application for funding as soon as possible. The responsible BAföG offices usually reserve a processing time of six months. The special conditions and requirements for receiving BAföG can be found on the AuslandsBAföG website.

The following supplements are paid for time spent abroad:

for verifiably necessary tuition fees up to 4,600 euros for a maximum of one year,
for travel expenses for pupils and students within Europe for one outbound and one return journey each 250 euros, outside Europe for one outbound and one return journey each 500 euros,
for any additional costs of health insurance for students (monthly up to the amount of the health insurance supplement pursuant to § 13a para 1 BAföG in conjunction with § 5 Auslandszuschlagsverordnung),
for higher living costs for students outside the EU and Switzerland, foreign supplements depending on the respective country.

You can check here to see whether an application is worthwhile for you.

Depending on the country, different offices are responsible for applying for BAföG abroad. You can obtain the necessary application forms there.

An application for BAföG abroad can now also be submitted digitally. This video offers assistance with the application. You can find the application forms here.

On the website of the Studentenwerke you will find the most important information on the topic of BAföG benefits abroad.

External scholarships Hide

The Begabtenförderungswerke usually support visits abroad in addition to study at your home university.

There are numerous foundations which, for example, support studentswho meet specific requirements. The DAAD also awards short-term scholarships for internships in international organizations. Please refer to the DAAD's homepage for up-to-date information or the Magazine „Abroad with Scholarship“ for up-to-date information.

Additional funding opportunities:

General scholarships

Country-specific scholarships:

Latin America:

BAYLAT

Eastern Europe:

BAYHOST

Australia:

China:

BayCHINA

France:

India:

BayIND

Israel:

Japan:

Canada:

Sweden:

German-Swedish Talent Programme

Czech Republic:

USA:

Funding opportunities for doctoral researchers and early-career scholars Hide

Today, science and research are more international than ever. Going abroad at an early stage fosters international cooperation in research and the creation of global networks. Spending time abroad is a key part of your training. It demonstrates that you have an international network and shows that you can think outside the box in research and deal with different academic cultures.

Doctoral students and early-career scholars have access to a wide range of funding opportunities for a stay abroad. The International Office would like to give you some initial tips for when searching for funding.

If you have any questions about one of following programmes, please contact the funding provider directly.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD ) offers scholarships to fund one-month to one-year periods spent abroad for advanced study and research as part of a doctorate at a German university. They are open to applicants from all subject areas.

Bavaria’s international university centres BAYHOST, BAYLAT, BayCHINA, BayIND, BayFrance and BaCaTeC award country-specific mobility grants and partial scholarships to students and researchers at Bavarian universities with the aim of expanding academic cooperation.

The University of Bayreuth Graduate School (UBTGS) provides information on funding for doctoral researchers.

The Erasmus+ programmes for lecturers and staff (STA/STT) fund guest lecturers at Erasmus+ partner universities and continuing education courses within Europe.
The PROMOS scholarship at the University of Bayreuth does not provide funding for the mobility of doctoral researchers and early-career scholars.

Both the ERASMUS and Global programmes offer a wide range of opportunities for doctoral researchers and early-career scholars to spend time abroad without paying tuition fees thanks to cooperation agreements with partner institutions around the world. Have a look at the universities with which we have official agreements relating to the exchange of doctoral researchers.

Additional information on the topics of international mobility and international networks in academic careers is available from the German Rectors‘ Conference (HRK Expertise ) and Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Webmaster: Sabine Anders