Scholarships and Funding Programs

Erasmus+ provides funding for degree programs and internship stays in the EU. Graduate internships are also eligible for funding. Erasmus+ is not a scholarship in the traditional sense. The financial support, known as a mobility grant, is intended to help offset the higher cost of living in the host country.

The monthly grant amount depends on the destination country, as the funding rates are based on the respective cost of living. The current funding rates for the 2024–25 academic year are €540 and €600 per month, or €700 for Erasmus International Partners. For internships, there is a monthly top-up of €150. In addition, there are various top-ups available for students with fewer opportunities.

With the Erasmus+ degree program, you can attend any partner university with which your faculty has signed an Erasmus+ cooperation agreement that includes exchange placements.  In principle, all 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Turkey, participate in the Erasmus program. In addition, some faculties have signed cooperation agreements with selected non-European host universities.

Applying for a spot in the Erasmus program also constitutes an application for Erasmus funding.

Application Deadlines

for all partner universities in the EU:

• For the winter semester: January 1 – March 1
• For the summer semester: July 1 – September 1

For selected partnerships with Erasmus+ partner countries outside the EU, different application deadlines may apply due to earlier nomination deadlines. Please check for details.

More Information on Erasmus+ Degree Program

The International Office accepts applications for Erasmus+ internship funding year-round, but no later than 4 weeks before the start of the internship.

More information on Erasmus+ internships

TH OWL students can use Erasmus+ to complete an internship in Europe for one or two semesters and receive financial support for it.
Even after you graduate, you can still receive funding through Erasmus+ for a so-called “graduate internship.”

You’ll receive a mobility grant regardless of whether you receive a stipend for your internship. The amount varies depending on the country, duration, and academic year. Upon prior agreement, your internship can be recognized by TH OWL.

The DAAD’s PROMOS program provides funding for degree programs, internships, and language study stays outside the EU or within the EU when funding through the Erasmus program is not available—for example, for semesters abroad as a freemover, language courses, etc. Successful applicants receive partial scholarships to cover living expenses in the host country. Travel expenses and flat-rate course fees are generally not covered.

In principle, the total funding consists of up to six country-specific partial scholarship installments for the stay. The funding rates are set by the DAAD and range from 350 to 550€ per month for the 2027 project year.

To promote equal opportunity in project funding for recipients with disabilities or chronic illnesses, the DAAD may cover the associated additional expenses incurred abroad by granting financial assistance. Please contact the International Office for more information.

The following activities are eligible for funding:

• Study grants (1 to 6 months)
• Internships (6 weeks to 6 months)
• Language courses (3 weeks to 6 months)
• Specialized courses (up to 6 weeks).

Application deadlines

• For the summer semester, the deadline is November 1
• for the winter semester is May 1

Please send your application as a PDF via email to anne.kulasi(at)th-owl.de.

Program Information and Application Materials

• PROMOS Call for Applications 2027
• application form
• Cost and Funding Plan
• Funding Rates for 2027
• PROMOS in Action—A DAAD Report from 2021

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

The TH OWL scholarships previously offered are not currently available.

Each year, the University Advancement (Hochschulgesellschaft) of Ostwestfalen-Lippe e.V. provides TH OWL students with funding for study abroad scholarships.
The application deadline for the summer semester is November 1 and for the winter semester is May 1 of each year.

Program of the University Advancement e.V.:

• go overseas: Study Abroad Programs Outside Europe

General Conditions:

• The minimum duration for a stay abroad is 2 months; the maximum is 2 semesters.
• Funding is available starting in the 3rd semester (BA) or the 1st semester (MA).

Required application documents:

• Letter of motivation
• Resume in table format with photo
• Proof of enrollment at TH OWL
• Summary of your previous academic and examination performance, including your grade point average
• Individual reference from a professor regarding the applicant’s academic and personal qualifications*
• Proof of sufficient foreign language proficiency
• Confirmation of acceptance into a degree program or internship (may be submitted later)
• Cost and Financial Plan: Comparison of expected costs and available sources of funding

Please send all documents as a single PDF via email to maryse.niemeier(at)th-owl.de

Further information can be found in theflyer
.* Guidelines on the content and structure of the letter of recommendation

Through the Cross Border Studies Program, the Phoenix Contact Foundation is committed to helping young people gain a better understanding of different economic and educational systems and other cultures. Applications are accepted from the following groups:

• International students studying at TH OWL for one semester or longer (incoming students).
• TH OWL students who wish to study abroad as freemovers at a partner university or a University of their choice (outgoing students).

The scholarship is awarded for one semester and amounts to €3,000 per recipient. A total of four scholarships will be awarded to incoming students and two to outgoing students.

Application Materials

• Current flyer (German / English)
• Application form for outgoings / Degree program abroad
• Sample financial plan (German)
• Financial budget template (English)

The Phoenix Contact Foundation, in collaboration with the International Office, selects the scholarship recipients for the respective funding year from among the applicants.

ISAP is a DAAD program for student and faculty exchanges between foreign and German universities.

The following ISAP programs are currently active:

• Exchange with the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, USA, in the degree programs in Architecture, Interior Architecture, Urban Planning, and Civil Engineering (FB1 and FB3)

The application deadline is November 15 of each year or as announced!

Funding

The DAAD funds the stay for one semester (4 months) with a monthly stipend, a lump-sum travel allowance, and a monthly insurance allowance.
Funding is not available for the winter semester of 2026.

For more information, contact the International Office: Maryse Niemeier

Students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, and diploma programs at German universities of applied sciences (HAW/FH) receive scholarships through this program to study abroad as part of their degree program or thesis work.

Further information and application portal

Here you can view the monthly DAAD scholarship amount for a specific country or status: Scholarship Calculator

In addition, under certain conditions, family benefits may be granted upon request for accompanying spouses or partners and children.
A language certificate is required for the application. You can obtain the DAAD language certificate free of charge at TH OWL.

Application deadlines:
February 27, 2027, for scholarships beginning between July 2027 and January 2028 (selection date: May 2027)
August 31, 2026, for scholarships beginning between February and July 2027 (selection date: December 2026) 

The goal of the program is to support students at HAW/FH in completing internships abroad, thereby enabling them to gain practical experience in an international context. Stays abroad also offer the opportunity to gain intercultural experience and to acquire or specialize in foreign language skills. In this way, the program helps prepare students for the global job market.

All information about the scholarship and the application portal

In addition, under certain conditions, an application may be made for family benefits to be granted for accompanying spouses or partners and children.
In the case of a disability or chronic illness: A subsidy for additional costs incurred abroad that are not covered by third parties: Further information
Here you can view the monthly DAAD scholarship amount for a specific country or status: Scholarship Calculator

Internship Track A
: Applications for full-time internships secured through the applicant’s own initiative.

Deadlines:

• February 27, 2026, for scholarship start dates between July 2026 and January 2027 (selection date: May 2026)
  August 31, 2026, for scholarship start dates between February and July 2027 (selection date: December 2026) 

Internship Track B:
Please note the individual application deadlines for each internship opportunity.

Since Switzerland is currently unable to officially participate in the Erasmus+ program, the Swiss-European Mobility Program (SEMP) was established. The SEMP is very similar in its basic structure to the Erasmus program and supports study stays at TH OWL’s Swiss partner universities, as well as internships or practice-oriented Theses in Switzerland.
General
information about SEMP can be found on the movetia website. The Swiss agency has been responsible for administering the program since 2017.

Through the Swiss-European Mobility Programme, you can receive financial support of up to 420 Swiss francs for an internship in Switzerland.

If you would like to spend a semester abroad at a TH OWL partner university in Switzerland, the application process is the same as that for a spot in the Erasmus+ program. However, unlike with Erasmus+, the scholarships are provided by the Swiss side.

Anyone who receives BAföG in Germany or is otherwise eligible for BAföG can likely expect to receive financial aid while studying abroad as well.

However, even if you do not receive BAföG in Germany, you can still submit an application for BAföG abroad, and it may still be worth it. This is because the grant amounts are higher than in Germany—especially if you also have to pay tuition fees: Income Calculation (Source: Studis Online)

In addition to the general requirements for domestic financial aid, the following specific requirements must be met for financial aid while studying abroad:

•  Permanent residence in Germany.
• The requirements for studying abroad must be met (accredited University, etc.).
• The program must have a specific minimum duration.

Further information on applying can be found on the BAföG website.

List of responsible offices depending on the destination country

Short-Term Scholarships for Bachelor’s and Master’s Students from North Rhine-Westphalia to the United Kingdom

In cooperation with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the DAAD uses public funds to enable up to 500 bachelor’s and master’s students to undertake a one- to two-month short-term stay in theUnited Kingdom (UK). Students who are enrolled in their second semester or later at a publicly funded university or college of applied sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia (universities, universities of applied sciences, and colleges of art and music) are eligible to submit an application. The goal is to provide these students with access to universities in the UK now that Erasmus+ funding has been discontinued. The scholarships are intended to be used for research related to a seminar paper or Thesis. Purely language-focused stays are not eligible for funding.

The program is designed to support short-term stays in the United Kingdom for bachelor’s and master’s students.

It is intended to provide students from North Rhine-Westphalia with access to universities and research institutions in the United Kingdom now that Erasmus+ funding has been discontinued.

You can find the call for applications at: nrw:exchange – Your UK Scholarship - DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service

Applications may be submitted at any time between May and November 2025.

 Selection is carried out by a DAAD Committee.

Scholarship Terms

• Monthly scholarship payment of €1,100
• One-time travel allowance of €250 (Green Mobility supplement of up to
• 100 €)
• Health and liability insurance (approx. €10)

More information here

The program supports highly qualified students in all fields of study (except for those majoring in Chinese Studies, Art, Design, and Music) during a one-year language and study program at Chinese universities. It offers participants the opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge of the Chinese language and society, as well as the academic and research landscape, through a two-semester degree program at a Chinese University, and subsequently to gain initial work experience in China through a self-organized professional or research internship. Ten scholarships are awarded annually.

After the application deadline on April 30, 20 participants will be admitted to a three-week intensive Chinese language course, which takes place in August at the University of Trier and is organized by the university’s Department of Sinology.

November

From among the 20 language course participants, the ten scholarship recipients are selected during a selection seminar held in the fall; their stay in China begins in September of the following year.

March

Second three-week intensive course at the University of Trier, followed by a preparatory meeting in Berlin for participants from all years.

September

Start of the stay in China. Applications for a place at a Chinese university are submitted through the China Scholarship Council (CSC). Recipients may list three preferences for Chinese universities. The decision regarding which University grants admission rests with the CSC.

Following the second semester, students may complete an internship and use the remaining time to travel in China.

Details are available on the German National Academic Foundation’s website

• DAAD - Scholarship Database
• DAAD - Annual Scholarships for Study Abroad
• DAAD - Scholarships for Master's Programs Abroad
• DAAD - Scholarships for Students in the Faculty of Architecture
• DAAD - Scholarships for Students in the Faculty of Fine Arts/Design/Film
• Major Cities in Eastern Europe—for study abroad or research projects in Eastern Europe
• Fulbright—for stays at U.S. universities
• MINT Education Bridge: China Expertise in STEM Fields—Study Trip to China
• Haniel Scholarship Program—supports graduate programs (typically master’s degrees) abroad leading to an internationally recognized degree
• ERP Scholarship Program—supports study abroad programs leading to an American master’s degree or a PhD
• McCloy Scholarship Program of the German National Academic Foundation—Master’s degree at the Harvard Kennedy School
• Sprachreisen.org—Language Travel Scholarship for Globetrotters
• mystipendium.de – Free database from a private provider listing approximately 1,200 funding opportunities