Financing, Internship & Scholarship Programs

Auslands-BAföG (Federal financial aid for periods abroad)

You can also receive BAföG funding for your mandatory internship abroad if you have not previously received BAföG funding in Germany. It is definitely worthwhile for you to apply.

To receive Auslands-BAföG for your internship, you need to meet these requirements: The internship abroad must

• be a mandatory internship,
• last at least 3 months,
• meet the requirements of the examination regulations, i.e. its contents must be regulated and prescribed,
• be certified by the University of Potsdam as "particularly beneficial" if it takes place outside Europe,
• you must also be able to demonstrate sufficient language skills.

Information on Auslands-BAföG

In contrast to domestic BAföG, the Potsdam Association of Student Affairs (Studentenwerk) is not responsible for international BAföG. Please submit your application to the relevant Auslands-BAföG office in charge of your host country.

Erasmus+ scholarships for internships within Europe

With the Erasmus+ program you can not only study abroad, but also complete an internship and even combine this with your final thesis. The program is aimed at undergraduate and graduate students of all subjects and provides you with well-defined internship activities by means of an EU internship contract. It also supports you in your search for an internship and offers financial support for self-organized internships in

• other EU countries as well as in Serbia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey and FYR Macedonia.

Funding prerequisites

• There are no prerequisites when it comes to nationality. The decisive factor is full enrollment at a German university at the time of application for the scholarship.
• Voluntary as well as elective or mandatory internships can be funded.
• Only full-time internships of at least 35 hours/week are eligible.
• The duration of the internships can be between 2 and 12 months.
  Please note: Multiple stays abroad with Erasmus+ are possible during one study cycle! You have a total of 12 months at your disposal. For example, you can complete an Erasmus+ study abroad period and one or more Erasmus+ internships during your bachelor's degree and receive up to 12 months of Erasmus+ funding again during your master's degree.
• Internships at institutions of the EU and at foreign representations and public institutions of the country of origin are not eligible for funding. The DAAD offers separate scholarship programs for this purpose.

Application and Coordination

• An application is possible from the time of enrollment (i.e. from the 1st semester).
• The Erasmus+ scholarship for internships is coordinated for the entire state of Brandenburg by the LEONARDO Office Brandenburg.
• Submit your application to the LEONARDO office no later than 3 months (with confirmation of internship) or 6 months (without concrete confirmation of internship) before the start of the internship.
• The application materials and Learning Agreement are all submitted online. The LEONARDO office will inform you regarding the exact procedure.

PROMOS scholarship for individual internships outside Europe

The University of Potsdam awards PROMOS scholarships from DAAD funds for internships outside Europe and beyond the DAAD structured programs. The partial scholarships are travel grants and/or monthly financial support.

Internships lasting between 6 weeks and 6 months are eligible for funding. The application is made directly via the International Office of the University of Potsdam.

DAAD scholarship programs for internships worldwide

The DAAD offers a variety of structured scholarship programs that allow you to complete internships abroad. The target group is primarily German students or those with an equivalent status. Depending on the program, there is the option to apply to suggested internships and/or to apply to a program with an internship you found yourself. In addition, the DAAD takes out health, accident, and liability insurance for its scholarship holders (including PROMOS) for the duration of the internship.

KMK-PAD: Foreign language assistance

During an international exchange of foreign language assistants (FLA), you can assist in foreign language teaching as a student at a foreign educational institution. You will gain insights into the education system of the host country and the teaching methods there. Depending on the country in which you are placed, you will support German teachers at schools abroad for five to 11 months, or at institutions of higher education in some target countries. The program is thus aimed primarily at teaching degree students in the foreign language subjects of English, French, Spanish, and Italian. For some target countries, diploma and teacher training students from other subject combinations with appropriate language skills may also apply.
Financing: Your assignment of approximately 12 hours per week is subsidized by the host country with a monthly allowance that usually covers living expenses.

You can find more information about the participation requirements etc. on the homepage of PAD Fremdsprachenassistenz.

PLEASE NOTE: This internship is NOT creditable for the internship semester in your teaching degree.

DFJW scholarship for mandatory internships in France

The Franco-German Youth Office DFJW is an international organization in the service of Franco–German cooperation with locations in Paris and Berlin and a branch office in Saarbrücken. DFJW promotes youth exchange and youth projects between Germany and France. These include school and student exchanges, language courses, twinning of cities and regions, sports encounters, internships and professional exchanges, scholarships for specialized seminars, and research work.

The DFJW provides a scholarship to support compulsory internships in France that are approved or at least strongly recommended by the German home university as part of the bachelor's degree program. Funding is available to students of all majors under the age of 31, for an internship period of 1 to 3 months. The scholarship can be combined with an internship allowance or another scholarship (except financial aid from the DAAD or the Franco-German University DFH).

As part of the "Diversity and Participation" strategy, the scholarship is granted exclusively to participants who would not be able to complete an internship in the partner country without the support of the DFJW. The statement for persons with special funding needs (on the third page of the application form) is therefore required for processing the application.

More information about the scholarship and applications: https://www.dfjw.org/programme-aus-und-fortbildungen/stipendium-fur-ein-studiengebundenes-praktikum.html

Student loan

If none of the above financing options are available to you, you can also take out a student loan or take advantage of other student fund offers that may be available to you. The CHE student loan test 2020 offers you a good summary of this topic.