Who can apply?

•     Applications are open to enrolled students of all courses of study at the University of Potsdam as well as pupils applying for a study program at the University of Potsdam.
•     An application is only possible within the standard period of study, unless there are serious circumstances that prevent you from finishing in time.

Selection Criteria

•     School or university achievements,
•     Your motivation,
•     Voluntary commitment (e.g. social, community, higher education policy commitment; participation in religious communities, associations, clubs; willingness to assume responsibility),
•     Further (practical) qualifications (e.g. vocational training, internships (study-integrated internships do not apply), voluntary services; special achievements, awards, prizes),
•     Special personal and family circumstances (e.g. illness, disability, bringing up and caring for one's own children, caring for close relatives in need of care, employment during studies, social background).

Application procedure

•     The complete application process takes place exclusively online through an application portal via a link on our homepage. Applications in paper form will not be accepted.
•     The application period for students of the University of Potsdam starts July 1, 2024 online.
•     Necessary application documents (upload directly on the online application platform):

1.         Letter of motivation with a maximum of 3000 characters (What are your professional goals? What can the scholarship support you with in concrete terms?),
2.         Tabular curriculum vitae (without photo),
3.         Students: Certificate of study of the University of Potsdam,
4.         First-year students: University entrance qualification and letter of admission or confirmation of enrolment from the University of Potsdam,
5.         Students: Performance overview from PULS,
6.         Overview of marks with calculated average marks from the examination office,
   •       Students of the Digital Engineering Faculty/HPI can request the performance overview with grade point average from the HPI Student Affairs Office.
   •        Students of the Faculty of Law simply upload their transcripts (in a document as PDF) and calculate the grade point average themselves. With your application you give your consent that the information given can be checked by the Faculty of Law.
   •         Students of programs that work with the Studienbuch upload their transcripts (in one document as a PDF) and calculate the grade point average themselves. With your application you give your consent that the information given can be checked by the respective institute.
7.         Students who have already obtained a university degree, please enclose the certificate of your first university degree. If you have obtained your degree abroad, please translate and give a recalculation of your grade into the German degree system (Transcript of Records).
8.         where appropriate, evidence of professional qualifications, internships, work experience, special awards and prizes,
9.         if applicable, evidence of extra-curricular or extracurricular activities (e.g. voluntary work, participation in clubs, associations, religious communities, etc.), special personal or family circumstances, e.g. own illness or disability, the care of own children, especially as a single parent, care of relatives or other circumstances that have had an aggravating effect on the previous educational biography.
10. if applicable, include a proof of membership in a national squad in Olympic and Paralympic sports and proof of success in national and international competitions.
11. Students applying to a Denkwerkstatt, please upload the necessary essay as a PDF.

Further notes

• In the application form you can indicate your wishes to which donors you want to be "matched". You can find the list of donors here.
•  A letter of recommendation is not required.
• If you apply for a place in a think tank, then you automatically apply for a university scholarship in general. That is, if you do not get a place in the think tank, then you automatically still have the chance to get a university scholarship. Therefore, please submit only one application.
•  The attachments as PDF files should be titled accordingly: "Surname_first name_forename_e.g. certificate of study".
•  If, for example, you have several certificates of commitment, please bundle them in one file (surname_firstname_engagement.pdf/.doc). Only one PDF can be uploaded per upload field on the online application platform.
•  Only if the application is sent with all the relevant attachments within the deadline in the application portal is it valid and will be processed.
•  Due to the large number of applications, receipt of the documents cannot be confirmed immediately. We kindly ask you to refrain from asking for such confirmation.
•  At the beginning of October 2024 at the latest, the acceptances and rejections will be sent by email.