Application

 

• Application dates and application portal

• Application requirements and disqualifiers

• Necessary documents and instructions for applying online

• Information about the selection process

Application dates and application portal

The application period for the winter semester 2024/2025 is closed. The application phase for a Deutschlandstipendium is from March 15 through May 5, 2025.

You can apply now only via the online application form (German language only). 

 

Application requirements and disqualifiers

The following persons may apply to receive the scholarship

• all students enrolled at any of the five state colleges that participate in Studienfonds OWL
• all high school graduates and those interested in pursuing a college education who would like to begin their studies at one of the five aforementioned colleges in the near futur

Requirements for application:

• outstanding academic performance in school or college
• participation in extracurricular activities geared towards social involvement

Disqualifiers for application:

• Overlapping sponsorship through another scholarship program, i.e., receiving aid for academic talent and performance within the same timeframe that provides on average more than €30 a month. A simultaneous acquisition of two or more scholarships will be examined in case of approval of Deutschlandstipendium. In general, simultaneous scholarships are possible but depend on the type of aid
• Receiving a scholarship for post-graduate studies is not possible

You can find out more whether you are eligible for a scholarship in the Sponsorship Guidelines, which contains in full detail the criteria necessary to be sponsored by Studienfonds OWL with a Deutschlandstipendium. You can find the guidelines here.

 

 

Necessary documents and instructions for applying online

The Studienfonds OWL Foundation accepts only online applications. The application form can be accessed only during the application period and found on the foundation webpage (www.studienfonds-owl.de). It must be completed, uploaded, and submitted along with all the other necessary documents. The application portal is available only in German. If you need help with the application process due to a language barrier, you can ask for help at your university’s AStA or the International Office.

Application documents
 

After you have filled out the online application form, your application documents should uploaded in the following structure. Please make sure to label the files with your family name (e.g., ‘Lebenslauf_Smith’) so that all documents can be associated easily with the proper applicant. Please avoid diacritical marks (e.g., é, à, ö, ç) and other non-English characters (e.g., ß) in the file names, as it can create problems in the upload process.

1st file: Motivation_YourLastName.pdf

• Signed personal statement with name and postal address

2nd file: Lebenslauf_YourLastName.pdf

• Signed résumé

3rd file: Studium_YourLastName.pdf

• High school diploma
• College diploma (if applicable)
• Complete grade transcript of college studies thus far
• Enrollment certificate (for college applicants, only if already available; otherwise, it can be handed in as soon as it is available)

4th file: Nachweise_YourLastName.pdf

• Testimonials and certifications of internships and student jobs
• Written confirmation of volunteer work, social involvement, special abilities, distinctions, prizes, stays abroad, etc.

5th file (optional): Sonstiges_YourLastName.pdf

• References to noteworthy social, familial, or personal background, e.g., that have to do with family history or a migrant background

6th file (optional): Foto_YourLastName.pdf

• Current photo

 

Please note:
 

1. Only complete application that had been submitted on time will be considered. Please do not send any documents after the application end date without explicit request, since we will not be able to consider them.  
2. All documents MUST be in PDF format (except for photos which can be submitted in JPG format); all other file types cannot be opened and therefore cannot be considered. All documents must be submitted in digital form and only using the online form (paper documents will not be accepted). All documents must be submitted in the structure detailed under ‘Application documents.’ (Please note, programs that can merge multiple PDFs into a single file can be found if you do an internet search for ‘pdf merge freeware’).
3. You must read the Instructions and technical information for the application in the "Bewerbungsvereinbarung" (only available in German), which you can find on the starting page of the application server.
4. Multiple Applications: If you consider applying for several universities/degree programs which are participated at Studienfonds OWL, please apply for those separately. For example: You have to decide if you want to study business management either at University of Paderborn or at Fachhochschule Bielefeld. If you are not sure until the application period starts, please apply for both options. If you apply more than once for a scholarships for the same degree program, the last application submitted will be considered.
5. Please do not write to faculty members or secretaries regarding the Deutschlandstipendium. Teacher recommendations are neither needed nor desired for the application and will not be considered in the selection process.

When writing your personal statement, you may use our guide to writing a personal statement.

 

Information about the selection process

Selection process

Studienfonds OWL gathers the applications and checks to see if they fulfill the formal criteria. Next, all applications, sorted by applicants’ colleges, are forwarded to the selection committees for assessment and evaluation. The selection committees are elected by each college’s headmaster/president, or the faculty senate, and is composed of that college’s professors and college students.

The committees examine the applications sent to them and recommend the applicants they consider most qualified to the foundation board. Based on the recommendations, the board finally decides which students it will grant scholarships to. The applicants are then notified in writing of the results.

Application interviews do not take place.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria of the Studienfonds OWL Foundation are based on the official selection criteria of the  Stipendienprogramm-Gesetzes der Bundesregierung (StipV, engl. “Federal Scholarship Program Law,” see § 2 StipV). This means that applicants are assessed based on:

1. For those just beginning their college studies, on
   1. The average grade for admission to their college, with particular attention to the individual grades relevant to the chosen course of studies or
   2. The special qualification that enables the student to study at the given college,
2. For current college students, on the academic performance thus far at college, in particular the ECTS points earned or the results of the Zwischenprüfung (interim exam). For Master’s students, also the final grade of their previous college degree.

In the overall assessment of an applicant’s potential, the following criteria are also considered:

1.  Remarkable successes, distinctions, and prizes, previous jobs and internships,
2.  Extracurricular or interdisciplinary involvement, volunteer work, social or political involvement, or participation in religious entities, associations, or clubs,
3.  Noteworthy personal or familial circumstances such as sicknesses or impairments, caring for one’s own children, in particular as a single parent, or caring for care-dependent family members, working in a family-run business, working during one’s studies, family background, or a migrant background.