Information on Scholarships & Finances

Image: Unsplash

On this website you can find information on the semester fee, possible scholarships and educational grants.

In Germany there are no tuition fees.

However, the living cost and other cost incurred for living and studying has to be taken into account. In addition to general fixed expenses such as living costs for food, housing and daily life, international students will also have additional costs for travel, visa applications and translations and so on.

Please see the FAU website on the average cost for living and studying at FAU.  They give you a good overview on the neccessary means to study at FAU.

You can check out the YouTube-video on how to get a scholarship in Germany by FAU students.

Below you can find a list of means for financing your studies and different scholarships that you can apply for:

There are no tuition fees at FAU (why are there no tuition fees? Find out!).
There is a semester fee of approx. 67.00 EURO for all students, which consists of a contribution to Student Services which runs student advisory services, the canteens, the student dormitories and other services for students and the basic semester ticket.

CRC1411 – Equal Opportunity Fellowship

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1411 – “Design of particulate products” invites applications for an Equal Opportunity Fellowship. Eligible are international female applicants to one of the involved study programs at the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg, that have been admitted for start in Winter Semester 2023/24.

Candidates for the following master programs can apply for the fellowship:

The fellowship explicitly aims to support excellent female students with an interest in the research topics of the CRC. Holders will be able to establish close contacts with the involved projects and researchers of the CRC and to get to know the scientific topics in detail. Subject to suitability of the fellowship holder and if both parties are in agreement, the CRC will recruit the holder on completion of the Master’s program into the doctoral program of the CRC.

The following support is offered by the fellowship:

  • Financial support: 900 Euro/month over 12 months, starting with the start of the winter semester 2023/24.
  • A student assistant position will be offered as a continuation of the financial support in the second year, upon successful completion of the academic requirement of the first academic year.
  • The fellowship holder will also receive for the entire duration of the Master’s program (4 semesters):
    • Student associate membership in the Integrated Research Training School of the CRC and, with this, full access to all training offers and funding measures provided by the program
    • Admission to all training offers and support measures provided by the equal opportunity program
    • Scientific mentoring by a professor involved in the CRC1411
    • Priority offers of mini-projects or master thesis topics relating to the research fields of CRC
    • Participation in all (semi-annual) CRC status meetings including board and lodging
    • Prospects for a doctoral position within the Collaborative Research Centre, subject to motivation and scientific performance

The fellowship holder is expected to:

  • Participate in the CRC status meetings and program offers of the Research Training Group
  • Conduct at least one practical project (miniprojects or master thesis) in a research group involved in the CRC
  • Contribute to PR measures (reports / articles for websites, participation in information events)

Application process:

  • Eligible are excellent female applicants for a Master’s degree in a degree program at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg with relevance to the CRC, with a start in WS2022/23.
  • A selection interview for the fellowship will take place after screening of candidates.
  • Based on the interview process, the CRC 1411 Executive Board will select the fellowship holder
  • The following criteria are used to select the fellowship holder:
    • Scientific excellence (as demonstrated by academic grades in the respective Bachelor’s program)
    • Additional relevant qualifications and activities (conference attendance, additional studies, publications)
    • CRC 1411-specific expertise and motivation (theoretical or practical knowledge in particle synthesis, chromatography, characterisation of nanomaterials or relevant simulation methods)
    • Required financial support to be able to participate in the degree program at FAU

The successful applicant will be issued with a letter of confirmation for presentation at the German embassy / consulate during the visa application process (if required). This letter will be made available to the applicant electronically. If necessary, the CRC administration can send this letter directly to the relevant embassy / consulate, quoting the visa processing number of the fellowship holder.

How to apply?

Your application should contain a CV, all relevant certificates, a confirmation of enrolment in one of the master programs mentioned above, and a motivation letter describing your interest in the scientific environment of the CRC and your relevant expertise.

Please submit your application as one pdf file, labelled with your First and Lastname and a file size not exceeding 15MB using the header: “Application for CRC1411 Fellowship” to: sfb1411@fau.de

The deadline for applications is 15.06.2022

Outstanding students can apply for this scholarship, which is sponsored by the German Federal State and the sponsoring companies. For detailed information, check here.

The DAAD is establishing the new scholarship program „ERA Fellowships – Green Hydrogen“ to accompany the implementation of the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) of the European Agenda Process on Green Hydrogen, a pilot initiative of the European Research Area (ERA).

Both German and international students can apply for the scholarship. The scholarship is possible for studies in Germany (international students) or semesters abroad, internships abroad or final theses abroad (national students).

Applicants who will start their studies in summer term 2024 or winter term 2024/25 can apply until October 19th, 2023.

For detailed information, please click here.

In the DAAD database (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst; German Academic Exchange Service), you can find a variety of scholarships for foreign students, graduates, and postdocs with a wide range of intention, including study, language course, internship, research/PhD, and teaching. You can check out the DAAD scholarship database here.

This scholarship is for foreign students about to graduate.
It is provided by FAU and available twice a year.

The final semester scholarship is:

  • intended to support international students during the last months before graduation, usually while writing their thesis or taking final exams

For detailed information, please check here.

Many German banks offer financing options which are specifically designed to support students with living costs. There are a wide range of loans on offer with various conditions. These loans are paid to the borrower monthly. The following types of loan are currently available. Check here for advice on the right loan.

  • KfW loans:
    KfW loans are also from selected banks and Sparkassen nationwide. They are particularly suitable for students who do not receive BAföG but are not financed by their parents.
  • Student loans:
    Student loans have been on the market for a long time and some of them are being adapted to meet the new market requirements.
  • Offers available at Volksbanken and Raiffeisenbanken (VR-Bildungsfinanzierung), and from Sparkassen (Sparkassen-Bildungskredit):
    These offers aim at ‘average’ students and are based on the overall concept of the provider.
  • Credit models from large banks
  • Education funding concept from CareerConcept:
    These are designed for students with high potential and therefore have a thorough selection process.

General information on loans and choosing the right loan can be found here.

  • Bundesstiftung Mutter und Kind:
    For pregnant women in personal and financial emergency situations.
  • Madame Courage:
    For single student mothers in the final stage of their studies
  • Hildegardis Verein:
    Among many loans that Hildegardis Verein provides (check here), there is a loan for female students with children.
  • Christiane Nüsslein-Vollhard-Stiftung:
    For talented young women with children, in the field of experimental natural sciences.

Check here for their respective webpages.

There are a wide range of scholarships available for outstanding students. In addition to requiring applicants to have excellent grades, most scholarship programs have additional conditions regarding cultural, political, religious or social involvement. Check here for further details.