New Kassel scholarship supports students in difficult circumstances

In the first funding period, five students at the University of Kassel who have a refugee or migration background will be supported. The scholarship of 200 euros per month is intended to relieve their financial burden so that they can concentrate more on their studies. At the same time, the Kassel Scholarship puts them in contact with the regional economy, allows them to network and take advantage of additional educational opportunities . The Kassel Scholarship runs for one year, and recipients can reapply.

The fact that the new Kassel Scholarship was able to get off the ground quickly and without complications is primarily thanks to the Wintershall Dea Foundation for Democracy and Diversity. With a funding commitment of 36,000 euros, it is securing the three-year start-up phase and supporting the Kassel Student Union in its implementation.

The Kassel scholarship is modeled on the Hamburg scholarship offered by the local student union. The two universities in Kassel and Hamburg are now the only universities in Germany to offer a special scholarship program for students with a refugee or migration background. In Hamburg, Wintershall Dea is one of the companies involved and was therefore able to arrange contact between the two student unions. Michael Sasse, Chairman of the Wintershall Dea Foundation, is convinced that supporting students with a refugee and migration background to ensure equal opportunities is not only a sociopolitical imperative, but also of great added value for domestic companies.
"The sponsored students have already proven through their special life path that they can deal with difficult situations and work with focus towards their goal. They bring with them a willingness to perform, intercultural competence and multilingualism - all of which are skills that are extremely important for the economy in Germany in times of a shortage of skilled workers," says Sasse. Both sides, business and students in Hamburg and, from now on, also in Kassel, could only benefit from getting to know each other and working together as part of the scholarship program.

"We are very pleased to have the Wintershall Dea Foundation for Democracy and Diversity on our side," says Julia Thonfeld, Deputy Managing Director of the Kassel Student Union. "At the same time, of course, we also hope that we can expand the program in the future with the help of other companies from the region."

In 2022, the Wintershall Dea corporate foundation already participated in a joint aid program of the General Students' Committee (AStA) and the Kassel Student Union: here, students from third countries were supported who had fled from Ukraine to northern Hesse after the start of the Russian war of aggression and are now continuing their studies here. "Just like back then, the Kassel Scholarship is about supporting bright minds who have found themselves in extremely difficult life situations through no fault of their own," says Julia Thonfeld. "With the scholarship, we can make it easier for them to achieve their academic goals."

More information about the Kassel Scholarship: www.studierendenwerk-kassel.de/geld/kassel-stipendium

 Contact

Julia Thonfeld
Head of Department Counseling & Student Financing,
Deputy Managing Director of Studierendenwerk Kassel
0561 804 2567
j.thonfeld[at]studierendenwerk.uni-kassel[dot]de
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