PROMOS Scholarship

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*** Application deadlines for the PROMOS scholarship programme ***

1st application deadline: 15th of November (Funding period: stays from January - June)

2nd application deadline: 15th of June  (Funding period: stays from June – December)

The following are funded:

1. Periods of study (1 - 6 months)

2. Internships (4 weeks - 6 months)

3. Study trips (up to 12 days)

Students from all the faculties at the University of Kassel:

  • who are studying at a foreign partner university through an exchange programme organised by the University of Kassel (apart from ERASMUS+) or 
  • who have organised a period of study abroad themselves without an existing partnership programme (period of study abroad/internship abroad) and
  • who have not yet made full use of their Promos funding: 6 months during one period of study (Bachelor/Master/Diploma/Staatsexamen /PhD). 
  • PhD candidates at the University of Kassel, who are funded as participants on a study trip.

 

Eligible persons are those who: 

a) have German citizenship.  

b) are treated on equal terms with Germans in accordance with section 8 (1) 2 et seq., section 8 (2, 2a) and (3) BAföG.

  • An examination to b) is possible: Please submit an application, your residence permit and Annex 1 of Form 1 to the International Office.

c) non-German students who are enrolled as a degree-seeking student at the University of Kassel

For persons described under b) and c) exchange to the home country is excluded (cf. DAAD).

PROMOS funding period: mobilities in the period 01.01. of the respective year - 28.02. of the following year

All projects abroad that are classified as eligible for funding can be funded for the entire planned period with a residence grant and/or a travel allowance if the application is submitted on time but before the end of the stay abroad. This means that the stay abroad can be funded even if you are already abroad by the application deadline. It is important to note that part of your stay abroad must take place during the application period. This does not apply to study trips.

Example: A stay abroad lasts from May to July. If your application is successful by the 2nd deadline (June 15), the entire stay can be funded retroactively from May. If you plan in good time, you can of course also apply by the 1st deadline.

 

Please note:

  • In order to be able to fund mobilities beyond December 31 (up to max. February 28), the stay abroad must have already begun in the funding year.
  • If you have been selected for funding, you cannot reapply for the 2nd deadline with the same project.

 

Funding can only be provided for the period of stay that serves the purpose of your stay, i.e. the time you spend studying at your host university or completing your internship or participating in the study trip. Stays before or after this (e.g. for traveling) are not funded. Please bear this in mind when stating the duration of your stay in the application form.

a) Study visits (1 to max. 6 months) for students

Funding is available for both short stays (e.g. to complete a thesis) and study visits lasting at least 1 to a maximum of 6 months.

  • The amount of funding depends on the decision of the selection round, the duration of the stay and the partial scholarship rate set by the DAAD for the respective target country (see PROMOS country list). Funding can also be awarded as partial funding (e.g. only 1 month of the entire stay).
  • Tuition fees cannot be covered.
  • Study visits within Europe can only be funded if there is no ERASMUS+ cooperation or if Erasmus funding is excluded for other reasons.

Theses can be funded under the following conditions:

  • The stay is justified by the completion of the thesis.
  • No regular courses are attended at a university.
  • Theses that are not carried out at a university or a company can be funded in exceptional cases if the relevant department fully supports the project (enclose proof/review from a university lecturer) and the student submits a detailed timetable.

b) Internships for students

Funding can be provided for self-organized internships of at least 4 weeks to a maximum of 6 months.

  • The amount of funding depends on the decision of the selection round, the duration of the stay and the partial scholarship rate set by the DAAD for the respective target country (see "How much funding is available?"). Funding can also be awarded as partial funding (e.g. only 1 month of the entire stay).
  • Internships in the ERASMUS area can only be funded if the duration is less than 2 months. Funding for internships in Europe > 2 months: Information here.
  • The specific internship programs of the DAAD are to be given priority. Information on this can be found here: Internship placement - DAAD
  • In the case of funding for internships, a confirmation from the internship institution or the internship contract signed by both parties is required. This must state the type of activity, the duration of the internship and, if applicable, the internship fee.

c) Study trips by students and doctoral candidates

Study trips by students and/or doctoral candidates can be funded up to a maximum of 10 days. The trip must be accompanied by at least one university lecturer, who can also be funded by the scholarship as part of the study trip. However, other university lecturers are excluded from funding. In addition to providing subject-related knowledge and an insight into the host country, the focus should be on meeting students and academics. Trips with a predominantly tourist program are not eligible for funding. Lecture or conference trips are not eligible for funding.

Please avoid applying for PROMOS and SHOSTA scholarships at the same time with the same project abroad. You must choose one of the two scholarship programs when applying. Double applications cannot be considered.

Applications for Promos

The following documents must be submitted in specified order by email in a PDF document to promos[at]uni-kassel[dot]de .

  1. Letter of motivation
  2. Tabular curriculum vitae
  3. Online application
  4. Current overview of academic achievements, signed by the applicant  (Note 1: Form for students of the University of the Arts for courses in which no ECTS are listed/ Note 2: Master's students please also submit a copy of their Bachelor's certificate/ Note 3: Doctoral students please submit the most recent certificate)
  5. Current certificate of study/confirmation of doctorate
  6. Confirmation of the host institution (e.g. copy of admission to the host institution, signed internship contract, etc.)
  7. If applicable: Confirmation of your social commitment, stating specific periods of time.
  8. Only for theses that are not carried out at a university or at a company: Confirmation of the relevance for the study by a university professor and detailed time schedule.

Applications for the study trip program line

Please fill out the application form "Study Trip" for the PROMOS scholarship program. Please note that only university teachers of the University of Kassel are eligible to apply for study travel funding. A letter of invitation from the foreign university/subject institution or similar proof of contact must also be attached to the application form. Please send your complete application documents by email in one document (PDF) to promos[at]uni-kassel[dot]de.

 

Please note that only complete application documents can be considered!

The amount of funding is based on the assessment of your application by the committee at the selection meeting.

Individual scholarships:

A maximum of 100 points can be achieved.

  • Evaluation of the letter of motivation according to the 4-eyes principle (max. 45 points)<
  • Academic achievements (max. 45 points)
  • Social commitment (max. 10 points)

Funding categories are determined annually at the selection meeting depending on the funds raised and the number of applications. The classification into categories is based on the points achieved and determines the level of funding. Depending on the category, travel and/or accommodation costs are covered on a pro rata basis. Please note that the scholarship is paid out in one installment.

Study trips:

A maximum of 120 points can be achieved. (The assessment criteria can be found under "Important information").

  • Evaluation of the application form according to the 4-eyes principle.

Funding categories are determined annually at the selection meeting depending on the funds raised and the number of applications. The classification into categories is based on the points achieved and determines the level of funding. Depending on the category, different numbers of days of the study trip are funded at €45 per participant per day. The maximum funding is currently 6 days.

Please note that the PROMOS scholarship is paid to the participating students in one installment.

1. A selection committee is responsible for choosing scholarship recipients. It decides on the type and amount of funding. Based on our experience, the best 10 percent of applications have a chance of receiving the maximum possible funding for their period of study abroad; the other applicants approved and classified as eligible for funding usually obtain funding for a shorter time than their actual period of study. In the light of rising numbers of applicants and only restricted funds available, not every application, however suitable, can be considered. There is therefore no entitlement to any funding.

2. Criteria for assessing applications for the study and internship programmes:

  • Excellent/good coursework (45 %)
  • Statement of purpose/presentation of the project abroad (45 %)
  • Social/civic involvement/studying with children (10 %)
  • If you exceed the formal criteria (here: number of letters) and do not comply with a correction, this will result in a deduction of points: Up to 10%: no deduction | 10-30%: 10 points | from 30%: Application will not be accepted

3. Criteria for assessing applications for the study trip programme

  • Communicating specialist knowledge
  • The opportunity for German students to meet foreign students and academics
  • To what degree are aspects related to a knowledge of the country considered?
  • Preparation in terms of content by the participants

4. If the number of PROMOS applications is very high, the University of Kassel retains the right to fund applicants for a shorter time than the actual period spent abroad in order to enable as many suitable applicants as possible to obtain funding.

5. If you already receiving other scholarships or BAföG for your period of study abroad or intend to, please note the information in the "Leaflet for recipients of other funding benefits".

6. Scholarship recipients are responsible for taking out suitable insurance to cover their period of study abroad. Students and PhD candidates, who obtain funding through PROMOS, can make use of the DAAD group insurance policy.

7. We hope that you will be able to benefit as much as possible from the personal exchange and impressions gained in your host country. Travelling abroad is associated with CO2 emissions, which is why we would like to advise you to use environmentally friendly means of transport such as trains, long-distance buses or car-pooling wherever possible. We would also like to encourage you to shop locally during your stay and to explore the area on foot, by bike or by public transport.

Further information can be found in the DAAD brochure ‘Climate-friendly travelling - 10 tips for scholarship holders in Germany’

8. Please note that PROMOS at the University of Kassel does not cover the tuition fees at your host institution.

9. Information about financing tuition fees in Australia or New Zealand:

It is possible to receive a grant amounting to 10% of the tuition fee after successfully having completed the exchange semester at a university in Australia or New Zealand regardless of the amount of the PROMOS scholarship. All the conditions regarding this possibility you can find by clicking on the link that lead to the webpages of Institut Ranke-Heinemann.

We are more than happy to answer your questions by e-mail (promos@uni-kassel.de) or personally during the consultation times at the International Office (Monday-Thursday: 1 – 3 p.m.).