SHOSTA Scholarship

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).

SHOSTA supports

a) Study visits (3 days - 6 months).

• The study visits must include participation in courses of study relevant for recognition or study.
• The amount of funding depends on the decision of the selection round, the duration of the stay and the flat rates set by the DAAD for the respective target country.
• Tuition fees cannot be covered.

• Participation in study trips organized by the department cannot be funded (funding via promos study trips).

Participation in conferences/workshops  can be funded under the following conditions:

• Confirmation of an active role at the event (presentation/poster), e.g. invitation by the organizer.
• Students only (PhD students can apply here)

Theses/project work  can be funded under the following conditions:

• The stay is justified by the preparation of the thesis
• The relevant department supports the project without restriction (enclose proof/review by a university lecturer).

b) Internship stays for students (4 weeks - 6 months)

• The amount of funding depends on the decision of the selection committee, the duration of the stay and the flat rates set by the DAAD for the respective target country.
• For funding of internship stays, a confirmation of the internship institution  is required. This must indicate the type of activity, the duration of the internship and, if applicable, the intern's remuneration.

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Notes:

• Successful applicants will receive a monthly stipend and/or a travel allowance, depending on the score achieved in the application.
• The stay abroad can also be funded if you are already abroad. However, the stay must not have been completed yet.
• Stays before or after your studies (e.g. for traveling) are not funded. Please take this into account when stating the duration of your stay in the application form!

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 Shosta

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

1. Letter of Motivation
2. Tabular curriculum vitae
3. Online application   
4. Current and personally signed HISPOS printout. (Note 1: Form for students of the University of the Arts for programs in which no ECTS are reported/ 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.

Please note that only complete application documents can be considered!

The funding amount is based on the evaluation of your application by the selection committee.

Individual scholarships: max. 100 points can be achieved. Evaluation of the letter of motivation according to the 4-eyes-principle (maximum 45 points), study achievements (max. 45 points), social commitment (max. 10 points)

Depending on the funds raised and the number of applications, the Commission sets funding categories each year (see DAAD funding rates). The classification into the categories takes place according to achieved points and determines, how high your promotion is (eg travel expenses and / or part scholarship rate or pro rata partial scholarship rate).

Please note that the scholarship will be paid in one payment.

• Before the stay abroad
  • Letter of Motivation SHOSTA (German)
  • Workshop Letter of Motivation (German)
  • Indications for students who study at Kunsthochschule (German)
  • Amount of funding (DAAD) (German)
  • Leaflet - Combination with other funding (German)
• After the stay abroad
  • Coversheet SHOSTA Written Report (German)
  • Guidelines SHOSTA Written Report - Thesis (German)
  • Guidelines SHOSTA Written Report - Study abroad (German)
  • Guideline SHOSTA Written Report - Internship (German)
  • Letter of Confirmation

1. A selection committee chooses the recipients for scholarships. 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:

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

4. If you are 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”.

5. Scholarship recipients are responsible for taking out suitable insurance to cover their period of study abroad.  

6. Please note that SHOSTA funding provided by the University of Kassel does not cover the tuition fees.

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’

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