»Seizing Opportunities« - The German National Scholarship

High-performing new and existing students at Heinrich Heine University from all faculties and study programmes can apply for a scholarship.

Special quotas: People seeking advancement through education and students with children.

Within the framework of the German National Scholarship programme at HHU, you can apply for the funding lines for people seeking advancement through education who are eligible for support under the Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz – BAföG) and students with children. The scholarship provides funding for one year at a rate of €300 per month. In the course of the application procedure, you must provide proof of the following:

• For students with children: at least one underage child.
• For people seeking advancement through education: eligibility for the maximum award rate under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG). Selection interviews may be conducted.

The application period runs from 1 July to 31 August each year. Students in their first semester and students who have switched from other universities can apply up to 15 September.

You can obtain a list of your courses, etc. completed to date, incl. Credit Points, from the Student Services Centre (SSC). A full course certificate printout from your student portal will also be accepted.

As you do not get awarded any Credit Points in your course, please enter 0. Please note that we can only accept results from e.g. the clinical examination as an intermediate grade with corresponding written proof.

Please calculate the average number of points achieved in your exams and enter this figure. Please upload your current course certificate and appropriate intermediate exam proof.

Please enter the average percentage achieved in your exams (solely final block exams) without the % symbol in the corresponding field. To calculate the average percentage, you should first add the maximum number of points for all exams together. This figure represents 100%. Then add the number of points you have achieved in all final block exams together. Then calculate the corresponding percentage you have achieved and enter this figure without the % symbol in the “required grade calculation” field. Please upload your current course certificate (certificate from the SSC or a full course certificate printout from the student portal).

Please enter the average percentage achieved in your exams without the % symbol in the corresponding field. To calculate this figure, determine the percentage of the score you have achieved in relation to the maximum achievable score (which represents 100%) for each exam subject. Then add the percentages achieved in all passed exams together and divide this figure by the total number of exams. You should then enter this percentage average grade without the % symbol in the “required grade calculation” field.

No, the Transcript of Records only serves to enable an initial classification of applications. Once the application deadline has passed, we will receive the latest grades of all applicants for all study programmes with State Examinations directly from the examinations office.

In the case of bachelor’s and master’s study programmes, updated Transcripts of Records can be submitted until the beginning of October.

In important exceptional cases (e.g. stays abroad), you can submit documents later, subject to prior agreement. Please note that the time of submission during the application period has no influence on any scholarship award, i.e. you can take your time to collate your documents properly and then submit the application.

Yes, it is possible as long as you remain enrolled at HHU. Please note that you should however still be within the standard period of study.

Yes, as long as you are enrolled at HHU.

As long as you are officially “provisionally” enrolled in the master’s study programme, you can apply. You should then submit your bachelor’s degree certificate once you have received it. If you do not do so, you will need to repay any amounts you may have received up to that point.

We are aware that such a provisional enrolment is not possible in the following master’s study programmes:

• Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
• Industrial Pharmacy
• Molecular Biomedicine
• Psychology
• Translational Neuroscience

All applicants are usually notified at the end of November. Awards and rejections are sent out at the same time. Please refrain from calling with inquiries.

The funding phase begins in October, but the first instalment is usually paid out in December. The instalments for the preceding months of October and November are then paid out retroactively with the December instalment.

No, a scholarship can also be awarded for one semester if you only have one semester left to study. Any places that become available for the summer semester will then be awarded to waiting-list candidates. However, you can only apply once a year for the period on offer.

The German National Scholarship is generally oriented to performance criteria and aimed in particular at outstanding students. However, the two special quotas enable students with children and people seeking advancement through education to receive funding.
It is not possible to predict with certainty whether you will be awarded a scholarship as this largely depends on comparison with the other applications submitted and the grade thresholds therefore vary from year to year.

In general, you do not have any specific obligations. However, it is in your own interests to participate in the exclusive events organised for scholarship holders and their donors as they represent an important networking opportunity.

Yes, there is a specific field in which you need to enter your previous donor. Otherwise, simply apply again with updated documents and a new covering letter.

The certificate will be presented at the award ceremony or sent by post beforehand.