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SBW Berlin Scholarship 2023 – 24 in Germany | Fully Funded, December 18 2022

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Introduction

 

Objective of the Scholarship

The SBW Berlin Scholarship supports young people from abroad who come from financially disadvantaged family backgrounds and use the skills they acquired during their studies in Germany to boost long-term non-profit projects, preferably in their home countries.

We award our scholarships for bachelor’s and master’s programs at a university or special university of applied sciences in Berlin and Potsdam based on the student’s academic qualifications, personal aptitude, and social needs. In general, all scientific and artistic disciplines can be funded.

In special cases the scholarship may support a vocational training in Berlin or Potsdam. Important requirements of the SBW Berlin scholarship are the SBW Berlin scholarship recipients’ intention to return to their home countries and pursue their professional goals for at least 18 months after the end of the funding period/study program and to continue to participate in regular check-ins with the SBW Berlin team regarding their professional development (project and career). Thus, from the beginning of the scholarship, SBW Berlin supports all scholarship recipients to realize their professional goals in their home countries. This is done through networking with other organizations, through SBW Berlin’s assistance with targeted job searches in the scholarship recipients’ home countries and with the preparation of job materials thereafter. In addition, all developed social non-profit projects should show strong connections with the scholarship recipients’ home countries.

Studies or vocational trainings in the applicant’s home country or in other German federal states cannot be funded.
Further funding after the end of the regular study/professional training period is unattainable.

 

Who can apply?

•  Foreign nationals, whose home countries appear to have a particular need for development
  assistance
•  Homeless foreigners
• Recognized refugees
• Holders of a settlement permit
• Holders of an EU long-term residence permit
•  Students from EU and EEA countries who have already worked in Germany in an activity
  related to their studies, before taking up their studies
•  Students from EU/EEA countries with permanent right of residence as defined by the Freedom of Movement Act (Freizügigkeitsgesetz EU) Students whose studies in Germany are already being funded by another scholarship are not
  eligible to apply.

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Eligible Countries

– The Scholarship applies particularly to many countries in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America due to their current economic and/or social situation.

 

Application requirements

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Applicants must meet the following requirements:

– Between 18 and 30 years old

– Professional or volunteer experience in the non-profit sector

– Strong intention to work in their country of origin for at least 18 months after graduation

– Able to prove a relatively low net income

– No first-degree family members who reside permanently in Germany

– Able to prove that they have not stayed in Germany for more than 18 months before the application

– Average grades corresponding to a German grade point average of at least 2.0

– Application before the start of their university education or fully enrolled in the first, second or max. third semester at a state-recognized university (in Germany or abroad) or application for a master’s degree shortly before or after obtaining a bachelor’s degree Applicants who do not meet all the requirements stated above cannot be considered.

 

Scholarship benefits

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For the duration of the scholarship (max. funding period equals the regular period of study), SBW Berlin covers the necessary living expenses of the scholarship recipients. The scholarship
includes:

– A room in our shared student flats in Berlin

– Cost-of-living allowance

– Tuition fees

– Possibly also a travel allowance for your journey to Berlin before the start of your studies and for the journey home after you have completed your studies

First payments can only be made after the scholarship recipient moved into the student flat. Parttime jobs are generally not approved by SBW Berlin.

IV. Deadlines and application documents

The application deadlines end on December 31 and June 30 of each year.
Application documents can only be submitted between November 15th to December 31st and May 15th to June 30th of each year.

The final decision whether a scholarship (starting the following semester) will be granted can be expected at the beginning of February respectively and the beginning of August of each year. Only complete applications can be considered. Applicants must submit at least the following documents:

– Application form (fillable PDF or online form)
– Letter of motivation (one or two pages long)
– Current curriculum vitae

-Information about the net household income

– Copy of the last school or university certificate that shows the grade point average and a grade overview

– Copy of the highest academic degree (high school diploma or university certificate) that shows the grade point average and a grade overview

If available, copies of the following documents should also be included:

– Qualification for university entrance

– Admission to the university in Berlin or Potsdam where you intend to study (or are already studying)

– Internationally recognized language certificate for the language in which your studies will be taught

– All previous work, training, apprenticeship and internship certificates and references

– All already obtained university certificates and records of achievements (graded and ungraded)

We recommend all applicants to submit the following additional documents, which are not mandatory:

– One or two letters of recommendation from professors, schoolteachers, employers, etc.

– Evidence of the net household income

The application and all enclosed certificates and supporting documents must be submitted in German or English. If the original document was issued in another language, we also ask for a translation into German or English.

Non-certified copies and translations are sufficient for the application. If the applicant successfully passes the selection process, certified copies of some of those documents will be required during the verification process.

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How to Apply

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Application Process

 

1. Fill Application form

– Submit Motivational letter &

– Copies of last transcript & highest academic degree

 

2. Complete Application

– Minimum requirements need to be fulfilled.

 

3. Selection criterias include:

– In need of assistance

– Initial ideas of the social project

– Intellectual endowment

– Volunteer work?

 

4. Personal interview

– Video conference

– Social project & Motivation

 

5. Verification process :

– Proof of income

– Notarized, certified documents

– Copy of passport with photo

– Copy of university admission letter

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6. Scholarship contract