Financing Your Studies Abroad
Costs and funding opportunities play a decisive role when choosing where to study abroad. In most countries, universities charge high tuition fees. If you participate in an exchange program, you will be exempt from such fees with the exception of studies abroad in the USA and Canada.
Costs and Finances
In addition to tuition fees you should take into account costs of living such as accommodation, food, clothing, health insurance, travel costs, etc. In some countries these costs are higher than in Germany. Therefore, studying abroad may turn out to be more expensive than studying in Germany. This should be taken into serious consideration when securing financing for a stay abroad.
The International Office offers scholarships for some countries but there are more exchange spots available than funding. As a result not every exchange student can be awarded a scholarship.
Under certain conditions you can apply for a scholarsip, such as a PROMOS grant. Research stays in Korea can be funded via MOGAM and those in Japan through MIRAI, for example. The DAAD and education loans are additional options. BAföG for abroad has different funding conditions than BAföG within Germany – we recommend talking to someone at the BAföG office.
Make sure you calculate all costs realistically for your entire stay. A prerequisite to apply for study abroad is the assumption you can fund your stay without of a scholarship.
Funding Opportunities for Study Abroad Periods
Here you can find an overview of funding programs for study abroad periods.
General Funding Programs
German Academic Exchange Service – DAAD
On the DAAD website, you are provided with in-detail information on funding opportunities for your study, research, or teaching abroad project. Using the Service's database in German, you can perform a targeted search according to selected criteria such as subject area, target country, and academic status, for example undergraduate, graduate student, doctoral student, etc.
Federal Training Assistance Act for students studying abroad
Irrespective of whether you are receiving funding through the Federal Training Assistance program – in German, Bafög –, you can apply for support from the Federal Training Assistance Program for students studying abroad, also called Auslandsbafög. Due to the fact that studying abroad is typically significantly more expensive than studying in Germany, funding could be available for students who are not eligible for Bafög for studies within Germany.
PROMOS Scholarships
PROMOS Scholarships for study abroad as part of a degree program or a study-related internship - not open to doctoral candidates
Scholarship Database of RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University offers you a broad range of scholarships. For an overview of stipends and scholarships, please visit our Scholarships and Funding Opportunities web pages.
Country-Specific Funding Programs
| RWTH Scholarships for research periods abroad | |
|---|---|
| Program | Country |
| RWTH Ambassador Program | Canada and USA |
| UROP Abroad | Canada and USA |
| Strategic Partnership of RWTH Aachen University and Tsinghua University | China, Bejing |
| Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) | India |
| MOGAM Scholarship of RWTH Aachen | Korea |
| MIRAI Scholarship of RWTH Aachen | Japan |
| IDEA League Research Grant | Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland |
| Strategic Partnership between RWTH Aachen and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras | India |
| TU9 BIT Summer School | China |
Scholarships for Courses of Studies at Partner Universities
- Two full-time scholarships for a Master's or doctoral program for RWTH Aachen graduates at Beihang University, Beijing. The deadline for applications is March 22, 2022.
You can request further information from Mr. WEI Boxuan via email. Your contact at RWTH Aachen is Peter Hartges. - Full scholarship for a Master's or doctoral program in "Environment" studies at Tongji University in Shanghai.
Broschure on the United National Environment Program - China-Link Scholarship 2022/23 at RWTH partner university Beijing Institute of Technology (China) for study or research purposes. Funding period: 1 to 12 months. Your contact at RWTH Aachen is Peter Hartges.
- Full scholarship for Master of China Studies Program (Chinese Business Studies Track) at the RWTH Aachen partner university Zhejiang University, Hangzhou (China).
Attachments: Brochure Master of China Studies and Nomination Form and Scholarship Program for applicants. Your contact at RWTH Aachen is Peter Hartges. You need to have applied to Peter Hartges by April 24, 2022.