Funding your studies

How can you make sure that you can cover the costs that arise during your studies?

The easiest way to fund your studies is to rely on the financial means at your own or your family's disposal – but not everyone is that lucky.

Below, we share some possibilities to help you finance your studies.

Working while studying

If you want to earn your own money while studying, make sure that you know the relevant regulations that match your residency title etc. Students are limited in terms of hours they can work (there is a maximum number of hours allowed per week) and wages (only a certain amount is allowed).

For students from outside the European Union, the regulations are even more rigorous: a maximum of 140 days full-time work (or 280 half days) is allowed – compulsory internships not included.

The DAAD provides information about student work regulations in English.

Working at the university

We carry out numerous R&D projects in many labs, as well as design and social projects in the non-technical departments. Some of them are financed to include student cooperation that can be remunerated (so-called HiWi jobs). If your professor believes you are suitable, you may be able to participate in such projects, or alternatively offer tutorials to other students in a determined area.

Scholarships

There are several scholarship opportunities for exchange and degree-seeking students. Please check the information of each scholarship to find out if you are eligible to apply.

If you want to apply for a scholarship, please collect the neccessary information well in time. Some scholarships have deadlines a year before your arrival in Mannheim.

The DAAD data bank will help you find many other opportunities for obtaining financial aid, besides the DAAD scholarships.

Scholarships administered by the International Office

International exchange students from partner universities of the Technische Hochschule Mannheim are to be funded in order to increase the internationalization of the university.

You can find all the neccessary details here. Please also note the STIBET FAQs provided here.

International degree-seeking students at the Technische Hochschule Mannheim are to be financially supported and relieved with this scholarship in the phase of graduation.

You can find all neccessary information here. Please also note the STIBET FAQs provided here.

Scholarships for particularly committed international degree-seeking students: International students at TH Mannheim who require financial support and can demonstrate volunteer work in social, community, and/or intercultural settings, as well as good to excellent academic performance, are eligible to apply.

You can find all the neccessary information here. Please also note the STIBET FAQs provided here.

For international degree-seeking students at TH Mannheim with special challenges during their studies (e.g. special care situations for children or relatives in need of care, disability, refugee background).

More information can be found here. Please also note the STIBET FAQs provided here.

For your application for a DAAD STIBET scholarship, you will need this datasheet.

The German state of Baden-Württemberg offers a limited number of scholarships for international exchange students each year.

Students from one of our international partner universities in the non-Erasmus area with a valid student exchange agreement who are nominated for a semester abroad at Technische Hochschule Mannheim can apply for the scholarship. The only exceptions from the Erasmus region: Stockholm University and Jönköping University (however, simultaneous receipt of Erasmus+ funding and Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM is not possible). 

You can find out more about this scholarship here.

Other opportunities

For exchange students. In order to be able to participate in the European scholarship program Erasmus+, your home institution must have signed an agreement with the corresponding department at Technische Hochschule Mannheim and specifically selected you for the scholarship.

If you have questions regarding your Erasmus+ scholarship, please contact the International Office of your home university.

Every year, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers numerous study scholarships on its own or in cooperation with national institutions in different countries. The application process usually takes place a long time in advance, so it is highly recommended that you enquire about deadlines and requirements early on.

The DAAD website provides comprehensive information about their scholarships and how to apply.

Together with the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. exchange organization Institute of International Education (IIE), the DAAD has created a new scholarship program: the Gilman-DAAD Germany Scholarships. This means that up to 40 scholarships worth a maximum of 5,000 US dollars will be awarded each year to Bachelor students in the US who wish to study in Germany.

Scholarship recipients can take summer or winter courses in Germany, participate in selected study abroad programs, study for one or two semesters or do internships in companies.

Find out more on the Gilman scholarship website.

Did you know that small and medium-sized enterprises represent 99% of all German employers?

The Mannheimer Modell Mittelstandsstipendien is an entrepreneurial initiative in cooperation with Technische Hochschule Mannheim and supported by the CCI Rhine-Neckar. Regional small and medium-sized enterprises sponsor selected students with scholarships. For more information about the firms involved, the scholarships available and the application procedure, visit this page (in German) or contact the Career Center.

Technische Hochschule Mannheim awards and administers the so-called Deutschlandstipendium (Germany scholarship). Donations from different companies as well as private foundations facilitate this funding option.

Some calls for applications are specifically related to a department, whereas other opportunities are completely independent of the focus area.

For more information about the current scholarships and the application procedure, visit the this page (in German) or contact the Career Center.

FAQ STIBET scholarships

The combined scholarship and support program STIBET is aimed, among other things, at improving support for international students by awarding scholarships. 

Technische Hochschule Mannheim receives funding from the DAAD in order to support the program with funds from the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt).

The scholarships are provided by the DAAD and administered and awarded by the International Office of the Technische Hochschule Mannheim. The payment of the scholarship is subject to the allocation of sufficient funds.

Who may apply depends on the type of scholarship.

  • For the “Partner University Scholarship”, exchange and double degree students from partner universities of TH Mannheim may apply.
  • For the “Graduation Scholarship”, all international degree seeking students of TH Mannheim (Bachelor or Master) are welcome to apply if they are in the process of completing their degree within the upcoming 12 months.
  • For the “Scholarship for particularly committed international students”, degree seeking students of TH Mannheim (Bachelor or Master) may apply if they can prove current social, civic or intercultural voluntary work.
  • For the “Scholarship for more equal opportunities”, all international degree seeking students of TH Mannheim (Bachelor or Master) may apply if they face particular challenges during their studies (e.g. caring for underage children, caring for relatives, chronic illnesses, refugee background).

Students should always fulfil the relevant requirements. For all scholarships, students need to prove that they are in financial need. Good to very good academic grades are also expected.

Please send your complete application documents via email to stibetstip.io@th-mannheim.de

We will then confirm receipt of your documents and contact you if we have any further questions.

Applications are possible at any time. The application deadlines are middle of February, middle of April, middle of August and middle of October. 

After the application deadline has ended, the selection committee decides on the applications received in good time.

Applications are possible for one semester, which corresponds to the next 4 to 6 months after the application deadline.

This means that if you apply middle of February, you could be accepted for the upcoming summer semester (March to August), if you apply middle of April, you could be accepted for the current summer semester (May to August), if you apply middle of August, you could be accepted for the upcoming winter semester (September to February) and if you apply middle of October, you could be accepted for the current winter semester (November to February).

Applications for more than one semester will not be accepted. Please reapply for the next semester by the next application deadline.

The approval period also depends on what you have indicated in your application. For example, you can also apply for a scholarship for just three months.

Please note that we cannot guarantee that you will receive a scholarship for the desired period.

No, as it is not possible to obtain several DAAD-funded scholarships at the same time. 

Please only apply for the scholarship that best suits you and your situation. Please note the requirements and documents to be submitted. If the selection committee decides that another scholarship is more suitable for you, we will inform you and request additional information and documents if necessary.

The minimum duration for all scholarships is one month.

The maximum duration depends on the scholarship for which you are applying.

  • The Partner University Scholarship can be granted for a maximum of 12 months in total.
  • The Graduation Scholarship can be granted for a maximum of 6 months in total, extensions are possible for exceptional and justified reasons.
  • The Scholarship for particularly committed international students can be granted for a maximum of 12 months in total, extensions are possible for exceptional and justified reasons.
  • The Scholarship for more equal opportunities can be granted for a maximum of 24 months.

Please note that Technische Hochschule Mannheim only grants scholarships for a maximum of one semester. It is possible to apply again to renew the scholarship.

Unfortunately, backdated funding is not possible. For example, if you apply middle of April, we can unfortunately only award scholarships from May onwards and not backdated to the start of the semester in March.

We require the following documents:

  • Completed and signed data sheet with budget showing your income (e.g. other scholarships, grants, savings, job, support of your family, etc.) and expenses (Please explain your financial situation in the cover letter and please note that the semester contribution, but not the tuition fee for international students, may be included.)
  • Curriculum vitae in tabular form
  • Cover letter (Introduce yourself briefly. What are you studying at Technische Hochschule Mannheim? Why are you applying for a scholarship? Why are you the right person for this scholarship? Are you involved in voluntary work?)
  • Current Transcript of Records
  • For the Graduation Scholarship: Confirmation of the professor about the topic and dates of the thesis and/or contract with the company where the thesis is written
  • For the Scholarship for particularly committed international students: : Letter of recommendation about voluntary work, certificates of voluntary work or other proof of your commitment (Please note that these documents are to proof your current voluntary work at TH Mannheim or in Germany, not your commitment in the past and not your academic achievements.
  • For the Scholarship for more equal opportunities: certificates or documents proving your special challenges

Please note that the semester contribution, but not the tuition fee for international students, may be included in the budget plan.

You can apply for a scholarship of between €250 and €992.

The minimum amount is €250. The maximum amount is based on the maximum rate of BAföG which is the financial support given to students under the Federal Training Assistance Act in Germany.

You specify the amount you require in your application and explain your financial situation in the cover letter. If you are accepted, the selection committee will review your application and determine the amount of the scholarship based on your documents and the available funds.

Please note that Technische Hochschule Mannheim is unable to award full scholarships due to limited financial resources.

You are allowed to earn money as a scholarship holder.

However, your income and the scholarship may not exceed a certain amount. Therefore, please let us know the amount of your income.

If you start a part-time job during the term of your scholarship, please inform us of your income as soon as possible, as we may have to adjust the scholarship amount.

After the application deadline has ended, the selection committee reviews all applications received and decides on the selection of scholarship holders and the amount of the corresponding scholarships in a meeting. Depending on the number of applicants, the selection process may take shorter or longer, as the number of applications varies. For some applications, further information may be required.

Please do not send requests regarding the status of your application. We will contact you in any case.

If the selection process takes longer, you may receive the first scholarship payment together with the second scholarship payment in case you are accepted.

Please note that the selection committee is not obliged to justify its decision on the selection of scholarship holders.

Students should always fulfil the relevant requirements and submit the required documents in complete form. Good to very good academic grades are expected.

The selection committee will review your documents and the available funds to determine whether funding is possible and, if so, how much.

Please note that Technische Hochschule Mannheim is unable to grant full scholarships due to limited financial resources.

Re-applications are possible. Please note the relevant requirements of the individual scholarships and the required documents.

All scholarship holders need to provide a proof at the end of their funding period. There are two options. You can either create a post on the official Instagram channel of the International Office of TH Mannheim or you can write an experience report of at least two pages. The provided proof will be published as part of the public relations efforts of TH Mannheim. You need to choose one of the two options.

Option 1: The post should include a short text about your personal experiences during the studies and the impact of the scholarship, and several photos/videos. At least one photo/video must show you on campus or at any other place in Mannheim. Photos/videos showing you from behind are accepted.

Option 2: The experience report should be of at least two pages. You should write about your personal experiences during your studies and the impact of the scholarship. The experience report will be published on Moodle.

To renew your scholarship, you must reapply for the scholarship. It is not sufficient to send an e-mail stating that you still need the scholarship. Please apply in good time before the application deadline ends and submit all the required documents (again). The selection committee will decide after the next application deadline whether the scholarship can be granted to you again and if so, in what amount. Please note that we can neither guarantee that you will continue to receive funding nor the same amount of funding.

Please note also the maximum funding period for your scholarship.

  • The Partner University Scholarship can be granted for a maximum of 12 months in total.
  • The Graduation Scholarship can be granted for a maximum of 6 months in total, extensions are possible for exceptional and justified reasons.
  • The Scholarship for particularly committed international students can be granted for a maximum of 12 months in total, extensions are possible for exceptional and justified reasons.
  • The Scholarship for more equal opportunities can be granted for a maximum of 24 months.

Find out more about financial aid

on the central website (in German)

Funding opportunities are regularly offered in research and management for postgraduate students. Watch out for calls for applications.

Informationen auf Deutsch finden Sie hier.