FAQ – Please make sure to consider all information!

Here you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions. If your question is not answered, please feel free to contact us via email: bw-stipendium@zv.uni-freiburg.de

These are FAQs about applying for a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM of the University of Freiburg for OUTGOING students from Freiburg.

Please note: This information does not apply to incoming students who will be studying at the University of Freiburg as exchange students! The corresponding call for applications for students of our partner universities can be found on the start page. If you have any questions, please contact: bw-stipendium@zv.uni-freiburg.de

Application documents

Do the application documents have to be written in German?
No, you can submit all documents in German or English, it makes no difference in the evaluation. You can also, for example, submit your CV in English and your letter of motivation in German.

Do I have to submit a language test in all cases or are there exceptions, e.g. if I am a native speaker?
Yes, even if you are a native speaker or, for example, have completed an English degree programme or had English as an examination subject in your university entrance qualification/Abitur, you must submit a language test. We require a language test in which the categories of listening and reading comprehension as well as speaking and writing skills are evaluated, as points are awarded for all four categories.

Which language certificates are accepted?
Language test on DAAD form (2015), the test is conducted by the Language Teaching Institute www.sli.uni-freiburg.de. This form can also be used by non-German applicants. Please make sure that all pages are signed or stamped on the SLI form.

Alternatively for English: result of TOEFL, IELTS or UCLES test.

Spanish: result of the DELE test, provided that valid login details are also provided.

Chinese: HSK, please note that here, the additional sheet for the oral exam is required.

Other language tests: They must include the categories listening and reading comprehension as well as speaking and writing skills. If you wish to submit another language test, please send us a scan of the test result in advance, so that we can check if we can accept it.

Regardless of the validity period, language certificates must not be older than two years!

What should I keep in mind when writing my resume?

Please compile a complete, tabular and clearly structured curriculum vitae, including your degree programme(s), showing not only your professional experience (vocational training, part-time jobs, internships, etc.) but also your extracurricular activities (voluntary work, involvement in associations, student initiatives and other institutions, awards, as well as experience abroad, intercultural skills, etc.).

Please clearly identify your voluntary work and do not combine it with other activities (e.g. do not combine "voluntary work and professional experience"; please provide separate information, so that we can distinguish what was done on a voluntary basis and what was a paid job).
For all aspects, please state the duration with starting and end dates (month and year) and describe what you did there (i.e. not only stays abroad in countries X, Y and Z, but also with exact details of what was done there from when to when).
In addition, please only include verifiable stations in your resume, as we may conduct random checks. You do not have to submit supporting documents, but should be able to submit them to us within 4 weeks in case of a random checking.
Please also indicate your nationality (or citizenship), as stays in countries whose nationality/citizenship you have may not be funded insofar as you grew up there and/or have already lived there for several years.
If you have more than one nationality/citizenship, please indicate all of them.
Please include your name on each page.

Please note the maximum length of 2 pages.

What should I write in the motivation letter?
Please explain the first two aspects mentioned below in particular, but also the other aspects listed below:

Academic added value of the stay abroad, how will you benefit academically from the stay abroad and which courses would you like to take there and why?
Relation to your studies in Freiburg, previous and future study content
Reasons for choosing the university abroad and the destination country
Relation to possible future career plans
Personal suitability
What you have already done to prepare your stay abroad
Reasons for applying for a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM (networking idea of the foundation, to what extent you can identify with the BW Foundation, etc.)
Please include your name and a page number on each page.
Line spacing 1.5, font size 11
Please note the maximum length of 2.5 pages.

What should I consider in general regarding the form of the application documents?
The selection process is very competitive. Therefore, please allow sufficient time to prepare your documents, do your best when writing and compiling the relevant documents and adhere to the requirements regarding the letter of motivation, CV and language certificate(s). Please also make sure to upload the right documents in the right place and ask if you are unsure.

Please also pay attention to your spelling and formatting and read through the documents again carefully before submitting them.

Which documents can be submitted after the end of the respective deadline?
All documents must be submitted before the end of the respective deadline. Unfortunately, no documents can be submitted later or amended after the deadline. Incomplete applications or applications submitted too late cannot be considered for formal reasons.

As a medical or pharmaceutical student, what do I have to submit concerning the transcrips of records?
Please submit a transcript of records from your undergraduate and graduate studies, as well as the certificate for the first and, if available, additionally the certificate for the second section of the Pharmaceutical or Medical Examination (called "Zeugnis für den ersten and/or zweiten Abschnitt der Pharmazeutischen bzw. Ärztlichen Prüfung"; with average grade) in one file.

What should I keep in mind when filling out the online application and the application form regarding the funding period?
Please only enter the semester dates of your semester(s) abroad here, regardless of whether you are arriving earlier or departing later. Please inform us of any changes immediately by e-mail! You can find the semester dates of the partner university either on the homepage of the respective university or by contacting the International Office there.

I am going abroad via a so called "State Programme“ (Landesprogramm) - which university should I indicate in the online application?
If you do not yet know at which university you will study, please indicate your 1st priority in the online application first. If this changes later, please inform us by e-mail so that we can change it accordingly in your profile.

Target countries and Programme Lines

Why can ERASMUS stays not be funded?
Stays in the ERASMUS- area cannot be supported, because they can be funded by ERASMUS or by ERASMUS Placement. If you want to study or do an internship in the ERASMUS+ area, please have a look on this page: https://www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/en/counseling/exchange-programs-and-studying-abroad/erasmus

Why are internships not eligible for funding?
The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM is only intended for stays abroad if you study at one of our partner universities. If you would like to do an internship in Europe, you can find information about ERASMUS Placement here. If you want to do an internship outside the ERASMUS area, you can find more information on funding here: www.uni-freiburg.de/go/promos.

Combination with other scholarships

Can I take advantage of several funding opportunities for my stay abroad?

The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM can be combined with Auslandsbafög (BAföG grants for stays abroad) and with some domestic scholarships (exception: Deutschlandstipendium). Please inform the BAföG office, if you are accepted as a scholarship holder by the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM, as our funding will be counted towards your BAföG there.

The Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM cannot be combined with other grants that are specifically intended for the stay abroad. However, if the funding is for another purpose, a combination may be possible, e.g. in the case of a travel allowance from another sponsor, book money or the like.

You must indicate applications for other grants for your stay abroad when applying for a Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM and the International Office must be informed about the decision of the other sponsors. In case of two positive decisions, you would have to choose one of the two funding possibilities, if they cannot be combined. In case of doubt, please contact us in advance by email! We will be glad to tell you, whether other fundings are combinable, or not.

General questions

What are my chances of receiving a scholarship?
This depends on the quality of your application on the one hand and on the number and quality of all applications on the other hand, as well as the respective annual budget and the costs for the approved stays. The selection process is very competitive. In the selection process, emphasis is placed on above-average academic performance in your field of study as well as exceptional extracurricular commitment and very good language skills in the language of instruction.

When will I receive my acceptance/rejection letter?
The Baden-Württemberg Stiftung usually sends the acceptance and rejection letters for applications for stays beginning in the winter semester in mid-June, or for stays beginning in the summer semester at the end of the previous year, by e-mail to the e-mail address you provided in your online application.

A possible move-up procedure (if applicants who have received an acceptance letter do not accept it or withdraw from the scholarship) usually takes place in the summer for the winter semester and at the beginning of the calendar year for the summer semester. We will contact you by e-mail if you are eligible to be nomintated as a move-up candidate.

What has to be done after receiving an acceptance letter?
Scholarship contract: Please print out the scholarship contract within 10 days of receiving your acceptance letter, fill it out and sign it by hand. Please then upload a scan of it to your profile on bws world (under the "Application" tab in the "Status of your application" section). Please also enter the details of your GERMAN bank account in your profile on bws world (unfortunately, the scholarship funds can only be transferred to German accounts). The confirmation email from the BW Foundation also states that you should send the original version to the International Office. However, this no longer applies at the University of Freiburg. You no longer need to submit an original. You also do not have to send the contract by email to the IO of the UFR or the partner university. The completed and hand-signed scan of the contract in your profile on bws world is sufficient from now on.

If you are still waiting to hear back from another scholarship you applied for, please inform us by email immediately after receiving the acceptance email. Then we can discuss how long the deadline can be extended. Please only accept the scholarship immediately if you are sure you want to receive it. If you are unsure about this (due to other scholarship applications, because you are dallying with the idea of not taking up the stay after all, etc.), please contact us by email before accepting the BW scholarship.

During your stay abroad: You are obliged to inform us immediately about any changes regarding your stay! (E.g. if you will leave before the end of the respective semester or if you will only attend one semester instead of originally planned 2 semesters). If there is a so-called Regional Chapter of the BW foundation at your place of study, we would also be pleased if you would participate in the events offered, in order to take the networking idea of the foundation into account. Further information can be found here: https://www.bw-stipendium.de/en/network/regional-chapters
After the end of your stay abroad: You must submit an experience report within 4 weeks of the end of your scholarship period! Here you can find the template for writing the experience report. If you have any questions, please contact us: BW-Stipendium@zv.uni-freiburg.de.
By signing the scholarship agreement, you also commit to attending the events organized by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung. This means that although you are not obliged to take part in all events, we and the foundation would be delighted if you would attend at least some of them and thus do justice to the foundation's networking concept. The events are always great and varied and one of the aims is to network. At the events, you can get to know other scholarship holders from our international partner universities who are studying here as exchange students (perhaps also from the partner university you will be going to or have been to after your stay) and improve your language skills, for example. You will also have the chance to meet other Freiburg or Baden-Württemberg scholarship holders who will also be going abroad or who have already been abroad. Depending on the event, these are only intended for Freiburg students or also for scholarship holders from all over BW. The foundation itself organizes many great online events and an annual summer party in person, to which you will be invited via bws world. You can also take part in great training courses and events via the online academy on bws world, and last but not least there are the regional chapters, which also announce their offers on bws world. You can find more information about the regional chapters here: https://www.bw-stipendium.de/en/network/regional-chapters

In case I am awarded a scholarship: When will I receive the money?
Scholarship installments are usually paid out at the beginning of each month. You can view the corresponding months in which you will receive a scholarship installment in your profile on bws world in the "Scholarship data" section. If you have any questions regarding the disbursement of your funds, please contact Ms. Scheidler at luitgard.scheidler@zv.uni-freiburg.de.

Is there a move-up procedure and how does it work?
Yes, insofar as other applicants who have received a scholarship withdraw from their scholarship (e.g. for private reasons, because they were granted other funding of other scholarship providers that is not combinable or due to a travel warning), there is a move-up procedure. In this case, we will notify the eligible students by email (order according to the ranking of the selection committee). This could still happen if you are already abroad. Therefore, please always inform us immediately if you have received an acceptance or rejection from another scholarship provider, even if you should have already received a rejection from us. This also applies in the event that you do not start your stay abroad after all or return early. In this way, the procedure can be accelerated for all applicants.

Will I receive an official confirmation that I have received the Baden-Württemberg-STIPENDIUM?
In addition to the acceptance by the Baden-Württemberg Stiftung, all scholarship holders receive a scholarship confirmation, which can be downloaded in their online profile after the acceptance (please see the documents section in your online profile, you can find it here: "Receipt of scholarship"), as well as a scholarship certificate after submission of all documents after the end of the funding period, which can also be downloaded there.