Study Grants: Universities

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION With study grants, we support one- to two-semester study visits at Master's level, which begin in the US Fall Term and are completed full-time.

Since 1952, Fulbright scholarship holders have experienced the academic dynamism and cultural diversity of the United States.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

• Energetic academic culture and inspiring campus life: Discover the wide range of courses at US universities, benefit from intensive studies in small groups and personal exchange with your lecturers. Experience the vibrant and diverse campus life – which is often particularly impressive for Germans – and become an active part of it yourself.
• Intensive intercultural experiences: Immerse yourself in US society away from the university campus and explore its cultural diversity. Gather substantial knowledge about similarities and differences through your own experiences, reflect on your own identity and make friends that will accompany you for a lifetime.
• A strong community looking forward to seeing you: Being a Fulbrighter:in means much more than just receiving a scholarship. The members of our global network often stay close to each other and to Fulbright for life. It all starts before you leave in the context of networking and preparatory meetings, where you get to know your fellow scholarship holders better (and at the end of the day you usually already plan who will visit whom and when).
• Advice from Fulbright and our colleagues in the USA: We are at your side with advice if you apply to the desired US university and organize your stay independently. Our network universities, for example, offer special opportunities – for example in the form of significantly to completely reduced tuition fees . We recommend that you take these into account when looking for suitable host universities and cordially invite you to our virtual office hour with representatives of the network universities on July 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., for which you can register here .

You can read here how our scholarship holders describe their experiences in the USA .

SCHOLARSHIP BENEFITS

• Reimbursement of the application fee at your host university
• Funding for living expenses and (part of) tuition totaling up to US$34,500 for 9 months and up to US$15,300 for 4 months
• Travel allowance of 1,400 euros for the transatlantic arrival and departure
• Ancillary costs flat rate of 600 euros (as a one-off subsidy for test fees and initial costs at the beginning of the stay)
• Fee-free Fulbright visa issuance
• US Health and Accident Insurance
• Preparation and networking seminars
• Inclusion in the worldwide Fulbright Network, our digital platform
• Advice from Fulbright Germany and our US partners

Scholarship holders: internally, you can also use the study grants of the training and gifted education organizations to finance the tuition fees if these exceed our financial benefits. It is not possible to claim additional funding for costs that are already covered by Fulbright (e.g. living expenses and travel expenses). Accordingly, simultaneous funding by Fulbright and a scholarship with a comparable purpose (e.g. DAAD, scholarship programs of the Studienstiftung and other foundations) is excluded.

TARGET GROUP As a bi-national organization in the USA and Germany, we support students who contribute to transatlantic exchange with their own initiative and commitment. Our scholarship holders fill the ideal of international understanding with life, both in an academic and in a social-cultural context. This can happen in a very individual and creative way, but in any case goes beyond purely technical or professional further training in the USA and is characterized by communicative openness, curiosity and respect.

In addition to a dedicated intercultural interest in the USA - especially beyond the elite locations and urban centers - our scholarship holders have a strong sense of community and high social skills. Fulbrighters are active members of society and take responsibility for others beyond their own career. Many of our scholarship holders have been active in initiatives, associations or other community-oriented contexts for years.

In the selection process, we take into account that academic performance and volunteer work always depend on personal living conditions (e.g. care work, gainful employment to finance your studies, illness).

We particularly invite underrepresented groups of students to apply. Equal opportunities, diversity, inclusion and educational equity are among our basic principles. The application is open to all persons regardless of, but not limited to, gender, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, social status, sexual orientation and gender identity.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• German nationality
• Convincing motivation for the study and cultural exchange in the USA
• Active social, cultural, political engagement
• Good to very good academic performance and good English language skills
• A bachelor's degree must be available no later than two weeks before the start of the program. In courses leading to a Diplom, Magister or first state examination, at least six successfully completed semesters must be demonstrated. Students who already have a master’s, magister or diploma degree cannot apply.

Students and recent graduates (up to two years after graduation) of all subjects at state-recognized universities can apply. Please note the information on the application requirements .