DAAD PROMOS - Scholarship

All h_da students who:

• are regularly enrolled at h_da and pursuing a degree;

• plan a one-semester stay abroad outside Europe;

• have not been funded by PROMOS in their current stage of studies;

• are not eligible for funding through the ExchangePass scholarship;

• can demonstrate very good to good academic performance;

• have sufficient knowledge of the language of instruction at the host institution;

• will have completed at least the 2nd bachelor semester at the time of the exchange;

• have already registered their stay abroad via the “GLOBAL” form in the MoveON portal.

All of the documents listed below must be submitted completely and on time with the PROMOS online application in the MoveON-Portal. 

1. Motivation letter

• With letterhead and signature

• 1–2 pages, font size 12

• In German or English

• See guideline in the download area

2. Resume / CV

• 1–2 pages

3. Enrollment certificate

4. Transcript of Records / Performance Record

• In German or English (not both)

• Statement of current GPA / grade average, confirmed by your department

• ⚠ Without this document by the deadline, your application will be rejected

5. Bachelor’s diploma (Master’s students only)

6. Proof of language proficiency in the language of instruction

Accepted proofs (no exceptions):

• DAAD language certificate (max. 2 years old at the time of application)

• TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS (max. 2 years old)

• Cambridge ESOL Examination (max. 3 years old)

• DELE, DELF, PTE

7. Proof of application to the host university

• For example: application information email from the h_da International Office or a “submit” screenshot

• If the scholarship is granted, submit the official admission letter from the host university later

8. Learning Agreement

• Discuss course selection and recognition of courses abroad with your department beforehand

• At the time of application: you may submit a preliminary Learning Agreement without departmental signature

• If the scholarship is approved: submit the signed document later

• Even if no credits will be recognized, the Learning Agreement must be submitted; the fields “h_da Credits” and “Course title h_da” may remain empty

9. Optional documents

Optional diversity information: You may provide details on the following criteria using the form in the download area:

• Socioeconomic background

• Cultural and ethnic diversity

• Special life circumstances

The selection process follows the criteria set by the DAAD. The main factors are academic performance and motivation.

A selection committee at h_da decides on the allocation of PROMOS scholarships based solely on the online application documents you submit.

Selection criteria include:

• Academic performance

  • Transcript of Records / Performance Record

  • Current GPA confirmed by your department

• Motivation letter

  • Academic reasoning for the stay and its relevance to your studies

  • Personal motivation for the stay abroad

  • Compliance with formal requirements (e.g. page limit, format)

• Language skills

  • Proof of relevant language proficiency

• Optional: Diversity criteria (if provided in the application form)

  • Socioeconomic background

  • Cultural and ethnic diversity

  • Special life circumstances

No stay in your home country

• Stays in your home country are not eligible for funding.

• The home country is the country where you have lived for most of the past five years.

Travel advice and safety

• Check the current situation in your host country before and during your stay abroad.

• Recommended sources:

  • Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt)

  • German embassy in the host country

  • Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

• ⚠ Important:
  If the Federal Foreign Office issues a travel warning for your destination country or region, h_da cannot issue a scholarship award or scholarship agreement.

  For German nationals only:
  Register in the ELEFAND crisis preparedness list of the Federal Foreign Office before your stay.

Scholarship duration calculation

• Full months are counted as 30 days.

• A full month is calculated from day 15 onwards.

• Arrival and departure days are not counted – only the actual study or work period on site.

Part-time jobs during the stay

• Paid work during the funding period requires prior approval from h_da.

Not eligible for funding

• Doctoral students

• Internships at:

  • International organisations (e.g. UN)

  • EU institutions

  • German diplomatic missions abroad

  • Goethe-Institutes

  • German Humanities Institutes

  • German Archaeological Institute

  • German schools abroad

Other funding and combinations

• If you apply for or receive other funding for the same stay abroad, inform the h_da International Office.

• The following combinations are not allowed:

  • PROMOS + DAAD individual scholarships (e.g. HAW.International)

  • PROMOS + Fulbright Travel Grant

BAföG abroad

• A monthly PROMOS scholarship of up to €300 is not counted towards BAföG abroad.

The DAAD can cover additional expenses abroad to improve equal opportunities for German and international scholarship holders with a disability or chronic illness.

Per person and per mobility activity, you must submit a special funding application (Beihilfeantrag).

Amount of funding

• Up to €10,000

• For a maximum of six months

• May include costs for an accompanying person

How the additional expenses are calculated

We compare the expenses for a person with a disability or chronic illness to those for a person without.

Typical eligible costs include:

• Travel to and from the host country

• Local transport

• Accommodation abroad

• Medical care

• Special teaching or learning materials

You can only claim these costs if no other organisation covers them.

Who can apply

You are eligible if you:

• have a degree of disability (GdB) of at least 50
  or

• have a chronic illness,
  and

• take part in a mobility activity funded under the project.