Scholarships

The scholarships within the DAAD Easter countries program will be availabe for students from the following partner universities:

• 2024 (spring or fall): 
  2 scholarships for students from Poland (1 for Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Jana Matejki w Krakowie in the field of Design & 1 for Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Katowicach in the field of Business). 
  See our current call for applications for students from Poland.
• 2025 (spring or fall): 
  1 or 2 scholarships for students from Hungary (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design in the field of Design)
• 2026 (spring or fall):
  1 or 2 scholarships for students from Romania (Universitatea Babes-Bolyai din Cluj-Napoca in the field of Computer Science)

To be eligible for the scholarship, you

• have to be enrolled in a bachelor's or master's program at one of these partner universities
• cannot receive another scholarship either from your home university or your home country

Scholarship holders receive 925 euros per month for five months. The awarding of scholarships is subject to the availability of funds.

The selection criteria comprise

• your academic achievements so far (grades and number of credits you have obtained so far, other academic qualifications)
• how well your exchange semester with us fits in with your academic and/or professional career
• additional qualifications (e.g. linguistic and/or intercultural preparation for your stay in Germany; existing knowledge of German), if applicable.

Please note that you need to have been admitted for your h_da exchange semester before. 

1. To apply, please turn to the International Office of your home university. Your home university is in charge of the selection process. 
2. If you've been selected for the scholarship, your home university will let us know and we will get in touch with you. Please note that our professors have to approve of your nomination as well. 

You will receive your scholarship after your arrival in Darmstadt/Dieburg. Before receiving the scholarship, you need to 

• open a German (or SEPA-compliant) bank account
• sign the scholarship acceptance declaration (i.e. a scholarship contract)

The scholarship will be transferred to your German/SEPA-compliant bank account in several installments (usually three). You'll receive the first installment about four weeks after your arrival in Darmstadt/Dieburg.

Scholarship holders are required to submit a final scholarship report (of at most 2 pages). In addition to your current address, the date and your signature, the report should contain the following information:

• Do you think that the exchange semester at h_da was beneficial for your studies? If so, in what way?
• Do you think that the exchange semester at h_da was beneficial for your future career?
• What other issues or experiences do you also find relevant?

Please hand in the report as a pdf file at most 2 months after finishing your exchange semester. 

You can apply for STIBET funding if you

• you're enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program at one of these parter universities (PhD students are not eligible):
  • Brazil: Universidade Estadual Paulista 'Júlio de Mesquita Filho' (UNESP) ● Pontificia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC) ● Universidade de São Paulo (USP) ● Universidade Federal de Goiás ● Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
  • Chile: Universidad de Talca
  • Colombia: Universidad ICESI
  • India: Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham - Amrita University ● Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IITK) ● Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies ● VIT University - Institute of Technology ● Indonesia: Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS)
  • Iran: Amirkabir University of Technology
  • Malaysia: Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) ● Taylor’s University
  • Mexico: Universidad Anáhuac Querétaro
  • Namibia: Namibia University of Science and Technology
  • Nepal: Pokhara University
  • Thailand: King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi
  • Ukraine: Uzhhorod National University
• you don't receive any other scholarships from your home university or your home country

Scholarship holders receive 450 euros per month for five months (as of March 2022). The amount of the scholarship may change; we will announce this accordingly.
The awarding of scholarships is subject to the availability of funds.

The STIBET contact scholarship is a merit-based scholarship. The following criteria are used for the selection:

• your academic achievements to date
• your suitability for the courses you would like to take at the h_da
• the fit of your stay at h_da with your academic and/or professional career
• additional qualifications (e.g. linguistic and/or intercultural preparation for your stay in Germany; existing knowledge of German or references to Germany), if applicable.
• recommendation by professors or lecturers at your home university

Please note that you need to have been admitted for an exchange semester at h_da before.

Calls for the STIBET funding open in November (for spring semesters) and June (for wintrer semesters). Any student enrolled at one of the partner universities listed above will receive an email from us. This email will tell you the exact deadline to submit your documents. The deadline for the winter semester: 10 June 2024 12:00 noon local German time.

These are the application documents we need from you: 

• a completed and signed application form
• a Learning Agreement liting the classes you'd like to take (you can use the "Preliminary Course List" you submitted as part of your online application for the exchange semester)
• a letter of motivation of one page tops 
• a letter of recommendation from a one of your university professors or lecturers (with an official seal and signature of the professor/lecturer)
• a curriculum vitae
• an official Transcript of Records from your home university (the transcript must include an explanation of the grading system used at your home university and a list of the abbreviations used in the document)

The selection of the candidates is decided by a selection committee of the h_da consisting of a member of the International Office and a professor. You'll be informed you about the outcome by email in December/January, or July/August, respectively. 

You will receive your scholarship after your arrival in Darmstadt/Dieburg. Before receiving the scholarship, you need to 

• open a German (or SEPA-compliant) bank account
• sign the scholarship acceptance declaration (i.e. a scholarship contract)

The scholarship will be transferred to your German/SEPA-compliant bank account in several installments (usually three). You'll receive the first installment about four weeks after your arrival in Darmstadt/Dieburg.

STIBET scholarship holders are required to submit a final scholarship report (of at most 2 pages). In addition to your current address, the date and your signature, the report should contain the following information:

• Do you think that the exchange semester at h_da was beneficial for your studies? If so, in what way?
• Do you think that the exchange semester at h_da was beneficial for your future career?
• What other issues or experiences do you also find relevant?

Please hand in the report as a pdf file at most 2 months after finishing your exchange semester. 

Health insurance in Germany - DAAD insurance package:
Every exchange student has to present proof of health insurance coverage. As an exchange student that receives a STIBET grant you have an additional health insurance option: You may opt for the DAAD Insurance package which comes with health insurance as well as liability and accident coverage. It is 100 euros per month (to be paid by you, it's not covered by h_da). This is how it's done:

1. Sign up for the DAAD package (you may use our DAAD insurance package explanation sheet for help)
2. Once you have received an official confirmation from the DAAD about your insurance package, please send us the document called “Versicherungsausweis und Tarife“. We need the document for your enrollmen at h_da.
3. h_da requires students to have a statutory (i.e. public) health insurance plan. The type of health insurance included in the DAAD package is not a statutory one, but it is accepted by h_da. To request h_da to accept it, please fill in the Exemption from statutory health insurance form and send it back to us (see our Exemption form explanation sheet for help).
4. Print out the document called DAAD-Versicherungsausweis and carry it with you at all times (in your wallet/pocket book). If you want to see a doctor, show the Versicherungsausweis document to the receptionist. It’s possible that you will have to pay for treatment up front, but you’ll get the money back later either in full or in parts (the types of treatment covered by your insurance are listed in one of the other documents you received from DAAD/Die Continentale.
5. The first payment of the DAAD package is due about four weeks into your exchange semester. The document called “Zahlungsplan (payment plan)“ tells you when your first payment is due exactly. If you have a question about the payment, please send an email to versicherungsstelle@daad.de.

Students from these h_da partner universities are eligible for the Erasmus for partner countries (KA171) funding:

• Georgia: Caucasus University ● Georgian Institute of Public Affairs
• Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
• Israel: Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design
• Japan: Kyushu University
• Jordan: German-Jordanian University ● Jordan University of Science and Technology
• Paraguay: Universidad Nacional de Asunción

The Erasmus progam offers many benefits:

• broadening your subject-specific knowledge and skills, your language skills and your intercultural competence
• no tuition fees and a reduced semester contribution
• financial support during your exchange semester(s)
• the possibility to apply for a financial top-up
• guidance before, during and after your exchange semester both from your home universtiy and h_da
• the possibilty to take part in the Online Language Support (OLS) offered by the EU Commission (online language courses)

Your Erasmus grant comprises:

• a monthly grant:
  for each complete month: 850 euros
  for each day in a non-complete month: 28.33 euros
   
• a travel grant:
  Georgia: 360 euros (or 410 euros if you travel by train ("Green Travel"))
  Ghana: 820 EUR
  Israel: 360 euros (or 410 euros if you travel by train ("Green Travel"))
  Japan: 1.500 EUR
  Jordan: 530 euros (or 610 euros if you travel by train ("Green Travel"))
  Paraguay: 1.500 EUR
   
• possible additional funding for students with fewer opportunities:
  Students with fewer opportunities are eligible to apply for an additional monthly grant of 250 euros per month. You can find more details about the additional grant at our general Erasmus page. Please hand in the Declaration of Honor document to apply for additional funding. 

Funding period:
The total grant will first be calculated based on an estimated period. For winter semesters this period comprises 6 full months, for spring semesters it is 5.5 months. Towards the end of your exchange semester, after the date of your last exam is know to us, the total amount of your monthly grant will be adjusted to include this actual end date.
Example: You're studing at h_da for a spring semester. The provisional amount of your monthly grant (excluding the travel grant and any additional funding for students with fewer opportuniteis) is 4675 euros (5.5 months x 850 euros). In this calculation, your provisional end date is 14 August. However, your final exam at h_da turns out to be in 31 July, not on 14 August. Hence, the total amount of your monthly grant is adjusted accordingly. It is now 4250 euros (5 months x 850 euros).

Please take a look at the Erasmus Student Charter as well.

1. To apply, please turn to the International Office of your home university. Your home university is in charge of the selection process. 
2. If you've been selected for the scholarship, your home university will let us know and we will get in touch with you. Please note that our professors have to approve of your nomination as well. 

Within the Erasmus program, there is a lot of paperwork you need to take care of and a lot of documents we require from you. Please read this section carefully at it is very important.

Before receiving your first installment (to be submitted at the beginning of August or February, respectively):

• Grant Agreement for Studies (i.e. your offizielle Erasmus contract; will be sent to you by email)
• if you apply for additional funding (fewer chances top-up): a declaration of honor
• Learning Agreement Part I (Before the Mobility) - signed by all three parties
• proof of health insurance
• OLS course (Online Language Support): start confirmation by email - you'll receive a link from us (please send us an email after completion)
• a Confirmation of Stay including your official start date (we will issue the document for you)

Before receiving the second installment (shortly before or after the end of your exchange semester)

• an h_da enrollment certficate
• a copy of your visa / residence permit
• EU Survey (online questionnaire)
• OLS course (Online Language Support) end confirmation by email - you'll receive a link from us (please send us an email after completion)
• a Learning Agreement Part III (After the Mobility) or transcript of records
• a final report about your exchange semester with us for our website
• proof of recognition of the credits you have earned at h_da by your home universities
• a Confirmation of Stay including your official end date (we will issue the document for you)

Your Erasmus grant will be paid in 2 installments:

• first installment = 75% of the provisional total amout
• second installment = 25% of the total amount

You'll receive the first installment after your arrival in Darmstadt/Dieburg, i.e. at the end of September (if you're coming in the winter), or at the end of March (if you're studying with us in the spring). To receive the grant, you're required to open a German (or SEPA-compliant) bank account. Both installments will be transferred onto that bank account.
The second installment will be paid after you have completed your exchange semester with us and after we have reviewed all of your documents. You'll find all the details in your Grant Agreement for Studies.

Health insurance in Germany - DAAD insurance package:
Every exchange student has to present proof of health insurance coverage. As an exchange students that receives an Erasmus grant you have an additional health insurance option: You may opt for the DAAD Insurance package which comes with health insurance coverage as well as liability and accident coverage. It is 100 euros per month (to be paid by you, it is not covered by h_da). This is how it's done:

1. Sign up for the DAAD package (you may use our DAAD insurance package explanation sheet for help)
2. Once you have received an official confirmation from the DAAD about your insurance package, please send us the document called “Versicherungsausweis und Tarife“. We need the document for your enrollmen at h_da.
3. h_da requires students to have a statutory (i.e. public) health insurance plan. The type of health insurance included in the DAAD package is not a statutory one, but it is accepted by h_da. To request h_da to accept it, please fill in the Exemption from statutory health insurance form and send it back to us (see our Exemption form explanation sheet for help).
4. Print out the document called DAAD-Versicherungsausweis and carry it with you at all times (in your wallet/pocket book). If you want to see a doctor, show the Versicherungsausweis document to the receptionist. It’s possible that you will have to pay for treatment up front, but you’ll get the money back later either in full or in parts (the types of treatment covered by your insurance are listed in one of the other documents you received from DAAD/Die Continentale.
5. The first payment of the DAAD package is due about four weeks into your exchange semester. The document called “Zahlungsplan (payment plan)“ tells you when your first payment is due exactly. If you have a question about the payment, please send an email to versicherungsstelle@daad.de.

Semester contribution:
Exchange students have to pay a reduced semester contribution (of currently 287 euros, as of Janaury 2024). h_da will try to pay the semester contribution for you, but it depends on whether we have enough funds, so there is no guarantee.