Academics who have fled to Germany are often forced to deepen the professional training they received in their home country through further studies in order to gain a foothold on the German labour market.
That is why the German University Foundation (Deutsche Universitätsstiftung), in cooperation with the Walter Blüchert Foundation, developed this fellowship programme. The aim is to provide one-to-one support by university professors who are close to the subject and the place of study to accompany the refugee students until they have successfully completed their studies. To this end, the fellows who have graduated with a Bachelor's degree in their home countries take part in 2 workshops per year on subjects that support their studies and they can take advantage of professional coaching during the fellowship. Other events of the German University Foundation in cooperation with sponsoring companies serve networking purposes and facilitate the entry into the German job market.

Master's studies in a STEM subject at a German university in the 1st semester

The fellowship is awarded for the duration of the study programme (standard period of study plus 2 semesters).

• placement with a locally based university teacher of the candidate’s subject area as a mentor
• support of the mentoring relationships by the German University Foundation
• obligatory biannual seminars to further core skills in the following fields: mentoring as a chance and a mission, self- and learning management skills, job application training, intercultural competence
• one-on-one personal coaching with a professional coach during the course of studies
• participation in academic events (i.e. the symposium of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers, DHV) as well as active involvement in relevant networks
• compensation for travel expenses to seminars and other trips in connection with the hochform programme
• yearly budget for each fellow for study-related costs
• one-time budget for buying digital tech equipment

Please submit your application in German including a scholarship motivation letter (1 page at most) detailing your expectations concerning the programme, a resume in table format (2 pages max.), certificates, and your enrolment certificate as a PDF file exclusively via e-mail to Ms Carina Heuser.

The current application deadline can be found on the website.