German Academic Scholarship Foundation, Headquarters, Bonn | |
Scholarship foundation overview | |
---|---|
Formed | 1925 |
Jurisdiction | Germany |
Headquarters | Bonn |
Annual budget | €103 million |
Scholarship foundation executives |
|
Website | studienstiftung.de |
The German Academic Scholarship Foundation (German: Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, or Studienstiftung for short) is Germany's largest [1] [2] and most prestigious scholarship foundation. [3] According to its statutes, it supports "the university education of young people who, on account of their exceptional academic or artistic talents and their personalities, can be expected to make an outstanding contribution to society as a whole". [4] The Studienstiftung is non-political, non-denominational and ideologically independent. Its headquarters are located in Bonn; it also has an office in Berlin. The current president is University of Bonn director Michael Hoch , and its patron ( Schirmherr ) is the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. [5]
The Studienstiftung, like 12 other scholarship foundations (Begabtenförderungswerk ), is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, [6] with funds from the federal government, the German federal states and local authorities, numerous foundations and businesses as well as numerous private donors. [7] In 2015, the Studienstiftung's budget was over €103 million. Between 1925 and 2015, it has supported over 65,000 students and doctoral candidates; as of 2015 [update] , it had over 60,000 alumni worldwide. [8]
The selection process is extremely rigorous and only those students who show outstanding academic and personal promise are chosen. The Studienstiftung awards scholarships to fewer than 0.5% of German students. [9] It is often referred to as Germany's "secret elite university". [10]
Initially founded in Dresden in 1925 as a department of the Deutsche Studentenschaft, an amalgamation of German student committees, the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes was dissolved in 1934 under National Socialism and replaced by the "Reichsförderung", a department of the newly founded Reichsstudentenwerk. The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes was newly formed as a registered association in Cologne in 1948.
President | In office |
---|---|
Adolf Grimme | 1948–1963 [11] :364 [12] |
Karl Theodor Bleek | 1963–1967 [11] :276 |
Rudolf Sieverts | 1967–1980 [11] :276 |
Werner Maihofer | 1980–1982 [11] :276 |
Manfred Eigen | 1982–1993 [11] :276 |
Helmut Altner | 1993–2003 [13] |
Gerhard Roth | 2003–2011 [14] |
Reinhard Zimmermann | 2011–2023 [15] |
Michael Hoch | 2023– [16] |
Secretary General | In office |
---|---|
Heinz Haerten | 1948–1970 [11] :286 |
Hartmut Rahn | 1970–1995 [17] :365 |
Gerhard Teufel | 1995-2012 [18] |
Annette Julius | 2012– [19] |
The Studienstiftung offers a general scholarship for bachelor's and master's studies that consists of both financial and academic support. Eligibility is based on the criteria for BAFöG, the German state support system for students. The Studienstiftung scholarship accepts only applicants that study full time at university. A part of an applicant's university studies must be at a university in Germany, in another EU country, or in Switzerland. German or EU citizenship are not required, and there are no age criteria. [20]
The Studienstiftung accepts exceptionally talented students and doctoral candidates selected in accordance with its mission statement, which is based upon the principles of "excellence, initiative and responsibility". [21] Scholarship holders (scholars) are admitted through various channels: [22]
If admission occurs before the end of the fourth semester, sponsorship is usually granted until the end of the sixth semester. An extension of the scholarship beyond the sixth semester usually depends on academic performance in the first four semesters. In borderline cases, aspects other than academic achievements – such as exceptional social engagement or particular personal circumstances – may positively influence the decision to approve further funding. After an application has been approved, funding is awarded from the 6th semester until studies are completed (for example, until the master's degree or state examinations have been completed). In 2014, 91% of requests for further funding were approved.[ citation needed ]
The Studienstiftung also offers a doctoral scholarship for highly qualified and prosocial PhD students. The doctoral scholarship accepts applications from doctoral candidates at universities in Germany and at universities worldwide under certain conditions. [25]
The general Studienstiftung scholarship consists of both financial and academic support.
Financial support includes an allowance (€300 monthly). Scholars can receive a need-based basic scholarship, which is calculated according to the BAföG (Federal Training Assistance Act) and can be up to €744 per month.
PhD scholars receive a monthly award of €1,350 plus a research allowance of €100. [26] Additional funds are provided for students and PhD students with children. Financial support is regulated by the guidelines of the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Visits abroad are also supported by grants or overseas allowances and the partial payment of tuition fees. Under the terms of No. 11 Einkommensteuergesetz (EStG – German Income Tax Law) scholarship payments are tax-free.[ citation needed ]
The Studienstiftung's academic support includes summer schools, research groups, language courses, workshops and mentoring by local tutors, academics who carry out this task for the Studienstiftung on a voluntary basis. Scholars are required to submit a report on their studies and other activities every semester during the first semesters (usually until the end of the fourth semester), and once a year thereafter. Scholars can also apply for funding in order to organise their own conferences and other events.[ citation needed ]
The Studienstiftung offers yearly two-week subsidised summer academies, which are its "central event format" for scholarship holders. [27] Scholars themselves can also organise shorter academies and benefit from similar subsidisation. [28] For instance, queer scholarship holders have been making use of this possibility to organise annual meetings since 2001, [29] with financial support from the Studienstiftung since the 2014 edition. [30]
In addition to its regular scholarship scheme, the Studienstiftung offers internal scholarship programmes for selected scholars and alumni. Examples include the KAUST-Studienstiftung programme, a joint partnership between the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and the Studienstiftung under the patronage of the German Federal Foreign Office which allows scholars from the STEM disciplines to join KAUST for research internships or to enrol in Master or PhD programs. [31] In the musical field, for example, in cooperation with the Beethoven House residence scholarships are awarded for young composers. [32]
Moreover, the Studienstiftung offers open scholarship programmes, which are run and financed in cooperation with other organisations. They include the McCloy Academic Scholarship Program, the ERP-Stipendienprogramm and the Carlo-Schmid-Programm. Participation in these scholarship programmes does not require previously holding a regular scholarship by the Studienstiftung. [33]
Since 2005 the Studienstiftung has also been running the Max Weber scholarship for students in Bavaria, introduced by the regional (Land) administration via the Bavarian Elite Support Act (BayEFG). [34] [35] [36]
Year | Studienstiftung scholars [38] [37] :109 | Number of students in Germany [39] | Studienstiftung scholars as a share of students [lower-alpha 1] | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Undergraduate and graduate | Doctoral | Total | |||
2005 | 6,966 | 993 | 7,959 | 1,985,765 | 0.40% |
2006 | 7,352 | 946 | 8,298 | 1,979,043 | 0.42% |
2007 | 8,438 | 1,080 | 9,518 | 1,941,405 | 0.49% |
2008 | 10,030 | 1,194 | 11,224 | 2,025,307 | 0.55% |
2009 | 11,482 | 1,211 | 12,693 | 2,121,178 | 0.60% |
2010 | 11,336 | 1,303 | 12,639 | 2,217,294 | 0.57% |
2011 | 11,123 | 1,350 | 12,473 | 2,380,974 | 0.52% |
2012 | 11,373 | 1,274 | 12,647 | 2,499,409 | 0.51% |
2013 | 11,195 | 1,273 | 12,468 | 2,616,881 | 0.48% |
2014 | 11,858 | 1,184 | 13,042 | 2,698,910 | 0.48% |
2015 | 12,158 | 1,141 | 13,299 | 2,757,799 | 0.48% |
2016 | 12,879 | 1,156 | 14,035 | 2,807,010 | 0.50% |
2017 | 12,749 | 1,202 | 13,951 | 2,844,978 | 0.49% |
2018 | 12,752 | 1,270 | 14,022 | 2,868,222 | 0.49% |
2019 | 12,953 | 1,321 | 14,274 | 2,891,049 | 0.49% |
2020 | 13,402 | 1,393 | 14,795 | not available | not available |
University [lower-alpha 2] | Type | Studienstiftung scholars as at 15 March 2020 | Students in the 2019/20 winter semester | Studienstiftung scholars as a share of students |
---|---|---|---|---|
Heidelberg University | public university | 639 | 27,818 | 2.30% |
Hannover Medical School | public university | 74 | 3,465 | 2.14% |
Charité | public university | 155 | 7,869 | 1.97% |
University of Freiburg | public university | 336 | 24,028 | 1.40% |
University of Lübeck | public university | 70 | 5,331 | 1.31% |
University of Tübingen | public university | 289 | 26,842 | 1.08% |
University of Mannheim | public university | 122 | 12,088 | 1.01% |
Bucerius Law School | private university | 74 | 858 | 8.62% |
Hertie School | private university | 22 | 651 | 3.38% |
Witten/Herdecke University | private university | 42 | 2,617 | 1.60% |
Zeppelin University | private university | 12 | 903 | 1.33% |
Cusanus Hochschule | private Fachhochschule | 6 | 113 | 5.31% |
Goethe University Frankfurt is a public research university located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It was founded in 1914 as a citizens' university, which means it was founded and funded by the wealthy and active liberal citizenry of Frankfurt. The original name in German was Universität Frankfurt am Main. In 1932, the university's name was extended in honour of one of the most famous native sons of Frankfurt, the poet, philosopher and writer/dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The university currently has around 45,000 students, distributed across four major campuses within the city.
Bucerius Law School is a private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany. It admits approximately 100 undergraduate students per year.
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association.
The Swiss Study Foundation is a foundation that promotes outstanding students during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Requirements for admission are outstanding intellectual interests and capabilities, creativity, and character.
The Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg was founded in 1991 and is a technical university in Brandenburg, Germany with campuses in Cottbus and Senftenberg. The university has 185 professors, 640 additional academic staff and more than 7,000 students, of which 2,350 are of foreign origin from more than 100 nations.
Reinhard Genzel is a German astrophysicist, co-director of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, a professor at LMU and an emeritus professor at the University of California, Berkeley. He was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics "for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the centre of our galaxy", which he shared with Andrea Ghez and Roger Penrose. In a 2021 interview given to Federal University of Pará in Brazil, Genzel recalls his journey as a physicist; the influence of his father, Ludwig Genzel; his experiences working with Charles H. Townes; and more.
The Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Preis, in honor and memory of the German physicist Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, is funded by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, and it is awarded by a selection committee appointed by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the BMBF. Since 2013, there are ten recipients of the prize and each receives 20,000 Euros, which is an increase over the original 16,000 Euros that had been given to six recipients per year until 2012.
Charlotte Klonk is a German art historian. Klonk is most notable for her work on English landscape art in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, as well as for her work on museum interiors, particularly the white cube. She is currently a professor of art history at the Humboldt University of Berlin.
Angelika Helene Anna Nußberger is a German professor of law and scholar of Slavic studies, and was the judge in respect of Germany at the European Court of Human Rights from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2019; from 2017 to 2019 she was the Court’s Vice-President. She had previously been Vice-Rector of the University of Cologne. Currently she is Director of the Institute of Eastern European Law and Comparative Law of the University of Cologne.
Ulrike Müßig is a German jurist and legal historian as well as Head of the Chair for Civil Law, German and European Legal History at the University of Passau.
Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft – or Stifterverband for short – is a registered not-for-profit association that is based in Essen and which also has a capital city office in Berlin. Its work is focused on education, science and innovation. The Stifterverband organisation analyses, advises, supports and networks science and business.
The Cusanuswerk is one of the thirteen German sponsorship organizations financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Germany) to promote gifted students. It is headquartered in Bonn.
Friederike Hassauer was a German literary scholar and professor for Romance Philology at the University of Vienna. The focus of her work was on French and Spanish literature, along with Media studies. She is considered a pioneer of gender research in the field of Romance studies.
The Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Fund is one of thirteen Federally-funded Scholarship Foundations in the Federal Republic of Germany. It is located in Berlin.
Georg Krücken is a German sociologist and higher education researcher. He is director of the International Center for Higher Education Research Kassel (INCHER-Kassel) at the University of Kassel.
Ragna Schirmer is a German classical pianist and academic teacher. She is focused on the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and won the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition twice.
Gerhard Paul Fettweis is a German electrical engineer and university professor for telecommunications engineering.
Judith Stapf is a German classical violinist.
Barbara Buntrock is a German violist and music educator.
Eckart Altenmüller is a German physician and musician and one of the leading researchers in the field of neurophysiology and neuropsychology of musicians.
Eine Förderung durch die Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes ist nicht nur wegen des monatlichen Förderbetrages attraktiv. Das Stipendium gilt auch als höchste Auszeichnung im Feld akademischer Begabtenförderung.