Baden-Württemberg Scholarship

• September 2024 – August 2025

Before applying, please check whether you meet the following application requirements:

• You are currently enrolled as a bachelor’s or master’s student at KIT and will remain enrolled during the potential scholarship period.
• You are planning to study abroad at a KIT partner university overseas.
• The partner university is not located in Singapore, South Africa, Kansas (USA), or Kentucky (USA) (as of October 2023).*
• You are planning a study abroad program, not an internship.
• You are participating in a KIT exchange program, not a dual-degree program.
• The planned duration of your stay is at least one semester.
• You have not yet received any funding from the Baden-Württemberg STIPENDIUM during your current phase of study.

*KIT reserves the right to exclude additional destination universities at short notice, depending on the exchange and applicant situation at the respective partner university.

The application deadline is approximately half a year before the start of the semester abroad, i.e.,

• February 28 for stays during the following winter term or for the entire following academic year
• October 31 for stays during the following summer term

1. Register on the Baden-Württemberg Foundation’s BWS-World portal. You will receive a personal password and username via email.

2. Log back into the portal and complete your profile, including personal information and details about your home and host universities. Please then upload the following documents in German or English: 

   • Statement of purpose (max. 1 page, including details about your studies plan/lectures abroad and the exchange program for which you applied at KIT)

   • Resume in table format (max. 2 pages)

   • Complete, up-to-date transcript of grades covering your entire academic record to date. If you are currently enrolled in a master’s program: In addition to your master’s transcript, please also upload your bachelor’s diploma, including your final bachelor’s grade, as well as your bachelor’s transcript.

   • Proof of language proficiency in the national language(s) of the host country and/or English (if you will be attending lectures in English): at least A2. Language proficiency that is not properly documented will not be considered.

   • • TOEFL,

     • DAAD language certificate,

     • Current transcript showing a language course (please highlight it clearly),

     • High school diploma, if the language was studied throughout high school,

     • other credentials that clearly indicate the language proficiency level according to the CEFR.

   • Certificate of enrollment at KIT

   • Proof of income: Statement regarding other sources of funding for the stay abroad

   • Additional documents: Acceptance letter for an exchange program or confirmation of nomination from KIT or similar, as credentials that you have been offered an exchange position

   • In exceptional cases, a PDF in which you explain any special circumstances regarding your documents (reasons why you do not yet have a current certificate of enrollment; special circumstances if you are currently transitioning from a bachelor’s to a master’s program, or similar)
     
     You do not need to upload any additional documents, such as expert opinions or letters of recommendation. Although this is possible via the portal, it is not part of the selection process. 

3. Submit your application through the portal. Please make sure to fill out all required fields, as you will not be able to add additional information once your profile has been activated, and an incomplete application cannot be submitted to the admissions committee for review.

• You will be notified of the exact amount of the approved scholarship in the award notification.
• As a rule, KIT students receive a partial scholarship for one semester, consisting of four monthly installments of €1,000 each, for a total of €4,000. Depending on the budget situation and the number of applicants, different partial scholarship amounts may also be awarded.
• An extension to a second semester is not possible at KIT.
• Payment of the scholarship begins no earlier than the start of your stay abroad and upon receipt of the “Certificate of Arrival” (see below). No payments are made in advance.
• Students who receive a scholarship from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation are therefore exempt from the tuition fee obligation under Section 3 of the LHGebG during the semesters in which they receive a scholarship, in accordance with Section 6(1), first sentence, of the LHGebG. 

• The IStO submits recommendations for funding to the Baden-Württemberg Foundation, based on the following criteria:
  • Academic accomplishments
  • Social and intercultural competence
  • Target university
  • Purpose of the planned stay in relation to the student’s future academic path
  • Language proficiency

• Approximately 6 to 8 weeks after the application deadline, the IStO forwards these proposals to the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. The final decision rests with the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and often takes another 4 to 6 weeks. After the final selection, the Baden-Württemberg Foundation will contact you directly via email to notify you of acceptance or rejection.

• As a selected scholarship recipient, you will receive a scholarship agreement via email from the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. Please read it carefully.
• By signing the agreement, you agree to:
  • to remain enrolled as a student at KIT for the duration of the scholarship,
  • to immediately notify both the host and home universities in writing if you need to reschedule, interrupt, or terminate your stay abroad,
  • not to accept any other scholarship during the term of this grant,
  • to participate in courses organized by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation as part of the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship,
  • to provide information about KIT to interested parties during your stay at the host university. To do so, please register your interest with the International Students Office at the host university upon your arrival and participate in campus courses, such as International Fairs.
• Sign the contract and upload a copy to the BWS-World portal. Send the original to the IStO or drop it off there—either directly with Ms. Anneke Peters or at the secretary’s office, Room 106. Please also enter your bank account information in the portal for the scholarship payment and send us a certificate of enrollment covering the scholarship period to bws∂intl.kit.edu before your departure.
• Upon arrival at the host university, please have the Certificate of Arrival (CoA) form filled out and email it back to us.
• Once we receive the original contract, a current certificate of enrollment, and the CoA, we will initiate the disbursement of your scholarship.
• Shortly before your departure, please have the Certificate of Departure (CoD) form filled out at the host university and email it to us.
• Four weeks after the end of the scholarship period (not the duration of your stay), you are also required to write a report on your studies and your stay in the host country and upload it to the BWS-World portal. Please be sure to follow the guidelines for the report, which you will receive via the portal.
• In addition, along with your scholarship notification, you will receive an invitation to join the Karlsruhe Regional Chapter. Here, you can connect with fellow scholarship recipients and alumni and continue to benefit from courses organized by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation even after your return. Take advantage of this opportunity and join us.

If you have previously applied for the Baden-Württemberg Scholarship (regardless of whether your application was successful) and would now like to reapply, please let us know via bws∂intl KIT edu .
We will check whether you are eligible to reapply and will communicate with the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. The Baden-Württemberg Foundation will update your old profile and notify you as soon as you can begin your new application using that profile.

Please DO NOT create a new profile on the BWS-World portal for a reapplication.

BAföG recipients should please refer to the relevant information sheet on the BWS-World portal.