PROMOS - The partial scholarship for study-related stays outside Europe
Paderborn University offers students the PROMOS scholarship programme (Programme to Increase Student Mobility) for semester and internship stays abroad outside Europe. This programme is supported by the DAAD and the BMFTR. PROMOS is intended to support students at Paderborn University in successfully completing their study-related stay abroad and to enable significantly more mobility by funding shorter stays abroad (up to a maximum of six months).
PROMOS is the counterpart to the Erasmus+ programme, which in turn covers the European area. PROMOS has 2 application phases per year. The funding period is linked to the calendar year, i.e. you apply in the year in which you will be going abroad. This is a partial scholarship.
Since PROMOS is tied to the calendar year and not to the academic year in which you begin your semester abroad, you may not receive confirmation of possible funding until you are already abroad. If you are in urgent need of financial support for your stay abroad, we recommend that you visit our website for information on other funding options and also search the DAAD scholarship database. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time.
The University of Paderborn supports students with PROMOS:
- exchange semesters outside Europe
- Study-related internships in non-European countries
Who can apply?
Who can apply?
- Students at Paderborn University who have German citizenship or who have the same status as Germans according to § 8 paragraph 1 number 2 ff., paragraph 2, 2a and 3 BAf?G
- Non-German students if they are enrolled in a degree programme at Paderborn University with the aim of obtaining a degree at Paderborn University or doing a doctorate at Paderborn University (home country residence excluded)
For what purpose?
- Students whose semester abroad at a non-European partner university of Paderborn University takes place within a calendar year and lasts at least 1 month but no longer than 6 months
- Students whose non-European stay abroad as part of a study-related internship takes place within a calendar year and lasts at least 1 month but no longer than 6 months
- Students who organise their semester abroad at a non-European university themselves (freemovers) and whose stay takes place within a calendar year and lasts at least 1 month but no longer than 6 months
Information and funding conditions
The PROMOS partial scholarship programme is aimed at properly enrolled students on Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes in all disciplines at Paderborn University. PROMOS scholarship holders must provide proof of enrolment during the application process and for the funding period.
The amount and composition of the funding depends on the commission's decision, the duration of the stay and the partial scholarship rate/travel allowance set by the DAAD for the respective destination country. Tuition fees cannot be covered. PROMOS funding can begin at the earliest on 1 January of a year (also retroactively) and ends at the latest on 31 December of the same year. The budget available for the scholarship programme changes every year, so the call for proposals is always subject to change.
Students who have already been awarded a PROMOS partial scholarship in an earlier phase of their education (e.g. during their Bachelor's degree programme) can be awarded a PROMOS partial scholarship again in a later phase of their education (e.g. during their Master's degree programme). Several PROMOS partial scholarships can also be combined with each other within one period of study, provided they do not exceed the total funding period of 6 months.
Important: Funding can only be provided for regions for which there is no travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office. If a travel warning is issued during the stay, scholarship holders are required to leave the country. Funding will not be continued in these cases.
Combination of scholarships: In addition to the PROMOS scholarship, the Phoenix Contact Foundation's Cross Border Studies Scholarship, which is also intended for non-European countries, is also called for proposals via the International Office. Both scholarships cannot be combined. If you apply for both scholarships and are accepted for both, you must choose one of the two scholarships. For all other scholarship programmes that are not arranged through the International Office, we recommend that you always study the respective scholarship conditions to find out whether a combination with other programmes is possible.
Obligations of the scholarship holder
At the end of the stay abroad, every PROMOS scholarship holder must submit the following documents in digital form to the International Office:
- stamped and signed Confirmation of Study or Confirmation of Traineeship
- an experience report
Please note: If the above-mentioned documents are not submitted, the PROMOS partial scholarship must be repaid.
As soon as you know that you will not be able to start or complete your stay abroad for personal reasons, you must also inform the scholarship provider.
In order to ensure the highest possible degree of neutrality in the awarding of PROMOS partial scholarships, a PROMOS selection committee will be institutionalised.
This committee will take the following criteria into account when deciding on the scholarships:
- formally correct, complete and appealing application documents
- Qualifications and academic achievements of the student
- Meaningfulness and purpose of the planned stay for the student's studies and future career
- Existing language skills
- Expressive presentation of inner motivation
- Explanation of the study or internship project
- Social aspects for consideration: First-time student in the family, migration background, disabilities, students with children
Please note: Incomplete or incorrectly submitted application documents cannot be considered in the selection process.
Submission of application documents
Students who wish to apply for a PROMOS partial scholarship for their stay abroad should complete the online application form and then upload their complete application documents via the Mobility Online workflow system:
Please note: Simply filling out the application form is not sufficient. After submitting the form, you will receive a link by email that you can use to log in to Mobility Online. There, you can upload all the necessary documents in a single PDF file. Only then is your application complete. Unfortunately, incomplete applications cannot be considered.
What happens next?
- After submitting their application documents, students will receive an automated confirmation email from the International Office.
- After the application deadline, the International Office will check the applications for completeness and eligibility for funding and then forward them to the PROMOS selection committee.
- Once the scholarship holders have been selected by the selection committee, applicants will receive feedback on their application from the International Office approximately 2 months after the respective application deadline.
Due to the increased workload, we kindly ask you to refrain from enquiring about the processing status.
PROMOS partial scholarships include different funding lump sums. These are based on the DAAD's country-specific funding rates.
Please note: The funding amounts awarded do not usually correspond to the full period of your stay abroad and your application; this is partial funding.
A selection committee decides on the allocation of scholarship funds.
Possible funding for study visits or study-related internships:
- Monthly partial scholarship instalments depending on the destination country
- Country-specific lump sum for travelling expenses, if applicable
Application documents to be submitted
Please combine the following application documents in one PDF:
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form (in German)
- Letter of motivation incl. description of the study project (max. 2 DIN A4 pages, in German)
- Proof of enrolment from Paderborn University
- Letter of Acceptance from your host university (If the "Letter of Acceptance" is not yet available, it can be submitted later. In this case, please prove in another form that you are registered at a host university, e.g. with the confirmation of nomination from UPB).
- Confirmation of grades (if you have a BA degree, please also submit a detailed transcript)
- Proof of language proficiency in the language of instruction(you can provide proof of language proficiency either via a recognised language certificate (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, DELE, DELF/DALF, UNIcert?) or the DAAD language certificate, available from the Centre for Language Teaching. Other forms of certificates or attestations (e.g. the Abitur certificate) are not recognised for the application. The DAAD language certificate must not be older than 2 years at the time of application. Please refer to the certificates themselves for the validity of the other certificates. Special regulations are explained in the general application documents for a semester abroad.
Please check your documents very carefully before submitting them. You are responsible for ensuring that your application documents are complete! Incomplete application documents cannot be considered!
Please combine the following application documents in one PDF:
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form (in German)
- Letter of motivation incl. description of the study project (max. 2 DIN A4 pages, in German)
- Proof of enrolment from Paderborn University
- Confirmation of internship from the internship employer
- Confirmation of grades (if a BA degree is available, please also submit a detailed transcript)
- Proof of language proficiency in the language of instruction(you can provide proof of language proficiency either via a recognised language certificate (TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge, DELE, DELF/DALF, UNIcert?) or the DAAD language certificate, available from the Centre for Language Teaching. Other forms of certificates or attestations (e.g. the Abitur certificate) are not recognised for the application. The DAAD language certificate must not be older than 2 years at the time of application. Please refer to the certificates themselves for the validity of the other certificates. Special regulations are explained in the general application documents for a semester abroad.
Please check your documents very carefully before submitting them. You are responsible for ensuring that your application documents are complete! Incomplete application documents cannot be considered!