International students International students

You may apply for a merit-based scholarship if you meet the following criteria:

• You are enrolled as an international student at HAW Hamburg (full-time and/or part-time).
• You obtained your higher education entrance qualification (HZB) abroad or have successfully completed a German Studienkolleg.
• You have successfully studied at HAW Hamburg for at least two semesters (Bachelor’s) or one semester (Master’s) and are within the standard period of study for your degree programme.
• You do not receive BAföG or any other state benefits.
• Your average grade is at least 2.2.

(Not eligible for funding are students enrolled in fee-based or continuing education programmes; students enrolled in a joint and/or double degree programme who are entitled to funding from other sponsors; students who are entitled to funding from other sponsors, receive funding from other sponsors, and/or already receive other funding from HAW Hamburg; students who are eligible for benefits under the German Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG); and international students with dual citizenship, one of which is German.)

Merit-based scholarships are awarded in the amount of at least €1,800 for one semester. In this application round, funding will be granted for the Summer Semester 2026. The scholarship will be paid out in instalments.

Summer semester: 30 March of each year
Winter semester: 30 September of each year

Attention: The application option for this round will be activated starting March 1, 2026. Applications created before this date cannot be considered and may need to be resubmitted. Thank you for your understanding.

If you are applying for a merit-based scholarship at HAW Hamburg for the first time, you will need recommendation letters of two (2!) lecturers from your degree programme. Please use the current reference form for the Summer Semester 2026: Gutachtenformular Recommendation letter .

Master’s students who have already received a merit-based scholarship during their Bachelor’s studies must also submit two current references.

Other students for whom two current references are already on file (e.g. from a previous application) do not need to submit new ones. However, when applying via Mobility Online, you must provide detailed information (names of referees, relevant semester, etc.). The references should not be older than 12 months.

Important: A recommendation letter must be requested from a lecturer who is very familiar with your academic performance. You may already approach a lecturer now to ask whether they would be willing to provide a reference and inform them in advance. Once the application period begins, please download the reference form and fill in your personal details beforehand. You can then forward the current, pre-filled form to your referees. Please ask the lecturers to send their references with their assessment directly to: io_scholarship@haw-hamburg.de.

Please do not submit more than two references.

In addition, the following documents must be submitted via Mobility Online:

• Current CV (max. 2 pages) (obligatory)
• Current Certificate of enrolment from myHAW (obligatory)
• Current transcript of records from myHAW with information about average grade and completed credit points (obligatory) and, if applicable, an overview of exam registrations
• For students whose average grade and credit points are not listed in their transcript (this currently applies to all degree courses in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, with the exception of Automotive Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering), the International Office will request the average grade and credit points from the FSB after the application deadline. 
• Copy of your residency permit (non-EU citizens) or a copy of your passport or personal ID card (EU citizens) (obligatory)
• Bank account information form (obligatory)
• Financial circumstances form (obligatory)
• Motivation letter, other documents or explanations (optional, this is not assessed!). 

Please allow sufficient time for your application and make sure to read all information carefully.

Collect all required documents and upload them to our application portal (Mobility Online) before the application deadline. The link will be provided here shortly.

Please remember that the letters of recommendation must be sent separately from your application by the referees to io_scholarships (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de.

As a rule, you will be informed about the outcome of your application within four to six weeks after the application deadline.

The International Office of HAW Hamburg wishes you every success with your application!

Which residency permit do I need to have in order to apply for an excellence scholarship?

Students with residency status pursuant to section 16 of the federal residency act (residency for the purpose of study) and EU citizens are eligible to apply for the scholarships issued by the International Office, if they are not eligible for BAföG or other state funding. International students who are refugees cannot apply for these scholarships. International students with a different residency status can only apply in exceptional cases and following clarification of their individual situation. Foreign students with dual citizenship, one of which is German, are not eligible to apply.

I currently have only a temporary residence permit (Fiktionsbescheinigung). Can I still apply?

Yes. 

How are the scholarship recipients selected?

Once all of the applications have been reviewed, applicants will be allocated points on the basis of their average grades, the average number of credit points per semester, and the letters of reference. This ranking will serve as a guide for the selection committee. Other criteria such as students' financial situation or whether they have already received the scholarship will also be considered. In the case of students who have already received a scholarship, the committee will assess whether their performance has improved relative to the previous application.

When can I expect a decision?

You can generally expect to hear about the outcome of your application within four weeks of the deadline.

Am I eligible for an excellence scholarship if I am receiving BAföG (student financial aid)?

No.

When are international students eligible to receive BAföG?

You are eligible to receive BAföG if you fulfil the criteria listed in  section 8 of the federal law on student financial assistance (BAföG) . If you are uncertain whether you meet these criteria, please contact the Student Financial Aid Advising Centre before submitting your application. You should be sure to do this in the following cases:

• You do not have a residency permit under section 16 of the Aufenthaltsgesetz (the federal residency act).
• You are an EU citizen and you have a student job or worked in Germany before your studies.
• You are married to a German citizen who is working in Germany.

I was placed in the third semester but have only studied at HAW Hamburg for one semester so far. Can I still apply for a scholarship?

No, unfortunately not. You must have studied at HAW Hamburg for at least two semesters and be able to demonstrate your performance.

I am currently completing an interim semester (I am enrolled for a Master's degree course but am still writing my Bachelor's thesis). Can I apply for a scholarship?

No. In this case you can apply for a degree completion grant.

I am studying for a Master of Public Health or the European Master of Medical Technology and Healthcare Business. Can I apply for a scholarship?

Unfortunately not. Students in continuing professional education or fee-based degree courses as well as students in joint or double degree courses are excluded from receiving support.

My average grade is 2.29. Do I fulfil the application criteria?

Yes. Only the first number following the decimal point is taken into account.

Am I permitted to receive other scholarships in addition to an excellence scholarship?

Receiving other scholarships in addition to an excellence scholarship is not permitted. However, you can apply for multiple scholarships in order to increase your chances of receiving funding.

Does my motivation or voluntary commitment play a role in applying for a merit-based scholarship?

You may submit an optional letter of motivation or other explanations. However, it is NOT an assessment criterion (!).

Voluntary commitment is also NOT a criterion that is evaluated for a merit-based scholarship. However, academic staff may take subject-related engagement — for example, in projects or at academic events — into account in their academic letters of recommendation.

If you have undertaken international activities on a volunteer basis at HAW Hamburg, you can apply for ascholarship for exceptionally socially committed students.

Why do I have to indicate my financial situation in my application?

If you are supporting yourself financially (not receiving support from your parents, spouse or friends), you can receive extra points for your application depending on your income.

Is there a limit to how often I can receive the scholarship?

You can receive an excellence scholarship for maximum 2 years (4 semesters). However, other criteria such as the total number of applications are considered in the respective selection process. Additionally, you can apply for a scholarship for highly committed students and for a Degree Completion Grant at Studierendenwerk Hamburg.

How many letters of recommendation do I need?

For your first application, you need letters of recommendation from two lecturers in your degree program. If you are reapplying within the same degree program, you do not need new letters as long as the existing ones are not older than 12 months. If you received funding during your Bachelor’s studies and are applying again for a scholarship during your Master’s studies, you will need two new and current letters of recommendation.

When should I request the letters of recommendation?

Request the letters as early as possible, ideally after the last examination period and at least two weeks before the respective application deadline. Lecturers may decline to issue a letter of recommendation if you request it too late.

Whom should I ask?

It is best to approach professors or lecturers who are able to assess your academic performance well — for example, because you actively participated in their courses or projects.

How are the letters of recommendation submitted?

Once the application period begins, please download the recommendation form (Gutachtenformular Recommendation letter ) and fill in your personal details. You can then send your referees the relevant information along with the current form. Please ask the lecturers to send their completed letters directly to io_scholarship (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de.

Can I submit more than two letters of recommendation?

Please only request the required two letters, as asking for more would create unnecessary additional work for the lecturers.

What should I do if some of my exam results have not been recorded in my online transcript?

Please contact the instructor or professor in question and ask them to publish their exam results. If all of the exam results have still not been published by the application deadline, please submit an overview of the exams you were registered for. If you completed an internship in the previous semester that has not yet been entered, you can also submit a letter of confirmation from the company where you completed the internship.

I did not receive any grades last semester, or in my degree course the grades won't be assessed/entered until a subsequent semester. Can I still apply?

Because your study achievements are an important assessment criteria for your application, you cannot apply if you don't have any grades for the previous semester in your transcript. In this case you should contact your professors and ask if it is possible for your work to be assessed earlier and your grades entered.

What is Mobility Online?

Mobility Online is the application portal where you must log in using your HAW ID (HAW-W-Kennung) in order to apply for a scholarship. After registering there, you can upload your application documents to the portal.

When will Mobility Online be activated?

As a rule, the portal opens four weeks before the respective application deadline — in the upcoming round, likely on March 1, 2026.

How much time should I plan for the application?

Please register in Mobility Online as early as possible, at least one week before the application deadline. This ensures that, in case of technical issues or questions of understanding, you still have enough time to contact the International Office before the deadline.

What is the 'standard period of study' (Regelstudienzeit)?

The standard period of study is the amount of time allocated for the completion of your degree course (for Bachelor's degree courses at HAW Hamburg it is six or seven semesters; for Master's degree courses it is three or four semesters). As long as you haven't surpassed this number (of subject semesters), you are still within the standard period of study, regardless of how many credit points you have completed. What counts is the standard period of study (generelle Regelstudienzeit) as indicated on your enrolment certificate.

I have exceeded the standard period of study. Can I still apply for a scholarship?

If you fulfil the criteria, you can apply for a scholarship for exceptionally socially committed international students or a degree completion grant.

Funding is granted only within the limits of available budgetary resources; there is no legal entitlement to funding. Loans are not awarded.

With a merit-based scholarship, international students may be funded if they are enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program at HAW Hamburg and have obtained their higher education entrance qualification (HZB) abroad or at a German Studienkolleg (so-called Bildungsausländerinnen*).

The decisions of the selection committee will be communicated to applicants in writing (by email). Students must be informed of their obligation to notify the responsible office immediately of any changes to the information provided in their application and, if necessary, provide appropriate documentation.

Hamburg University of Applied Sciences reserves the right to revoke funding approval if there is an important reason to do so. An important reason exists if the scholarship recipient:
a) is no longer eligible for funding due to discontinuation of their studies, and/or
b) has intentionally or negligently provided false or incomplete information about significant facts or has concealed important facts (e.g., simultaneous public funding from other sources).