43 international students awarded scholarships in the 2022/23 academic year

Each semester, international students at HAW Hamburg can apply for academic excellence scholarships. To apply, international Bachelor’s students must have completed at least two semesters at HAW Hamburg and Master’s students must have completed one semester. Successful applicants receive a scholarship of €1,800 for one semester. The scholarships are funded by the city of Hamburg and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). To be selected for an excellence scholarship, students must have an average grade of at least 2.2, be within the standard period of study, and, if it is the first time they are applying for an excellence scholarship, submit two letters of recommendation from their instructors.

Scholarship holders summer semester 2023

Scholarship recipients in summer semester 2023.

In the 2022/23 academic year, a total of 43 international students from 20 countries and 22 degree courses were awarded an academic excellence scholarship. Sixteen of them even received a scholarship in both the winter semester and the current summer semester.  Unlike the case in previous years, this year there was not a specific degree course that was a front runner in terms of the number of scholarship winners. However, two departments did stand out: nine of the scholarship winners were from the Department of Information and Electrical Engineering, and nine were from the Department of Business.  The most strongly represented country in each semester was Vietnam, with a total of 13 scholarship winners. In summer semester 2023, a total of four students from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus received a DAAD scholarship.

One of them was Eduard Lomtadze of Russia, who is in his fourth semester of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, with an average grade of 1.1. Not only was he the student with the highest number of points in his faculty, but he also won the scholarship for a second time. In addition to the close contact with the instructors, who are available for questions ‘both by email and in person during the breaks’, it is primarily the support from his fellow students that has helped him overcome challenges during his studies. ‘What is difficult at the beginning is finding your own rhythm. I felt a bit overwhelmed. Everything changed for me when I started a study group with my fellow students.’ This helps stay motivated, he says.

The only Bachelor’s student from the Faculty of Life Sciences who received a scholarship was Iryna Izotova of Ukraine, who is in her fourth semester of Nutrition and Home Economics. After finally being able to meet her professors on campus during the last two semesters, what she particularly likes about HAW Hamburg is ‘that all HAW Hamburg instructors have a lot of practical experience and enjoy talking about their interesting practice situations.’ The biggest challenge continues to be the war in her home country. Although studying sometimes helps distract her from the news, she has still had to postpone some exams.

In the Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, two students received the excellence scholarship for the fourth time: Xuan Thien Trang Nguyen (seventh semester) and Manh Trung Nguyen (sixth semester). Both of them are from Vietnam, are studying Logistics/Business Studies and impressed the jury with their average grade of 1.7.

Shahnoz Bakhtiyorova of Tajikistan, who is in her seventh semester of Fashion, Costume and Textile Product Design, achieved an average grade of 1.4 in winter semester and received the scholarship for the fourth time. With respect to her department, she said she couldn’t imagine a better university for her subject. ‘We really do have super-qualified professors – the best you could wish for – an excellent studio, and a very creative atmosphere. I enjoy being able to choose courses freely for my major; there is a big selection of courses available.’

Among the Master’s students in the last two semesters, three candidates drew particular attention with their very good grades: In the current summer semester, Aliaksandra Andronchyk from Belarus who is in her second semester of International Business, achieved one of the highest point scores in the rankings. She applied with an average grade of 1.4 and received a scholarship for the first time. In the winter semester, Lohith Dunna of India, who is now in his fourth semester of Renewable Energy Systems, and Niloofar Honarmandbagheri of Iran, who is in her fourth semester of Biomedical Engineering, were each awarded a scholarship. Both of them study in the Faculty of Life Sciences and have an average grade of 1.3.

When asked what he likes most about HAW, Lohith Dunna answers, ‘I enjoyed talking to other students and teachers after the lectures, which I think was really helpful to me throughout my time at HAW. The study rooms, in my opinion, are a great place to get ready for a test or a project work discussion.’ Niloofar Honarmandbagheri also sees the close contact with professors as a big advantage of her studies at HAW Hamburg. The small number of students ensures that instructors can support students better. But she also sees the International Office’s support for international students as a big strength of HAW Hamburg. ‘I have been comparing other universities in Germany to HAW in this regard and I can say that our International Office has a very good performance in helping students settle and find their social circles easily.’

We congratulate all the scholarship winners and wish them continued success and all the best for their studies.

More information about scholarships for international students is available on the International Office website. The next application deadline is 30 September 2023.

Authors: Teresa Schaubs and Angelina Bock

 

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