SBW Berlin scholarship for International Students 2025

The SBW Berlin Scholarship for International Students supports talented young people from abroad who have already shown social commitment and who use the skills they have acquired during their studies during and after their studies in social projects at a non-profit/social organization in their home countries. 

Our scholarship recipients work on social projects during their studies in Berlin. Ideally, these projects are part of the charitable work of organizations based in their home countries and/or contribute to improving living conditions there. After successfully completing their studies, our scholarship recipients are expected to continue the projects in their home countries and to advance them through the skills they have acquired here. SBW Berlin continues to support them in an advisory capacity.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirments
• Interview Process
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineNot Specified
• Study LevelGrants
• SponsorSBW Berlin Gmbh
• City to studyBerlin
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

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Benefits

For the duration of the scholarship (max. funding period is equivalent to the regular period of the study program), SBW Berlin covers the necessary living expenses of the scholarship recipients. The scholarship includes:

• a furnished room in shared student flats at Rudower Str. 67, 12351 Berlin
• cost-of-living allowance currently in the amount of 480 Euro per montH
• tuition fees 
• possibly also a travel contribution for the journey to Berlin before the start of the course of study and for the journey home after successful completion of the course

First payments can only be made after the scholarship recipient has moved into the shared student apartment. Part-time jobs are generally not approved by SBW Berlin.

Applicants who receive benefits under the Federal Education Assistance Act (BAFöG) can only be granted benefits that are not counted as income according to §21 Para. 3 No. 2 BAföG. The cash value of the accommodation granted must be taken into account when calculating the allowance. As a rule, these applicants only receive a “flat rate” or book allowance in the amount of maximum 100 Euro per month.

Requirements

• Between the ages of 18 and 30
• Professional or volunteer experience in the non-profit/social sector (supported by letters of recommendation from the social institution or non-profit organization)
• Have demonstrably not resided in Germany for more than 18 months prior to application
• University entrance qualification*
• Intention to work for at least 18 months in the country of origin after graduation or to engage in charitable activities in Germany until the repayment plan is fulfilled
• Proven relatively low net income (see guidelines)
• Average grade equivalent to a German grade point average of at least 2.0
• No first-degree family members permanently residing in Germany
• Application before the start of studies or fully enrolled in the first, second or maximum third semester at a state-recognized university (in Germany or abroad) or application for a master’s degree shortly before or after obtaining a bachelor’s degree

* Interested applicants should note that an application for a place at a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) in Berlin or Potsdam is required. This is done separately to the scholarship application, i.e. applicants are responsible for this themselves.

Our “Good to Know” video series on our YouTube channel presents the general university system in Germany and the universities in Berlin and shows how to apply apply to a university in Berlin.

Interview Dates and Process

In addition to a proven collaboration between the applicant and a non-profit/social organization located in the applicant’s home country, the following criteria are decisive for the selection of incoming scholarship recipients:

• In need of assistance are all applicants who meet the requirements of § 1 BAföG (German Federal Education Assistance Act). The individual amount of funding will depend on the personal circumstances of each applicant. 
• In need of assistance are also applicants whose total household income does not exceed the average income which has been officially stated for their home country. The income of all household members and all sources of income of the family and/or the applicant (e.g., from employment, business activities, property, child benefit or pensions) will be considered.
• Eligible are all applicants whose intellectual abilities, as substantiated by the application documents and during the interview, justify the expectation that the applicant will easily meet the performance requirements of the funded studies and degree.
• Worthy of assistance are all applicants whose personality and social commitment suggest that they will achieve the goals of this scholarship during and after their studies in cooperation with a non-profit organization or social institution in the home country of the scholarship recipient. In addition, the applicant’s non-profit/social project will be evaluated.
• The granting of any additional, financial resources to implement the project will be decided caseby-case.

Application Documents

Only complete applications can be considered. Applicants must submit at least the following documents:

• Letter of recommendation from a non-profit organization or social institution or one of SBW Berlin’s partner organization (by email)
• Application form (A link will be shared with outstanding applicants.)
• Project description (two to five pages)
• Qualification for university entrance
• Information about the net household income
• Copy of the last school or university certificate that shows the grade point average and a grade overview
• Copy of the highest academic degree (high school diploma or university certificate) that shows the grade point average and a grade overview.

If available, copies of the following documents should also be included:

• Admission to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) in Berlin or Potsdam
• Internationally recognized language certificate for the language in which your studies will be taught12
• All already obtained university certificates and records of achievements (graded and ungraded)
• All previous work, training, apprenticeship and internship certificates and references

We recommend that all applicants submit the following additional documents, which are not mandatory:

• one or two letters of recommendation from professors, schoolteachers, employers, etc.
• evidence of the net household income

The application and all enclosed certificates and supporting documents must be submitted in German or English. If the original document was issued in another language, we also ask for a translation into German or English.

Non-certified copies and simple translations are sufficient for the application.

After the successful completion of the selection process, certified copies are sometimes required in the verification process.

Application Deadline

How To Apply

SBW Berlin does not charge any application or processing fees. There is no fixed application deadline; applications are accepted all year round.

• When applying for the scholarship, proof of the applicant’s social commitment in the form of a letter of recommendation from a non-profit organization or social institution is required.
• The nonprofit organization or social institution submits the letter on behalf of the applicant as a PDF to [email protected]. After carefully reviewing the letter, outstanding prospects will be granted access to the application form.

For more information, kindly visit SBW scholarship webpage.