SBW Berlin awards scholarships to foreign students who are socially committed, come from financially disadvantaged family backgrounds and want to study in Berlin (or Potsdam) to help improve the living conditions in their home country. (If the tuition fees are above the national average, this can require a contribution towards the tuition fees.)

„Our vision is a world in which all people have the opportunity to develop their potential freely – regardless of their background.“

SBW Berlin owns a house in south east Berlin, where our office, a big conference room, rooms for relaxation and studying and the shared student apartments are located.

The intention to work for at least 18 months in the home country of the sponsored student after graduation is one of the important requirements for the SBW Berlin scholarship. From the beginning of the funding, the SBW Berlin therefore supports all scholarship holders in achieving their professional goals in their countries of origin. This is done through networking with other organisations, assistance in a targeted job search in the country of origin, through support for the preparation of application documents and through targeted development of the non-profit project in connection with the countries of origin of the recipients.

SBW Berlin awards scholarships to foreign students who are socially committed, come from financially disadvantaged family backgrounds and want to study at a university in Berlin (or Potsdam).

(Prospective) students of a state-recognised higher education institution (in Germany or abroad)

Overall, there are 20 scholarships available. Each semester, as many scholarships as there are vacancies can be awarded.

The scholarships are awarded for a minimum of 30 days up to a maximum of 48 months, depending on the standard period of study.

A full scholarship includes:

• the tuition fees (national average)
• a furnished room in our shared student apartments
• if required, a living allowance per month
• if required, assumption of costs for the required certification and legalisation of documents
• travel expenses where required
• counselling during the scholarship period to assist with reaching the professional goals after the return to the home country

Applicants must submit at least the following documents:

• complete application form (including curriculum vitae and proof of relatively low net household income, such as pay slips, pension notices, bank statements)
• letter of motivation (1-2 pages in which previous voluntary commitment, the future professional goal and a project idea for a charitable social project are explained in detail)
• copy of the last school or university certificate with overview of grades and average grade
• copy of the highest educational qualification (Abitur or university certificate) with overview of grades and average grade

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

• university entrance qualification
• admission of the Berlin or Potsdam higher education institution at which the applicant wants to study (or is already studying)
• proof of the necessary language skills for the desired course of study in the form of an internationally recognised language certificate (must be submitted at the latest during the verification process)
• all work, training and internship certificates that have already been acquired
• all university certificates and other certificates of achievement (graded and ungraded)

We recommend that all applicants also submit the following, non-mandatory documents:

• 1 or 2 letters of recommendation from professors, school teachers, employers, etc.
• evidence of the net household income (If the application only contains information about the net household income, the evidence must be submitted in the verification process.)

The application as well as all certificates and other evidence must be submitted in German or English. If the original document was issued in another language, we also ask for a translation.
Applicants can find information on selection criteria, selection procedures and verification procedures in the “Guidelines and Criteria for the SBW Berlin Scholarship”.

Application documents can only be submitted in the periods between 15 November to 31 December (for the summer semester) and 15 May to 30 June (for the winter semester). Applicants can find more information on the SBW Berlin website.