Photo: Jan-Eric Euler / DSW
A Hand with money.

Grant for the successful graduation of study

The funds for awarding grants in the winter semester 2024/25 have been exhausted. No more new applications can be submitted. The applications received will be processed promptly in chronological order. Unfortunately, applications that have not been submitted by today cannot be considered. (As of 15 November 2024)

 

The grant aims to provide financial support for the successful graduation of study.

It can usually be applied for twice a year, for the summer semester and the winter semester.

The grant aims at socially and financially needy students and takes into account the special burdens of international students.
The grant is a financial aid for living expenses or additional expenses during this phase of your studies, e.g. to cover living expenses, additional expenses for final theses, purchase of a PC, etc.

Worth knowing

You can apply at the end of your studies (within the last 12 months of your studies). Funding is available on a one-time basis.

The grant is in the amount of 1000 euros.
It therefore does not have to be repaid.

Funding is limited. Applications are processed in the order in which they are received. Once the funds are exhausted, the remaining applications will no longer be considered and the application portal will be closed.

There is no legal entitlement.

Applications are submitted exclusively via the online application portal.

Applications are processed in the order in which they are received.
The duration of the processing is therefore based on the volume of applications.
If this is very high (as was the case in past rounds), it unfortunately takes longer.
Once the fund is exhausted, the remaining applications are no longer considered and the application portal is closed.

You are eligible for funding if, at the time of application:

  • you are enrolled at a cooperation university,
  • are registered in Germany, and
  • can complete your degree within the next 12 months and still have open coursework (e.g. practical semester, modules or thesis).

Guest students and students on leave of absence are not eligible for funding.

 

The application is submitted exclusively online via the barrier-free online application portal provided for this purpose.
All documents and declarations are requested when submitting the application via the application portal.
The application process can be paused in between. So you can interrupt the application process and continue it at a later time as long as the portal has not been closed yet. If you do not complete your application in the same month in which you started it, please pay attention to the required period for the account statements (see below).

Identity, eligibility to apply and personal eligibility will be verified on the basis of the following documents:

  • Information on the progress of your studies (please use this form only which needs to be certified by your university)
  • Identity card or passport/residence permit (visa) in connection with the registration confirmation
  • Current matriculation certificate of enrolment or study valid at the time of application. This must show the university and subject semesters as well as the student status (full-time studies, part-time studies, etc.).
  • Motivation letter with description of personal situation and reasons for the application, description of motivation for studying/the field of study and how the study programme is planned (e.g. duration of studies, date of graduation, planned internships, semesters abroad)
  • Complete curriculum vitae (as for a job application, i.e. including periods of unemployment, etc.)
  • Information on the intended use, i.e. what you would like to buy or finance with the grant
  • If applicable, proof of disability
  • Complete account statements for the previous month from your own bank account. For example, if you submit your application in May, you will need the account statements from April. 

Important: The application portal only accepts three file formats: jpg/jpeg, png and pdf.

Only applications received in full will be processed. Please check your application for completeness before submitting it. Missing documents cannot be submitted later and will not be requested!

Further information on what you need to consider before sending the application can be found further down on this page.

Exclusion criteria for funding are i.e.:

  • Incomplete documents (see above the list of required documents as well as required information in the application portal, e.g. name on bank statements, etc.)
  • Formal requirements not fulfilled (see above for a list of formal requirements) 
  • Lower financial or social need
  • Relatively high assets
  • Payment of the grant by studierendenWERK BERLIN already received in the last 12 months
  • Visa/ID document has expired at the time of application

Yes, a residence in Germany is required. Only the official registration certificate serves as proof.
A tenancy agreement or a housing provider certificate is not sufficient.
Registration certificates must be applied for at the Residents' Registration Office if not available.

Telephone consultation hour

For tips on how to complete your application for the grant for successful graduation, the social counselling service also offers a weekly telephone consultation on Wednesdays.

Phone: +49 (0)30 93939 8423

Appointments:

06.11.24 / 1 - 3 p.m.
13.11.24 / 1 - 3 p.m.
20.11.24 / 1 - 3 p.m.

Online-application

You can check the processing status of your application (WiSe 2024/25) using your personal login details in the online application portal.

FAQ 

This is where we respond to the most frequently asked questions about the application.
Since questions change all the time, this text will also be adapted again and again.
This does not change the legal basis for the grant or the procedure - we are merely responding to uncertainties and questions that you formulate.

The grant application portal only accepts three file formats: jpg/jpeg, png and pdf.

If your files are in a different format, convert them to the accepted formats using the appropriate software.

Note: Please do not manually change the file formats by changing the file extensions by renaming the file format, e.g. by renaming a document with the name "ID document.gif" to "ID document.png".
This can lead to technical problems.

Entries that show and explain your overall financial situation (e.g. regular income and expenses mentioned in the application) should be visible for an audit.

Information on your bank statements may be made unrecognisable if:

a) the debits are less than 50 euros. In this case, the texts, but not the amounts, may be obscured.

or

b) the booking texts contain details of particularly protected data within the meaning of Article 9 of the General Data Protection Regulation (DS-GVO).
This includes, among other things, information about "racial and ethnic origin, political opinion, religious or philosophical beliefs or trade union membership".
Then the corresponding booking texts can be made unrecognisable. For example, in the case of transfers of membership fees to a political party or a trade union, or in the case of payments to a religious community, the name of the organisation can be obscured.

Please contact us by e-mail at zuschuss(at)stw.berlin

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