Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Scholarships for International Students (Grundförderung für Ausländer:innen)

Who can apply

Already studying at a German state or state-recognised university or university of applied sciences; this cannot fund the start of a degree from outside Germany
Good German language skills, with B2 level accepted as sufficient
Above-average grades
Identification with the values of social democracy and a record of civic or social engagement
Applications and all supporting documents are submitted in German, directly to the foundation, with no nominating body

Already enrolled, not a way to start a degree from abroad

This is a stipend for students who are already partway into a German degree, not a way to fund starting one from abroad. FES states plainly that you have to already be enrolled at a German state or state-recognised institution before you can apply, and the application itself, along with every supporting document, is submitted in German. A B2 level is accepted as sufficient, but functionally you need working German to get through the process at all.

The money, and the earnings cap that limits stacking it with a job

The money is straightforward: 992 euros a month, an extra 255 euros a month if you have a child, and health insurance costs covered, with no repayment obligation. Earn more than 400 euros a month from other sources and it gets deducted from the scholarship, so this isn’t designed to stack cleanly with a part-time job beyond a small amount.

More than money: an active support network

FES frames this as more than a stipend. Scholarship holders get access to an extensive programme of political-education seminars, workshops and skills training, plus 18 nationwide thematic working groups and local scholar groups in numerous cities, and are folded into a wider network of current and former scholarship holders who stay in touch. Many alumni act as informal mentors to current scholars on study and career questions, and FES runs a dedicated “scholarship ambassadors” scheme specifically to answer prospective applicants’ questions and share their own experience of the process.

A one-figure discrepancy worth flagging rather than hiding

One inconsistency worth knowing about rather than hiding: a separate, more general FES page describing scholarships broadly cites a “family allowance” of 276 euros, a different number from the 255-euro child allowance stated on this specific programme’s own page. This entry uses the number from the page that actually describes this exact programme, but the discrepancy itself suggests asking FES directly which figure applies to your situation before you budget around either one. Beyond the money, FES also expects a demonstrated commitment to social democratic values and community engagement, not just academic results.

A century-old foundation tied to Germany’s first democratic president

FES has run since 1925, taking its name from Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected president of the German Reich, and describes itself as one of the world’s most tradition-rich political foundations as a result. Today it employs over 1,500 people across 18 locations in Germany and more than 100 offices abroad, and funds around 2,600 scholarship holders across all its programmes, of which this is just one track. If you’re weighing options across Germany’s party-affiliated foundations, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Scholarships run on a comparable model but are tied to a different political tradition, so eligibility and values expectations differ between the two.