Degree completion grants for international students at Universität Hamburg

Universität Hamburg assists its international students in successfully completing their degrees with degree completion grants.

You meet the application requirements if you

are already enrolled at Universität Hamburg;
are not a German citizen;
are not eligible for the federal student loan scheme (BAföG);
are preparing for or are in the final examination phase of your studies;
have no financial support during this phase (proof required).

International students studying in fee-based degree programs will not have priority in the selection procedure and cannot always be considered.

Those not entitled to funding:

international students who fulfill the requirements of Section 8 of the German federal training assistance act (Bundesgesetz über individuelle Förderung der Ausbildung, BAföG)
doctoral candidates

Funding amount and funding duration

The funding period for the degree completion grant is up to 6 months. The funding period for a degree completion grant for students in degree programs with a duration of two semesters is up to 5 months. The individual funding period depends on the degree exam period specified in the evaluation from the supervisor of your final thesis. The monthly funding sumranges from €200 to €855. Funding amounts are based on income.

If the final examination is not completed within the 6-month period, an extension may be requested. Information on how to apply for extension of the degree completion grant can be found in the FAQs. The maximum funding period is 12 months. The maximum funding periodor students in degree programs with a duration of two semesters is 5 months.

Important information

When applying for a degree completion grant, you must present the following documents to the program coordinator on one of the dates mentioned in the ‘Application’ section (see ‘Application’ section for more information):

Non-EU citizens: your residence permit
EU citizens: your identity card and your registration certificate of your residence ("Meldebescheinigung") in Germany

Application deadlines

Applications can be submitted by the following deadlines:

1 June (for period of funding from 1 July–31 December)
1 December (for period of funding from 1 January–30 June)

There is no legal entitlement to funding.

Application

Please note that only complete applications submitted by the application deadline will be considered. Missing documents will not be requested and incomplete applications will be rejected.

You must upload the following documents to the online application portal:

CV
reason for your application
schedule detailing all steps leading to your final examination
Scan of your bank statements: For the 1 June application deadline, bank statements from 1 March-31 May are required; for the 1 December application deadline, bank statements from 1 September-30 November are required. The information on your financial situation must match the information on your bank statements. The last account balance you provided in the online-application form must match the last account balance on 31 May / 30 November as shown on the scan you submitted. Bank statements can be uploaded up to and including 10 December 2025 (if applying by the 1 December 2025 deadline). All other documents must be uploaded up to and including 1 December 2025.
an evaluation from the supervisor of your final thesis. Evaluations can only be issued by professors and junior professors at Universität Hamburg. The form Evaluation for a Universität Hamburg Degree Completion Grant (PDF) must be used and your exact degree exam period (from dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy) must be specified in the evaluation. The evaluation must demonstrate that you are expected to complete your final examination within the period of funding for which you are applying. Ensure that the evaluation is submitted by the deadline.

The following documents must be presented to the program coordinator on one of the dates listed below:

Non-EU citizens: your residence permit
EU citizens: your identity card and your registration certificate of your residence ("Meldebescheinigung") in Germany

The presentation of the residence permit or, in the case of EU citizens, the identity card and the registration certificate of residence ("Meldebescheinigung") in Germany is only possible on the following dates:

Friday, 21.11.2025, 9-10 am
Tuesday, 25.11.2025, 10-11 am
Wednesday, 26.11.2025, 2-3 pm
Monday, 01.12.2025, 1-2 pm

Proceed as follows:

1. Contact us by e-mail (stipend-internationalstudent@uni-hamburg.de)(stipend-internationalstudent"AT"uni-hamburg.de). Indicate on which of the above dates you would like to present your residence permit or, in the case of EU citizens, your ID and certificate of residence ("Meldebescheinigung") in Germany via Zoom. You will then receive the Zoom link for the relevant date from us.

2. Join the meeting room on the date for which you have received the link from us by e-mail. Wait in the waiting room of the meeting until you are being attended to.

For the relevant application periods, use the corresponding application link and log yourself in using your STiNE ID.

If you are applying for an extension, please follow the steps mentioned in the FAQs on our website.

Register with your student email address and enter your student email address, not your private email address, in your online application.

Application link 1 June

Application link 1 December

Only applications completed in full and submitted by the application deadline can be considered. Therefore, begin compiling your application documents early.

Selection procedure

Degree completion grants are awarded by a committee comprising members of the faculties and the AStA (student council).

Once the selection procedure has been completed, you will receive a notification by e-mail. For an update on the current status of your application, check the online portal.

Selection criteria

The selection criterion is the financial need of the applicant. The assessment of financial need is based on the respective requirements of our funding provider, the Ministry of Science, Research, Equalities and Districts (BWFGB).

Disbursement of scholarship

Degree completion grants are disbursed on the first day of each month of funding. Funding awarded in the application round ending on 1 June commences on 1 July. For funding in application rounds ending on 1 December, on the first day of January of the following year.

Payment of the instalments in January and July can only be made in the middle/end of the respective month due to the selection process.

Scholarships cannot be paid into foreign bank accounts. Academic leave during the period of funding is not permitted.

FAQs

Can I apply if I hold both German and a foreign citizenship?

No. Students holding both German a further foreign citizenship are not eligible for funding because they are eligible for BAföG.

Can I apply despite not having registered my final thesis with the examinations office?

Yes. This is possible if you are very near to your final examination period and are currently preparing for your examination.

May I receive other funding in addition to the degree completion grant?

Receipt of two types of funding for the same purpose is not explicitly excluded by the funding body. You must state any further sources of funding in your application. We may check these in certain circumstances.

Can the degree completion grant be extended?

If the final examination phase exceeds the funding period or the original final examination phase is extended, you can apply for an extension of the degree completion grant once by the relevant application deadline. Please use your existing online application in Mobility-Online to apply for an extension.

Which documents must be uploaded in your existing online application in Mobility-Online until the application deadline to apply for an extension of the degree completion grant?

reason for your application for extension (as an upload in Mobility-Online)
scan of your bank statements (as an upload in Mobility-Online): For the 1 June application deadline, bank statements from 1 March-31 May are required; for the 1 December application deadline, bank statements from 1 September-30 November are required. Bank statements can be uploaded up to and including 10 December 2025 (if applying by the 1 December 2025 deadline). All other documents must be uploaded up to and including 1 December 2025
confirmation from the supervisor of your final thesis of the updated final examination phase (by e-mail to stipend-internationalstudent"AT"uni-hamburg.de). The confirmation must contain the exact dates (from dd/mm/yyyy to dd/mm/yyyy) of the updated degree exam period.