PROMOS Scholarship

Bachelor and Master students are eligible. You must remain enrolled at TU Dortmund University for the entire duration of the internship.

PhD students and graduates are not eligible.

Full-time internships with a duration of one to six months in the host country are eligible. The internship must be full-time.

Virtual internships are not eligible.

Both voluntary and mandatory full-time internships are eligible. The internship must be relevant for your studies, but the internship does not have to be a mandatory requirement for your studies. A letter of acceptance or work contract must be provided at the time of application.

The internship host can be either in industry or in the education sector. Research internships (e.g. in laboratories or in working groups at universities or research institutes), e.g. for the preparation of a thesis, are also eligible for funding as long as they have the character of an internship (regular working hours and constant supervision).

Internships in countries participating in the Erasmus+ program are eligible for an Erasmus+ scholarship. Should your department be unable to give you credit toward your studies for a voluntary internship in an Erasmus+ country or should your internship generally not be eligible for Erasmus+ funding (for example due to the duration)  you may apply for a PROMOS scholarship.

Internships that are a part of the special DAAD programs are usually not eligible for PROMOS - where appropriate only if the DAAD has rejected your application.

Show us your everyday (work) life and share parts of your life with us while you are abroad! Use the hashtag  #tustoriesfromabroad in your own posts and link to our Instagram Account tudo_international!  

In addition to the activities of your own social media accounts, we will ask you to provide regular content for tudo_international. This task can be carried out even if you do not have any social media accounts.

Successful applicants will receive a travel grant according to the country-specific rates set by the DAAD (rates in 2025) in the column "Teilstipendium Mobilität". Your actual travel costs may differ from the scholarship amount. You will not receive a monthly stipend for living expenses.

Additional Funding for Students with Special Needs or Chronic Illness

Students with special needs (at least GdB 50) or chronic illness can apply for up to 10,000 EUR additional funding from the DAAD; just be sure to contact the International Office early on in the planning process (six months prior).

The International Office supports and assists students in the search for a host company with the country-specific links and information as well as with the Moodle page, which lists current calls for applications and information relevant to your degree program.

15 October (for the first half of the following year, for a start between ca. January and June)
15 April (for the second half of the year, for a start between ca. July and December)

Late applications can still be turned in before the start of the internship and will be considered among the applications for the next deadline. However these applications will receive lower priority, and the scholarship may be awarded after the internship ends.

Applicants will be notified about the outcome approximately one month after the deadline.

1. Fill out the online application form.

2. Upload the following documents to the application portal and submit the application. Nothing else needs to be turned in through e-mail or mail:

• Confirmation of relevance for your studies, signed by the responsible person in your department
• Confirmation from the company about your internship / letter or contract
  Important: with general information about the expected work, the exact internship dates and the amount of pay or payment in kind, with signature and stamp
• CV/resumé (German or English)
• Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages, German or English)
• Transcript of records (all grades in all studies, Bachelor and Master level)
• Confirmation of your GPA ("Durchschnittsnote") from the Examinations Office
  All students who have completed at least one semester at TU Dortmund University must submit proof of their average grade (GPA) from the Examinations Office. The PDF documents generated in BOSS do not suffice. Please be sure to take care of this on time.
  If you are currently in your first semester, we can accept your GPA/grade report from your past studies or school. 
• Current certificate of enrollment
• If necessary also further documents, such as letters of recommendation, certificates e.g. for language courses, and documents that support your application. (in one PDF)
• If your application is late: Please also turn in an authorization letter for someone in Germany. The scholarship documents would be sent to this person. The original documents will need to be signed and returned to the International Office.

• Volunteer work and extracurricular activities
• Academic motivation and relevance for your studies
• Academic, linguistic and intercultural qualifications
• Academic achievement (a GPA of 2.5 is typically expected)
• Duration of the internship: 
  Not only for the sake of the environment, but also for a more immersive experience we recommend staying in the internship as long as possible. While internships with a duration of at least one month may be sponsored, priority may be given to longer internships.
• Priority is given to those students who will receive little or no pay from the host company

You will need to turn in the following within two months after the internship ends:

• Confirmation of internship duration (Word, PDF)
• Letter of reference from the internship host
• Experience Report and Consent Form
  (Template in the Checklist for Stays Abroad)
• Current certificate of study progress ("Studienverlaufsbescheinigung")

The documents can be sent to promos-stipendientu-dortmundde through e-mail or with a ("public", not personalized) Sciebo link.

Au pair stays are only eligible if an agency has placed you (to ensure a higher quality of support and academic experience).

Participation in this scholarship program is only possible if no "hard"  travel warning has been issued by the Federal Foreign Office for the respective region and the duration of your internship. If you have already received an acceptance letter for the scholarship program, this will be withdrawn, should a travel warning be issued before your departure.

Regardless of the travel warnings, please take note of these important security guidelines from the DAAD.

International students may not receive a scholarship for an internship in their home country. The home country is considered to be the country in which the student has the main place of residence; the citizenship is secondary. 

You must return to Germany after your stay abroad.

Important: Please inform the Foreigners' Office ("Ausländerbehörde") of your plans before your departure; otherwise you could lose the right to return to Germany.

You will need valid health insurance coverage for the entire duration of your stay abroad. Students accepted into the program have the option of taking out a policy through the DAAD group insurance (combined health, accident and liability insurance).