The University awards travel scholarships for stays abroad from funds provided by the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts and the Ilse und Dr. Alexander Mayer-Stiftung and Dr. Artur Grün-Stiftung foundations based at FAU.
Applications can be submitted online between January 1 and February 8, 2026 via the Mobility Online Portal. Please note the two different deadlines for the FAU travel scholarship (February 8, 2026) and the DAAD PROMOS scholarship at FAU (February 15, 2026).
Please note the two different deadlines for the FAU travel scholarship (July 8, 2025) and the DAAD PROMOS scholarship at FAU (July 15, 2025).
If you have any questions about the program, please contact Ms. Elzbieta Garza at International Affairs. Please send your inquiry with “Travel scholarship” in the subject line to rstpromos@fau.de.
The following stays abroad can be funded with an FAU travel scholarship, and priority is given to stays completed as part of FAU cooperations when funding is awarded:
- Study stays
- Stays for completing student research projects and final theses
- Internships relevant to applicants’ studies (including practical training and clinical electives)
- Participation in summer schools or winter schools
Group travel and stays abroad for free field research without a connection to a host university are not eligible for funding.
Funding is provided for students to spend time in countries all around the globe, with the exception of ERASMUS+ program countries, Great Britain and Switzerland.
In these cases, please check the funding options via studying with ERASMUS+, internships with ERASMUS+ and DAAD-PROMOS.
Funding is not provided for travel costs to FAU from abroad.
- All regularly enrolled students at FAU (Bachelor’s degrees, Master’s degrees, State Examinations) who remain enrolled at FAU during their stay abroad.
- Financial need: The annual gross income from all sources of income must not exceed 15,000 euros during the current calendar year. The income threshold increases by 8,000 euros for each dependent child. All revenue from employment, maintenance payments from third parties (especially from parents), child benefit, BAföG, scholarships, pensions and so on is considered as revenue.
- No other funding for travel: If you have already received a travel allowance for your planned stay abroad from another scholarship program, you cannot apply for an FAU travel scholarship.
Doctoral candidates also do not receive funding (exception: Medical students who complete their doctoral degree during their medical degree). Information on options available to doctoral candidates is available from the FAU Graduate Center.
The travel scholarships are given as a lump sum. They are each worth 900 euros.
The travel scholarships from FAU are intended as funding for qualified students who would like to spend time abroad as part of their degree. Funding is aimed in particular at students spending time abroad within the context of FAU collaborations.
The main selection criteria are:
- Academic achievements to date
- The intent and purpose of the planned stay abroad for further studies
- Letter of recommendation
- Financial need (personal statement)
Applications for a travel scholarship must be filed in the funding year in which you plan to start your stay abroad. You can also file an application if you are already abroad. Completed stays abroad are not eligible for funding.
There are two application rounds with the following deadlines (subject to the allocation of funds by the ministry):
- January 1 to February 8, 2025 for stays abroad that start between January 1, 2025 June 30, 2025.
- June 1 to July 8, 2025 for stays abroad that start between June 1 and December 31, 2025.
The decision to grant travel scholarships is made within 3 weeks after the end of the application deadline. All applicants are informed as soon as possible about the outcome of the application process.
After registering in the Mobility Online portal, the following documents must be uploaded:
- CV in tabular form
- Current certificate of enrollment at FAU
- A current overview of course achievements from campo (standard view with average grade)
- Confirmation of the stay abroad with details of the dates of the stay (e.g. internship contract, admissions letter of host university, invitation letter of host institution)
- Letter of recommendation from an FAU professor or lecturer from the applicant’s field of study using the relevant template; for students of the Faculty of Medicine: letter of recommendation from a professor or a “Privatdozent” with a habilitation (teaching qualification)
Please note: The letter of recommendation must be sent directly by the person writing it to Ms. Garza at International Affairs. Applicants are not able to send the letter themselves.
Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered. The letter of recommendation can be submitted until the application deadline.
It is not possible to combine the FAU travel scholarship with other scholarships if they are awarded for purposes comparable to that of the FAU travel scholarship or if the scholarship programs involved include financing travel costs.
It is generally not permissible to receive scholarships from German public funds for the same purpose. However, it is possible to combine an FAU travel scholarship with partial scholarship payments for the stay abroad as part of the DAAD PROMOS program at FAU, since the purpose of funding is different (travel vs. stay).