International

Research Stay Abroad to Work on Your Thesis or a Term Paper


Research stays abroad of at least one month to work on a thesis or a term paper (project work) can be supported by the DAAD funding program PROMOS in the form of travel-cost contributions and/or a monthly scholarship.

Preconditions for funding to work on a thesis or term paper abroad:

  • The stay abroad aims at working on a thesis or term paper.
  • No regular lectures at a foreign university are being attended.

Theses which are not being completed at either a university or a company can be supported in exceptional cases when the corresponding specialist area provides unlimited support for the work and the student submits a detailed time schedule which can also serve subsequently for successful monitoring purposes.

Which documents have to be submitted

  • Application Form
  • Résumé/CV in tabular form (in German or English)
  • Letter of motivation (in German or English)
  • Certificate of enrollment
  • Transcript of records
  • Short overview of program plan for the stay abroad

Selection procedure

First, the International Office accepts the applications and assesses the applicants' formal eligibility for funding. Afterwards, the IPU's Commission of International Affairs distributes the scholarships primaily on the basis of GPA and motivation.

The application deadline is always on 30 November for the first half of the following year (funding period starts between 01.01. and 30.06) and on 30 April for the second half (funding period starts between 01.07 and 31.12.).

Visa fees and insurance coverage

Any potential visa costs, as well as the costs for accident, health and third-party liability insurance are not covered by the support. Nevertheless, insurance coverage must be verified before commencing the trip.