As part of the DAAD's PROMOS programme, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), provides the Brandenburg University of Applied Sciences (THB) with funds to support academic stays abroad. This enables the THB's International Office, in cooperation with the international officers of the departments, to award its own mobility scholarships. Below you will find the programme description for the 2026 funding year. Funding is available for stays abroad beginning in 2026.

Programme line 1: ‘Entry-level programme’

The starter programme awards scholarships for short stays abroad. Funding is available for:

• Specialist courses, e.g. as part of a summer or winter school (5 days to 6 weeks) abroad worldwide

Programme line 2 – ‘Professional programme’

The professional programme provides funding for:

• Internships abroad outside the Erasmus area (1 to 6 months)
• Semester stays at universities abroad worldwide (1 to 6 months), with restrictions in the Erasmus area (Erasmus semesters abroad cannot be funded through PROMOS, see below!)
• This also includes final theses in companies, universities or other institutions abroad worldwide (1 to 6 months)

Erasmus area: Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary and Cyprus.

Combination rules

Erasmus+ and PROMOS: Semester stays that can be funded through Erasmus are generally excluded. However, exceptions apply if there is no Erasmus agreement for the relevant subject area, the Erasmus+ quota for a subject area has been exhausted, or students have already received 12 months of Erasmus funding during their course of study.

Combination with other scholarships: It is not possible to combine other DAAD individual scholarships with PROMOS. It is possible to combine BAföG and/or the Germany Scholarship and/or scholarships from private funds with PROMOS. When combining with other scholarships from public funds or funding institutions in Germany, it is essential that the same funding purpose is not pursued. It should also be noted that students must disclose any PROMOS funding they receive to other funding/scholarship providers.

Total funding period: In principle, students can receive funding for up to six months for study and internship stays within one stage of education (bachelor's or master's). It does not matter whether only one or several funding measures are chosen. Within a new stage of education, students can again receive up to 6 months of funding from PROMOS. There is a restriction on the total funding period for participation in specialist courses.

If you obtain your internship through the exchange organisations IAESTE, AIESEC, bvmd and ZAD, you cannot apply for PROMOS, but you can apply for a travel grant from the DAAD.

Application procedure

Students can apply for stays abroad taking place in 2026 at two different application deadlines:

• By 15 December 2025 for stays abroad in the following year that begin up to and including 15 May 2026, or
• by 15 May 2026 for stays abroad in the current year that have not yet begun or have not yet been completed by the application deadline.

Application documents

1. Application form 2026
2. Description of the project abroad in a meaningful letter of motivation (including a description of the relevance of the planned stay in relation to your previous studies)
3. Transcript of grades
4. Curriculum vitae in tabular form
5. Proof of existing language skills necessary for the successful completion of the stay (e.g. results of university-internal foreign language courses on your transcript of grades, language certificates, proof of previous stays abroad, Abitur certificate, etc. -> the most recent proof is sufficient)
6. Proof of the exact planned duration of the stay
7. In the case of disability (GdB min. 50) or chronic illness: Proof so that, if necessary, a grant can be applied for to cover additional expenses incurred abroad (information on mobility with a disability or chronic illness).

Depending on which academic stay abroad you are applying for, additional documents may be required:

Semester stay and summer/winter school: Proof of contact with a host university must already be provided; ideally, a confirmation of acceptance should already be available.

Thesis: A letter of confirmation from the supervising teacher at THB must be submitted.

Internship: Proof of communication with the internship provider must be submitted; ideally, the internship contract should already be available.

Please send your complete application, unstapled and unclipped, by post to the Centre for International Affairs and Languages at THB (Attn: Christina Strom, Magedeburger Str. 50, 14770 Brandenburg a.d. Havel) or submit it in person (WWZ, Room A.2.41).

Application requirements

THB student:

In addition to students with German citizenship, students with foreign citizenship may also apply for the scholarship if the stay abroad does not take place in the student's home country.

PROMOS scholarship holders spending a semester abroad must achieve at least 15 ECTS credits (regardless of course selection and recognition) in order to receive the scholarship (if this is not achieved, a written explanation must be submitted, on the basis of which a payment will be considered).

Selection criteria

The selection is made in particular on the basis of the quality of the letter of motivation (purpose of the planned stay for the further course of study), the academic performance (grade overview)/qualifications and the existence of the language skills necessary for the successful completion of the stay. Social/voluntary work is also taken into account in the selection process, albeit to a very small extent.

For applications within the framework of the ‘Beginners' Programme’, preference is given to Bachelor's students who are seeking their first mobility experience.

After successful participation in the programme, a report on the experience must be submitted.

Selection process

The selection process at the THB is based on the information provided in the application. The International Office and the relevant departments at the THB are involved in the selection decision.

The application deadlines published on this website apply. The International Office will notify applicants of the selection decision in writing by email within a few weeks of the application deadline. Once the scholarship offer has been accepted by the students, a scholarship agreement will be sent out, setting out the rights and obligations of the scholarship holder and the THB. Rejected applications will be placed on a waiting list as ‘alternate candidates’ in case of scholarship cancellations or further funding approvals by the DAAD.

Scholarship amount

Selected applicants will receive a monthly scholarship and/or a travel allowance to cover the actual travel costs incurred (specialist course participants may also receive a course allowance). The number of months funded depends on the quality of the application, the total amount provided by the DAAD and the number of eligible applications. The amount of possible grants depends on the chosen destination country; see the table overview of possible PROMOS funding rates.

PROMOS is a programme of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), financed by funds from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

DAAD group insurance

PROMOS scholarship holders have the option of taking out international insurance (combined health, accident and personal liability insurance) at the DAAD group rate. You can find information on rates, here.

PROMOS report from the DAAD:

Under the link PROMOS bewegt (daad.de), you will find the report of the same name, in which you can accompany the (fictional) student Lea as she sets out to get to know PROMOS. Along the way, she meets interesting people who tell her in video and audio formats, in texts and with pictures how and why PROMOS has moved them.