Scholarships for German Students at US Universities

Fulbright Germany funds master's study in the US

The German-American Fulbright Commission runs the main scholarship built specifically for German students headed to US universities. Its Study/Research award covers one to two semesters of full-time master's-level study at an accredited US university, and Fulbright Germany runs separate tracks for research stays, teaching assistantships, and continuing education. In the 2024/25 academic year, 9,123 students from Germany studied in the US, according to the Open Doors 2025 report , so competition for a Fulbright place is real but not overwhelming if you apply with a clear study or research plan.

You need German citizenship and a completed bachelor's degree before your grant starts. Fulbright Germany opens applications in November and closes them at the end of January for a stay that begins the following academic year, so start your application a full year before you want to be on a US campus.

Check whether your target university funds international students

A small number of highly selective private universities admit international applicants without regard to their ability to pay and cover full demonstrated financial need with grants rather than loans. That group has narrowed at some schools in recent years as funding pressure on international aid increased, so check each university's own international financial aid page rather than rely on a list you saw elsewhere.

Most other US universities still award merit scholarships to strong applicants regardless of nationality, funded through the regular financial aid office rather than a Germany-specific program. Some public universities offer no aid at all to non-residents, while some private ones fund a large share of every admitted international student, so search "international student aid" on each school's site before you apply.

Apply to German merit foundations while you are still enrolled

Germany runs a set of government-recognized merit foundations called Begabtenförderungswerke, including the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and party-linked foundations such as the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung. These foundations select students by academic record and personal engagement, then fund a monthly stipend that can cover a semester or a full degree abroad, including in the US.

Apply before you leave Germany. Most foundations take nominations or applications only from students currently enrolled at a German university, not from students who already moved abroad.

Ask about Auslands-BAföG for a US semester

If you already qualify for BAföG, Germany's state study grant, ask your international BAföG office, often based at a different Studentenwerk than your home one, about Auslands-BAföG. This version pays toward tuition and living costs for a stay of at least one semester outside Germany, including the United States, and income limits and payout rules differ from domestic BAföG. File the application months before your US semester starts, since processing takes time.

Understand what DAAD does and does not fund

DAAD , Germany's largest academic exchange organization, mainly funds international students coming into Germany and German students going to lower and middle income countries. It generally does not fund full degree study in the US, UK, or Canada, since Fulbright and university aid already reach students headed there. Check the DAAD database for short research stays, internships, or language courses, and plan your main US funding through Fulbright, your university, and a German foundation instead.

Search dedicated scholarship databases before you apply anywhere

Germany's federal scholarship database, Stipendienlotse, run by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, lists funding for study abroad alongside domestic scholarships and lets you filter by destination country and subject. University career centers and subject associations also list smaller, field-specific awards that rarely appear in a general search. Check these before you apply anywhere, since a smaller named award in your own field can add up alongside your main funding source.

Time your applications around two calendars, not one

US university admission deadlines and Fulbright Germany's own deadline rarely line up, since Fulbright asks for a strong sense of your intended program before most US universities have made an admission decision. Draft your study plan and target university list before you apply to Fulbright, then update your Fulbright materials once real admission offers arrive, rather than waiting for admission results before you start your Fulbright application.

Graduate assistantships fund many PhD and some master's students

US departments that admit PhD students commonly offer teaching or research assistantships that waive tuition and pay a monthly stipend in exchange for around 20 hours of work a week, the maximum F-1 rules allow for on-campus employment during the semester. Ask the graduate program directly whether assistantship funding is guaranteed for admitted international students, since practice varies by department, not just by university. Ask about the assistantship's health insurance coverage too, since some departments bundle it into the offer and others leave it for you to buy separately.

Combine sources instead of chasing one

Most of these sources can combine, so apply to more than one at once. Fulbright's deadline falls months before most US admission decisions arrive, so start your funding search in your first planning steps, not after you already hold an offer.