Published: 8th September 2020, Last update: 4th August 2022
Laura,
Cognitive Science B.Sc.
As a member of Tutor International, I often meet international students. Our group offers help and advice in a relaxed atmosphere about all of the important issues that students from abroad have to deal with. And of course the issues are often about financing their degree. So here’s my advice: Take advantage of the tons of counselling out there and get some support for your search for scholarships and grants!

ISS: For a successful start at TU Darmstadt
Have you been accepted at TU Darmstadt and you can’t wait to get started? Great, we can’t wait to meet you! A great place to start for international students with their questions about studying at TU Darmstadt is the . The ISS supports international students, exchange students and refugee students in all non-academic areas and help to make sure they have a successful start at TU Darmstadt. International Student Services (ISS)
The mission of ISS is to promote diversity on campus and to provide the necessary services in order to meet the needs of international students, to support you when you arrive in Germany and to welcome you to TU Darmstadt. Furthermore, a main priority of ISS is to help make your time at TU Darmstadt your own personal success story! ISS also provides information and advice about visa and health insurance, financing your degree, finding a flat and any other questions about life in Darmstadt.
Scholarships: the perfect help for financing your studies
There are various ways to receive financial support during your studies. Here we present a few of the most important scholarships that you can apply for as a TU student. Our list is only a selection; there are many other scholarships, for example from political or religious foundations. You can get an overview of the various programmes at or the Stipendium Plus. They are definitely worth taking a look! DAAD
Scholarships have the advantage that you don't have to pay anything in return and you don't have to pay back the money you receive – so they help you to concentrate better on your studies. The amount of funding varies from programme to programme and also changes regularly. We have divided the amount of funding into two categories: Full funding (amount based on student living costs) and partial funding (financial subsidy).
The Deutschlandstipendium: definitely worth a look!
TU Darmstadt, with the support of companies, foundations and private individuals, was able to award almost 400 grants for the Deutschlandstipendium each year. That is a relatively large number of grants, which means the chances are good! The Deutschlandstipendium promotes outstanding achievement at school and university, encourages social engagement, experiences abroad, internships, and provides particular support in social, family and personal circumstances that may make being a university student difficult. In addition to financial support, scholarship holders also have access to a network of potential partners in business and industry. This gives them the opportunity to make contacts for their future dream job while still at university.
A graduation scholarship supports international students at the end
Have you ever heard of a graduation scholarship? This scholarship is designed for international students when they are in the phase of writing their bachelor’s or master’s thesis. You can apply if you’re enrolled in a bachelor's, master's or a teaching degree programme at TU Darmstadt and your thesis has already been approved or will be approved within the next six months. More info in the table above!
Students in need
Are you in a difficult financial situation and need support?
TU Darmstadt will help you! The Association for Students in Need (Förderverein der in Not geratene Studierende e.V.) provides financial support in emergencies and special hardship cases. The association members work purely on a voluntary basis and with money from private donations, as well as AStA and TU Darmstadt.
More information about how to find help quickly and unbureaucratically can be found via the . AStA
The Students’ Union also supports you
If you’re still not sure about what help you need and how it all works, the can help. Especially when it comes to the tricky issue of financing your degree, the team at the Student Union can support you with advice and assistance. Student Union
You might also think of when it comes to financing your studies. By the way, this kind of awkward abbreviation stands for the Federal Training Assistance Act (“Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz”), which has provided young people with a whole bunch of educational opportunities since 1971. BAföG supports students, depending on their family's financial situation, to complete a university degree that suits their aptitudes and interests. A pretty cool thing, which by the way is not only valid for German citizens. International students can also apply for BAföG under certain conditions. You probably want to know now whether this also applies to you, right?! Then the best thing to do is to make an appointment with the Students’ Union at BAföGbafoeg@stwda.de.
TUtor International: By students for students
The is a wonderful place for international students to meet. It works closely with the Student Union and international student associations. The team consists of tutors from all over the world and their advice is tailored specifically to the needs of international students. Tutor International supports international students socially, culturally, and professionally as advisors, companions and friends. The team also offers advice on questions about financing your degree. TUtor International Team of the AStA
Tutor International brings together students from lots of countries around the world with a programme of study groups, training sessions, workshops, and consultation hours, but also a wide range of fun activities (cuisines of different cultures and cultural trips, excursions and parties).
Cometogether helps you find the right scholarship
You want to learn even more about funding opportunities? Go and get some advice from the at TU Darmstadt. Because of course, there are a lot of other scholarships that are aimed at international students. Lots of these scholarships are awarded by foundations with various goals, profiles and award criteria. Finding the right endowment isn’t so easy unfortunately because there are a bunch of different requirements for the awarding of a scholarship. For example, there are special scholarships for women, for students with a migration background and lots more. So, it’ll take some research to find the right match. Cometogether-team
What many soon-to-be students don't know is that being eligible for a scholarship doesn’t necessarily mean you have to have the best grades in the whole class. Many of the foundations also look at soft skills and are looking for students active in their community who stand up for social, societal, or political issues. So, your social and volunteer activities outside of your degree programme, with active participation in youth groups s, university clubs s, student communities, student organisations and other kinds of volunteering might be rewarded with a scholarship. But even your heritage, age, socio-economic circumstances (low income, family relationships, need), university location and degree subject, as well as gender may also qualify you for a scholarship.
Find a part time job with "Stellenwerk"
Are you wondering how you can finance your studies? Where you can put what you've learned into practice and gain valuable experience? You would like to look for a job, but you don't know which portals you can trust? Or would you like to work as a student research assistant directly at your department?
TU Darmstadt offers many jobs for students via the web portal . The portal is very popular among students, hundreds of students have already found a job there. New job advertisements – internal and external – are posted regularly. The offers range from student jobs and holiday jobs to internships and graduate jobs. Check it out and find the job that's best for you! Stellenwerk
As an international student, you should be aware of the number of hours you are allowed to work in Germany with your residence permit.

Laura
Ciao! I am Laura and I am majoring in Cognitive Science. I think my degree programme is amazing: I deal with the interfaces between humans and computers every day and I am diving deeper and deeper into the topic of artificial intelligence. This exciting combination of IT and psychology immediately convinced me to study Cognitive Science in Darmstadt.