Guidelines and Notes

The scholarship guidelines regulate the awarding of scholarships to students, doctoral candidates and visiting researchers. In principle, the guidelines only apply to scholarships awarded by the RPTU from its own funds. If the scholarship guidelines of third parties contain insufficient regulations (e.g. on the selection procedure, the duration of the award, additional earnings), these guidelines shall apply in addition.

The RPTU awards scholarships to promote research and scholarships to promote academic training and further education. The scholarship serves both to fulfil the research task or to cover the individual training and further education needs and to cover the living expenses of the sponsored person during the funding period.

A scholarship can be financed from central funds (funds administered by the Central Administration) or from decentralised funds (departmental, state or third-party funds).

The relationship between the scholarship holder and the scholarship provider is characterised by a trusting partnership. In this respect, the scholarship holder must refrain from anything that could jeopardise the purpose of the scholarship. This also includes extensive sideline activities that could lead to an impairment of the purpose of the scholarship. Furthermore, it is the duty of the scholarship holder to inform the scholarship provider of any illness, absence, additions to student assistant contracts, additional secondary income, etc. The RPTU may impose certain information obligations on the scholarship holder. For example, the funding body may require the scholarship holder to prepare a report on the subject of the scholarship up to four weeks after the end of the scholarship.

The scholarship provider must pay particular attention to the fact that a scholarship is not an employment relationship and must not treat a scholarship holder as an employee. (See also section 4 below).

Furthermore, the scholarship provider must do everything necessary to create an environment for the scholarship holder that is conducive to achieving the purpose of the scholarship within a reasonable period of time.

a.  A scholarship is not an employment relationship.  This means in particular that

- no obligation to follow instructions

- no organisational integration

- no holiday entitlement

- no compulsory attendance

- no social insurance

b. Scholarship holders may not be obliged to provide any specific (scientific) service in return or to engage in any employee activity. Otherwise, there is a risk of loss of tax and social security exemption, combined with retroactive back payments for the RPTU. The faculties and the professors are obliged to observe these principles so that an employment-like relationship does not arise.

c.  The awarding of scholarships is not possible within the framework of projects of economic activity.

d.  Scholarship holders cannot be employed in supervision or teaching. Such activities are only possible within the framework of additional Hiwi contracts, as they are dependent on instructions.

e.  The stipend does not constitute remuneration within the meaning of § 14 of the German Social Security Code IV (SGB IV) and is therefore not subject to social security contributions. No contributions to pension or unemployment insurance are paid and thus no vested rights are acquired.

There is no provision for the termination of scholarship payments in the case of long-term absence, be it due to illness, parental leave, etc. No regulations have been made on this in the scholarship guidelines. Rather, the relationship of trust on the part of the scholarship holder implies that he or she informs the scholarship provider about longer periods of absence. Should the absence be prolonged, a joint arrangement for the continued payment of the scholarship must be found in order not to jeopardise the fulfilment of the purpose of the scholarship.

Scholarship holders are obliged to take out health insurance. As a doctoral candidate, it is not possible to take out student health insurance. Therefore, scholarship holders are advised to obtain offers from various health insurers.

Enrolment is usually required for insurance reasons and should be proven with the application. However, this is not always possible for guest researchers, interns (e.g. 3-month study work in the laboratory) or students in certain phases of preparation for their studies; exceptions are permitted here. It should be borne in mind, however, that there is usually no accident insurance for students and doctoral candidates who are not enrolled. Separate regulations apply to visiting academics. Further information on accident insurance can be obtained from Department 1 (Legal Department of the Central Administration).

The applicant submits the application using the application form provided (initial application, extension application, amendment application), in the case of decentralised funds (third-party funds/state funds, so-called 71 funds) via the supervising professor. In the case of central funds (Deutschlandstipendium, Scholarship Foundation, DAAD), the application is made online directly to the BAföG and Scholarships Department.

The prerequisite for the award of a scholarship is both the qualification of the applicant and the purpose of the funding (promotion of research, education and training). The minimum qualification results from the level of education (higher education entrance qualification, Bachelor, Master, doctorate). It is up to each professor or department or the central selection committee to determine further qualification criteria.

A further prerequisite for the awarding of scholarships is that sufficient funds are available for the planned funding period. The budget department checks the coverage before awarding a scholarship.

a.  Decentralised funds
If the scholarship is to be paid from the teaching area's or department's own funds, no expert opinion is required. In this case, a confirmation of sufficient qualification for the funding purpose is required, as well as information on the source of funds and the cost centre (see form: Application for a Scholarship, last page, to be completed by the funding body).

b.  Central funds

  i.   Studies and doctorate: An expert opinion is required for an application for a scholarship from central scholarship funds (Scholarship Foundation, DAAD). For this purpose, the applicant asks the supervising professor to prepare an expert opinion using the expert opinion form.

  ii.    Deutschlandstipendium: Due to the selection interviews, written evaluations are not required here.

Applications for scholarships from decentralised funds can be submitted at any time. If possible, the complete application documents should be sent to the BAföG and Scholarships Department 4 weeks before the planned start of the scholarship so that the agreement on the granting of a scholarship can be issued accordingly. If foreign students require the scholarship agreement for submission to the Aliens' Registration Office, the date of submission to the Aliens' Registration Office should be noted on the scholarship application. Processing will take place according to the date of receipt. The deadlines for applying for central scholarship funds are published on the homepage as well as through an RHRK circular email.

a.  In the case of funding via decentralised funds

The selection procedure is the responsibility of the funding institution. This means that the funding providers (departments, professors, etc.) can set their own selection criteria. However, the basic requirement is a minimum qualification (higher education entrance qualification, Bachelor's degree/preliminary degree, Master's degree/diploma, doctorate) depending on the funding level or condition; this must be proven by the applicant.

b.  In the case of funding via central funds:

The selection of scholarship holders for scholarships from central scholarship funds is carried out by the central selection committee under the direction of the Vice President for Studies and Teaching. This consists of one representative from each department as well as the Equal Opportunities Officer and one or two student representatives. An exception to this is the awarding of the German scholarships, which takes place in a two-stage procedure. In the first stage, the department makes a preliminary selection; in the second stage, selection interviews are held by a subject expert and an expert from outside the subject area, who decide on the eligibility for funding.

The funding amounts are contained in the annex to the guidelines and depend on the academic qualification. The stated monthly funding amounts represent maximum values, which may be undercut. The amount of the scholarships should make it possible to offer excellent applicants good funding opportunities. Foreign students must provide proof of a minimum monthly amount (analogous to the BAföG maximum rate; if necessary, please contact Department 4.3) in order to obtain a residence permit. The funding amount, supplementary income limits, family allowance and childcare allowances can be found at  Anlage zu den Richtlinien.

The guidelines for awarding scholarships of the RPTU stipulate that a combination with other scholarships (provided the other scholarship provider allows this) or other additional income (e.g. student assistant work) is possible, as long as the specified maximum gross income is not exceeded in the period of approval. The gross income includes all (also tax-free) income (e.g. parental allowance, rental income, etc.).

An existing student assistant job can be supplemented by a scholarship, provided that the maximum gross income is not exceeded.

The scholarships awarded by the RPTU on the basis of these guidelines are in principle exempt from income tax, provided that they do not exceed the appropriate rate to cover living expenses. The funding levels specified in the annex to the guidelines have been agreed with the Kaiserslautern tax office.

The exemption from income tax is also subject to the condition that the scholarship holder is not obliged by the scholarship to provide a specific academic service in return or to work as an employee.

The duration of the grant can be limited to 12 months. This is to ensure that a review of the funding purpose and objective takes place in the course of an extension of the scholarship. It is not necessary to link the scholarship to the semester periods or the budget year (with the exception of central scholarship funds, whose expenditure is linked to the budget year).

The scholarship is awarded in the form of an agreement. This means that public law applies, the scholarship is granted as a so-called public law contract and the Administrative Procedure Act applies. The agreement on the granting of a scholarship is signed by a representative of the RPTU and by the scholarship holder.

Reclaims or the discontinuation of scholarship payments are made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and must be reported to the BAföG and Scholarships Department.

If the scholarship is followed by an employment relationship that is subject to the TV-L, the periods of the scholarship cannot be counted as relevant professional experience for classification purposes, as only periods spent in an employment relationship can be recognised. For more information on this, please contact Department 3.2 - Labour and Collective Bargaining Law.

It is only possible in exceptional cases to award a scholarship following an employment contract with the RPTU (Hiwi contract is not relevant). For this purpose, please fill out the form Delimitation of Employment Contract to Scholarship so that a case-by-case assessment can be made.

First-year students in the first semester and students whose previous career suggests a good degree, who have achieved special achievements in their studies or have demonstrated special social or family commitment and who will be studying for at least one semester within the standard period of study from the winter semester onwards.

First-year students can apply before matriculation. The school leaving certificate can be submitted later.

The scholarship is not subject to any conditions, such as a limit on the number of hours of secondary employment per week.

Due to the decision of the responsible ministry, the summer semester 2020, the winter semester 2020/21, the summer semester 2021 and the winter semester 2021/22 will not be taken into account when calculating the individual standard period of study. Please note that the Deutschlandstipendium is a performance-based scholarship. As a rule, 20 cp should be proven per completed semester. Should this not have been possible due to corona, please explain accordingly.

The extension of an existing Deutschlandstipendium beyond the standard period of study is also possible under the above-mentioned conditions.

First and foremost, scholarships are awarded on the basis of outstanding academic performance or, in the case of first-year students, outstanding school performance. This area accounts for 60% of the total evaluation.

For first-year students (start of Bachelor's or Diplom degree programme in the current summer semester or in the coming winter semester), existing qualifications such as Abitur, vocational training, etc. are evaluated.

For all other students, the assessment of performance is based on the quantity and quality of achievements already made in the current study programme as well as existing degrees such as Bachelor's degree, intermediate diploma, etc.

The area of "social commitment and family characteristics" accounts for 30% of the overall evaluation. The social commitment should not date back more than two years.

Examples are:

    Voluntary work in a (sports) club, in religious communities, in politics
    Involvement in school administration or student university and self-administration
    Illnesses or disabilities
    Caring for own children, especially single parenthood
    Caring for close relatives
    Working in the family business, primarily to maintain it
    Household with no educational background, parent(s) deceased, etc.
    Necessity of gainful employment during studies

In addition, the area of "awards and participation in competitions" accounts for 10% of the overall evaluation.

Additional points can be awarded for successful participation in high-quality to outstanding competitions in the school or subject area, as well as for special awards and prizes, e.g. Abitur Prize.

After you have applied via our online application form, you will receive your application as a PDF by email. Please send the application together with the required documents in a PDF file by e-mail to the BAföG and Scholarships Department.

After the application deadline, a formal check is carried out by the BAföG and Scholarships Department, after which the departments make a pre-selection based on the above-mentioned selection criteria.

According to the pre-selection, the best-rated candidates are invited to an interview conducted by a subject reviewer and a reviewer from outside the subject.

The sponsors may, if they wish, exercise an advisory function during the selection interviews for the scholarships they provide.

The subject evaluator and the non-subject evaluator decide on the eligibility of the applicants.

The scholarships are awarded on the basis of the evaluation by the experts and the number of available scholarships.

Subsequently, all applicants receive an acceptance or rejection letter.

The amount of a scholarship is 300 € per month; half is financed by the federal government, the other half comes from a sponsor (company, foundation, private person, etc.).

The scholarship is paid for at least one semester.

The scholarship is granted for a maximum of the standard period of study.

School and academic achievements are an important criterion for assessing the performance and talent of applicants (Abitur grades, etc.). However, other criteria also count in the selection process, such as involvement in an association, politics or the church, raising one's own children, caring for relatives, helping in the parental business or overcoming particular biographical obstacles. The application and selection process takes into account the applicant's entire personality.

The application is possible from the end of May until the end of June! The exact dates will be published in good time by RHRK-Rundmail.

The selection interviews are expected to take place at the end of September/beginning of October at Villa Denis, Diemerstein.

This scholarship is paid independently of income and parents.

No. The BAföG funds and the Deutschlandstipendium are two complementary programmes. Students can take advantage of both funding opportunities at the same time without deductions.

No. The Deutschlandstipendium is not offset against other social benefits, for example, neither against housing benefit nor against unemployment benefit II in families in need.

The Scholarship Programme Act (StipG) was designed in such a way that Germany scholarships are generally not income subject to tax or social security contributions.

No.

The scholarship will not be paid during the period of leave from studies for personal or family reasons, e.g. pregnancy or child rearing or to care for a close relative. With the continuation of studies, the grant period is extended by the duration of the leave of absence.  An exception to this is a leave of absence for a subject-related stay abroad (e.g. via Erasmus). During this time, the scholarship will continue to be paid despite the leave of absence; an extension of the approval period is not possible.

This depends on the amount and type of scholarship funding. Anyone who already receives talent- and performance-based material support amounting to more than 30 euros per month will not receive a Deutschlandstipendium. This applies, for example, to scholarship holders of the Begabtenförderungswerke (organisations for the promotion of the gifted). Übersicht Doppelförderung.

Scholarships are awarded in accordance with the Scholarship Programme Act (StipG) and the Ordinance on the Implementation of the Scholarship Programme Act.

On the pages of the BMBF you will find further information on the Deutschlandstipendium.