Caribbean Beach, Costa Rica – Photo: Julia Ellerbrok

PROMOS – Programme to Increase the Mobility of Students at German Universities

The DAAD’s Mobility Programme provides students from Greifswald with funds for periods of stay abroad for study, internship and language course purposes, as well as for study trips and taking part in international competitions all over the world. In particular, this funding programme provides those students and doctoral candidates, whose plans or destinations are not eligible for funding through one of the other structured programmes (Erasmus+, DAAD programmes), with the opportunity to complete a period of stay abroad. The grants are allocated by the International Office as part of a quality-oriented selection procedure; no direct applications are made to the DAAD.

The following projects can be funded:

Study visits
  • min. 1 month up to max. 4 months (the actual duration of stay can exceed this length of time)
  • the funding cannot cover study fees.
  • doctoral candidates may not apply for this line of funding. Exception: students of medicine who are completing their doctorates during their studies.
  • periods of study in one of the Erasmus+ programme countries are only possible if no Erasmus+ partnership exists. Students who have used up their full Erasmus+ mobility quota can apply for PROMOS.
Interships
  • min. 6 weeks up to max. 4 months (the actual duration of stay can exceed this length of time)
  • doctoral candidates may not apply for this line of funding. Exception: students of medicine who are completing their doctorates during their studies.
  • internships in one of the Erasmus+ programme countries cannot receive funding due to the conflict of interests with the Erasmus+ internship programme. Exception: students who have used up their full Erasmus+ mobility quota.
  • Internships at international organisations (e.g. UN), EU institutions, institutions and organisations that administer EU programmes, German missions abroad, the German humanities research institutes, the Goethe Institutes (GI), the German Archaeological Institute, as well as German international schools (DAS) cannotreceive PROMOS funding. Please send your application to the DAAD [de].
Completion of Dissertations/Theses
  • min. 1 month up to max. 4 months (the actual duration of stay can exceed this length of time)
  • periods of stay abroad for completing dissertations/theses, e.g. qualitative/quantitative interviews and research projects in archives.
  • can be completed either at companies or universities. dissertations/theses that are not being completed at a company or a university can only receive funding if the application contains a detailed timeline and an additional declaration of unlimited support from the subject area.
Subject Courses
  • students and doctoral candidates who would like to take part in subject courses that are related to their studies or doctorates and taking place at universities or academic organisations abroad.
  • subject courses include e.g. summer schools and workshops at universities. Further information is available here.
Language Courses
  • min. 3 weeks up to max. 4 months
  • students and doctoral candidates who would like to take part in language courses that are relevant for their studies or doctorates and are provided by state-run universities abroad
Study Trips / Excursions

Group study trips to destinations all over the world can receive funding through the PROMOS programme. Find out more here.

The following projects can not be funded:

Stays in the Erasmus+ area

An application is generally not possible for study and work placements in the Erasmus+ area. You can apply directly for funding in the Erasmus+ program, either for studying at a partner university with Erasmus+ or for the Erasmus+ internship.
Funding for a study stay in the Erasmus+ area is only possible if there is no Erasmus+ agreement with the partner university or if another Erasmus+ stay abroad is excluded.

DAAD scholarships / Goethe-Institutes

Internships that are eligible for specific DAAD internship programs may not be funded by PROMOS. These are internships at international organizations, EU institutions, institutions and organizations that administer EU programmes, the German missions abroad, the German Humanities Institutes, the Goethe Institutes (GI), the German Archaeological Institute and the German Schools Abroad (DAS). Further information: Internship placement - DAAD.


Financial support

The University of Greifswald awards PROMOS scholarships for projects up to a maximum of four months. The actual duration of your stay abroad may be longer. PROMOS funding for individual projects consists of one of the following funding components:

Components Type of Payment Funding Amount
Partial scholarship payment monthly basis between 350€ and 550€
Travel flat-rate one-time depending on destination country
Course fee flat-rate one-time 500€

You can see the amount of the lump sums by country in the DAAD overview of PROMOS funding rates 2024.

 

Travel warnings and crisis preparedness list of the Federal Foreign Office

We strongly advise you to inform yourself about and observe the travel and safety advice issued by the Federal Foreign Office before you travel and throughout your trip.

Travel advice contains information about a country's entry regulations, medical advice, criminal or customs law. 

Safety advice draws attention to particular risks for travelers and Germans living abroad. They may contain recommendations to avoid or restrict travel. If necessary, travel that is not absolutely essential or all travel is advised against. 

Travel warnings for a country or partial travel warnings for regions of a country contain an urgent appeal from the Federal Foreign Office to refrain from traveling to a country or region of a country. They are only issued if travel to a country or a specific region of a country must be warned against due to an acute danger to life and limb. If the Federal Foreign Office issues a travel warning for the region in question, no funding is possible! In the event of a travel warning issued during the stay, we reserve the right to reclaim the funding or parts thereof.

All applicants are advised to register on the crisis prevention list at the Federal Foreign Office before departure: Electronic registration of Germans abroad.  The local missions abroad can then contact you quickly if necessary or in exceptional situations.

International Office
Roberta Wirminghaus
Domstraße 58a, Ground Floor
17489 Greifswald
Tel.: +49 3834 420 1112
promosuni-greifswaldde

Application deadlines

  • November 15 for project start from January to the end of June of the following year
  • May 15 for projects starting from July to the end of December of the current year
Testimonial Florin

"Now I just needed money. I did some research and everything seemed to fall into place. However, I applied for BAföG abroad three months in advance instead of the recommended six months, so the much-anticipated approval of almost €10,000 only arrived a few days after my last exam. Together with another €1000 or so from the PROMOS scholarship, I was able to cover almost all the costs."
(Florin, university exchange semester in Australia)

He and other outgoers talk about their experiences abroad in our blog Greifswald goes International [de] and in our Podcast [de].