German at Home and Abroad

The purpose of the S. Knapple Scholarship Fund is to support annually a Scholarship or Fellowship for undergraduate or graduate students pursuing a concentration in the study of the German Language.

The Knapple scholarships are awarded every year on a competitive basis and can range from between $300 to $5000. These scholarships have helped students in a variety of ways to pursue their German studies.

The call for applications from German majors and minors usually goes out in the fall semester and is awarded in late fall or early spring. Applicants:

• must be a declared German major or minor,
• one letter of recommendation (provide contact information)
• submit an unofficial copy of their transcript,
• submit an essay detailing why the applicant is pursuing a degree in German
• explain how the funds will help them continue to pursue a degree in German

Visit UMBC’s central website for scholarships, Scholarship Retriever to submit your application.

The purpose of the Plogman Scholarship is to provide funds to support scholarships for students majoring in Modem Language, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Applicants:

• must be declared MLLI majors
• include one letter of recommendation
• submit an unofficial copy of their transcript
• submit an essay detailing why the applicant is pursuing a degree in German
• detail how the scholarship would help the applicant to pursue their studies of German

Visit UMBC’s central website for scholarships, Scholarship Retriever to submit your application.

• The first required step is to attend Study Abroad 101, a 30-minute presentation by the Education Abroad Office staff that covers the fundamentals for UMBC students’ studying abroad.
• If you are planning to study abroad and don’t know where to start searching, you can meet with a Peer Advisor, a UMBC student who has studied abroad and been trained to help you identify a program. Schedule a peer advising appointment by emailing peeradvisors@umbc.edu.
• After attending Study Abroad 101, the students’ responsibility is to contact our office at educationabroad@umbc.edu to schedule an advising appointment with the Education Abroad Advisor to discuss the next steps, finding a program, courses, and financial aid & scholarships.
• This link will take students to our portal with 30 program options in Germany, which include our exchange partner Kassel and approved affiliate study abroad programs. There are also options available with our partner, ISEP Exchange.

• The CBYX program for Americans consists of three phases:
  • Intensive Language Training: Two months of intensive German language training
  • Study Phase: One semester of classes in one’s academic or career field at a university, technical, or professional school
  • Internship Phase: Three to five month internship in one’s career field
• 65 US Citizens to Germany and 65 Germans to the US yearly.
• Any major: CBYX is open to candidates in all career fields, and applicants from a broad range of backgrounds are selected for the program each year.
• STEM majors: most STEM programs are run in English, so limited German is fine; non-STEM majors need higher levels of German to be able to be placed in university and internship (ideally level B2 or higher).
• Best for graduating seniors: participants must be 18½–24 years old on August 1st of the program start year, they must be strongly interested in Germany and in world affairs, and they must exhibit clear career goals and relevant experience in their career field, which includes work, internships, or volunteering. Participants are expected to act as “young ambassadors” of the United States in Germany.
• Applicants must complete an online application and submit all supplemental materials by November 1 for the program year beginning the following July. Application includes an interview; practice interview with the Office of Global Engagement is a MUST.
• The application will open September 1; submission deadline is November 1.
• Administered by Cultural Vistas  cbyx@culturalvistas.org.
• Follow this link for information about CBYX.

• The IPS program involves a number of special events, seminars and a work placement with a Member of the German Bundestag.
• IPS is open to well-qualified and highly motivated young people who are open to new ideas, interested in politics, and wish to play an active and responsible role in shaping the democratic future of their country. ⇒ ideal for majors in history, global studies
• Successful candidates will be chosen based on their professional, social, language and intercultural skills by an independent selection panel set up by the German Bundestag with the involvement of the Berlin universities.
• U.S. citizen (dual nationality is permitted) program applicants must have a college degree, very good (certified B2+) knowledge of German, familiarity with German politics, society and history, and be under the age of 30 at the start of the scholarship.
• Contact Office for Global Engagement for support in preparing this application.
• Application: 1 May – 31 August
• For information about IPS from the German Missions in the United States, follow this link.
• For information about IPS from the German Bundestag (Parliament), follow this link.
• For information about IPS in German, follow this link.

• Ideal for summer after junior year; competitive, best for GPA ≥3.2
• Graduate students or recent graduates may want to consider the RISE Professional program.
• Students research three labs from the website and explain in the application how/why they would be a good match for that lab; they are matched with a host university or institute according to their area of interest (biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences, engineering, or a closely related field).
• DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst / German Academic Exchange Service) provides students a monthly stipend for three months to help cover living expenses.
• Host universities, universities of applied sciences (UAS) and institutes provide housing assistance and match students with Ph.D. student mentors or researchers (only UAS).
• German language is not required in the lab, as there the working language will likely be English, but some knowledge of German will make living in Germany much easier and the experience more rewarding.
• Deadlines:
  • Applications due October 15 – November 30
  • Letters of reference due October 15 – December 15
  • Ranking by providers January
  • Announcement of RISE internship positions February/March
• General information about RISE Germany.
• What applicants need to know
• RISE application portal

• GERMANY: ~100 Grants, Primary through Secondary School, Vocational/Technical School, or Other Educational/Community Institution; 12 hours/week; intermediate German required
  • Link to the Fulbright Germany page with a description of the program
  • Link to the Fulbright US Student Program page with information about ETA in Germany
  • The application cycle opens in April and ends in October.
  • BA/BS required; consult the Fulbright Program Advisor at the Office of Global Engagement

• SWITZERLAND: ~6 Grants, Secondary School, Vocational/Technical School12 hours, 12 hours/week; some German required
  • Link to the Fulbright US Student Program page with information about ETA in Switzerland

• AUSTRIA: Austrian US Teaching Assistantship Program is NOT part of the Fulbright Program, but rather an Austrian government program administered by Fulbright Austria on behalf of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education:
  • You can apply as a graduating senior but must have your degree in hand before you assume your position and start teaching English in Austria. Fulbright Austria must receive your final transcript by 20 August.
  • Application Period: 15 November –15 January
  • Those interested in applying for US Fulbright student awards in Austria should consult the US Fulbright student page which includes two awards that combine teaching with the student grant:
    • Combined Grant: Study, Research, and Teaching Assistantship
    • Community-Based Combined Grant

• Link to the Fulbright Germany page
• For recent bachelor’s graduates, current master’s students and PhD students in all disciplines
  • must put together a serious research plan; easier in STEM fields as there tends to be closer collaboration with/supervision by mentors in a lab; more difficult in arts and humanities
• You pursue full-time graduate study for two academic semesters, or cooperate with existing research groups at German universities
• The six to ten-month grants usually start in mid-September and require formal matriculation at a German university or affiliation with a German research institution.
• Aimed at highly motivated and academically outstanding participants who are committed to fostering academic and cultural exchange between Germany and the US
• Requirements:
  • US citizenship; applicants with US-German dual citizenship are not eligible
  • Strong academic background (≥3.5 GPA)
  • A meaningful letter of invitation from the intended German host institution
• The application cycle opens in April and ends in October.
• You MUST consult the Fulbright Program Advisor at the Office of Global Engagement
• Postdocs, see Fulbright Scholar Grant
• US Fulbright Website

• Link to the Fulbright Switzerland page
• The Fulbright program in Switzerland offers academic research scholarships to excellent students who have a clear research goal. Applications within the framework of a cooperative program between the candidate’s home academic institution and an academic institution in Switzerland have some priority. Candidates with the intention of pursuing an academic career (i.e. doctoral candidates) will be given priority.
• You MUST consult the Fulbright Program Advisor at the Office of Global Engagement

• Link to the Fulbright Austria page
• You MUST consult the Fulbright Program Advisor at the Office of Global Engagement