SBW Berlin Scholarship 2026

The SBW Berlin Scholarship for International Students supports talented young people from abroad who have already shown social commitment and who use the skills they have acquired during their studies during and after their studies in social projects at a non-profit/social organization in their home countries.

• Table of Content
• About SBW Berlin
• SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship
• Aim and Benefits of SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship
• Requirements for SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship

Aim and Benefits of SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship

For the duration of the scholarship (max. funding period is equivalent to the regular period of the study program) SBW Berlin covers the necessary living expenses of the scholarship recipients. The scholarship includes:

• A furnished room in shared student flats at Rudower Str. 67, 12351 Berlin
• Cost-of-living allowance currently in the amount of 480 Euro per month
• Tuition fees
• Possibly also a travel contribution for the journey to Berlin before the start of the course of study and for the journey home after successful completion of the course

Requirements for SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship Qualification

• Foreign nationals, whose home countries appear to have a particular need for development assistance
• Holders of a student visa for Germany or a residence permit with the purpose of taking up or carrying out a course of study in Germany

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Between 18 and 30 years old
• Professional or volunteer experience in the non-profit/social sector (proven by a social institution’s letter of recommendation)
• Able to prove that they have not stayed in Germany for more than 18 months before the application
• Qualification for university entrance
• Intention to work in their country of origin for at least 18 months after graduation or to engage in non-profit work until the repayment plan has been fulfilled
• Able to prove a relatively low net income
• Average grades corresponding to a German grade point average of at least 2.010
• No first-degree family members who reside permanently in Germany
• Application before the start of their university education or fully enrolled in the first, second or max. third semester at a state-recognized university (in Germany or abroad) or application for a master’s degree shortly before or after obtaining a bachelor’s degree.

Applications which do not meet all the requirements stated above cannot be considered.

Students whose studies in Germany are already being funded by another scholarship are not eligible to apply.

Interview date, Process and Venue for SBW Berlin Scholarship Undergraduate Scholarship

• During the first phase of the selection process, the letter of recommendation from the applicants are carefully reviewed. A decision is then made as to whether applicants will be granted access to the application portal. The link will be shared via email.
• During the second phase of the selection process, the application form, the applicant’s grades, and financial situation are carefully reviewed.
• During the third phase of the selection process, an interview or video conference is conducted with candidates who, after examining their application documents, have been deemed suitable for the scholarship program. The interview(s) may include a practical task and discussion of the details of the planned community/social project, including objectives and timetable for the first six months.

Then the final selection is made.

Documents Required for Application

Only complete applications can be considered. Applicants must submit at least the following documents:

• Letter of recommendation from a non-profit organization or social institution or one of SBW Berlin’s partner organization (by email)
• Application form (A link will be shared with outstanding applicants.)
• Project description (two to five pages)
• Qualification for university entrance
• Information about the net household income
• Copy of the last school or university certificate that shows the grade point average and a grade overview
• Copy of the highest academic degree (high school diploma or university certificate) that shows the grade point average and a grade overview.

If available, copies of the following documents should also be included:

• Admission to a university or university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule) in Berlin or Potsdam
• Internationally recognized language certificate for the language in which your studies will be taught
• All already obtained university certificates and records of achievements (graded and ungraded)
• All previous work, training, apprenticeship and internship certificates and references..

We recommend that all applicants submit the following additional documents, which are not mandatory:

• One or two letters of recommendation from professors, schoolteachers, employers, etc.
• Evidence of the net household income

The application and all enclosed certificates and supporting documents must be submitted in German or English. If the original document was issued in another language, we also ask for a translation into German or English.

Non-certified copies and simple translations are sufficient for the application.

After the successful completion of the selection process, certified copies are sometimes required in the verification process.

Check also:
Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UBC 2027
Chevening Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• There is no fixed application deadline; applications are accepted all year round.
• When applying for the scholarship, proof of the applicant’s social commitment in the form of a letter of recommendation from a non-profit organization or social institution is required. The nonprofit organization or social institution submits the letter on behalf of the applicant as a PDF to [email protected]. After carefully reviewing the letter, outstanding prospects will be granted access to the application form.

For more information, kindly visit the SBW Berlin Scholarship webpage.