The Studienstiftung (German National Merit Foundation) is an
institution supported largely by the German government that grants
competitive scholarships to approximately ¼ percent of the German
university student population. Awards are made after a
multi-stage selection process and are based on grades,
specialized exams, letters of recommendation, personality and
character, and interviews with staff and affiliates of the
foundation. Under the principles of uniformity and open access
currently characteristic of German universities, the
Studienstiftung serves as the main instrument to recognize and
support the student elite in Germany.
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- The main branch of the German National Merit Foundation, based in Bonn,
can be reached at:
- Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Ahrstraße 41
53173 Bonn, Germany
+49-228-820960 (Phone) and +49-228-82096103 (Fax)
- The Berlin branch of the German National Merit Foundation can be reached at:
- Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Jägerstraße 22/23
10117 Berlin, Germany
+49-30-20370 -614/-442 (Phone) and +49-30-20370 -433 (Fax)
- The Studienstiftung can also be reached by electronic mail and internet via
- The main representative in charge of the North America programs is currently
- If you are a scholar or alumnus of the Studienstiftung, you can enter the
DaidalosNet-intranet for further
reference and resources.
A user-login and password are required to obtain access to this service.
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The Studienstiftung offers its scholars a network of services
and support. Besides financial assistance the scholars have the
opportunity to participate in the so-called Sommerakademien
(summer universities) and are encouraged to spend part of their
university education abroad. The most important means of support are
- Scholarship: Scholars receive financial support depending on family income; the support is higher for the scholars in the process of completing a dissertation.
- Library Support: Every scholar is awarded about $100 per
month for the purchase of books and other scholarly material.
- Foreign Studies Programs: The Studienstiftung
encourages its Scholars to receive part of their education abroad
and offers special financial support and programs.
- Special Initiatives: The Studienstiftung offers
financial support for worthy special initiatives for which other
support cannot be obtained easily.
- Advice: Every scholar is in close contact with other
scholars as well as professors locally representing the
Studienstiftung.
- Summer Academies: One of the most popular programs are
the summer academies, at each of which around one hundred scholars
participate in one of five to ten parallel specialized two week
block courses. The academies usually take place in southern Germany,
Austria, Northern Italy, and other places. In the last years the
Studienstiftung began cooperations with similar organizations
from Switzerland and France to organize combined academies.
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As part of the support for studies in foreign countries, the
Studienstiftung maintains a variety of
Exchange Programs in the US, most of which are listed in the
yearly Studienstiftung report Wissenschaft und Praxis.
One of these programs is a cooperation with the Departments of
Physics and Mathematics at Michigan State
University, which offers support for studies of one year or more.
As part of the program, scholars receive an assistantship from MSU,
and additional financial support is provided by the Studienstiftung.
Besides these official programs, the Studienstiftung also
encourages its scholars to try to organize foreign study or a program
on their own. A List of Scholars that are
currently or have recently been in the United States can be found
here. In order to provide information about
additional programs not listed there, please send
an email to Martin Berz.
The Studienstiftung arranges annual meetings for those scholars
currently studying in the United States. Recent meetings have been in Boston, Pasadena and Washington.
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There are a variety of other places where you can find information on
the German National Merit Foundation.
- The Studienstiftung in Wikipedia A brief description of the
Studienstiftung.
- The Daidalosnet
An internal communication
and information platform of the Studienstiftung. Requires official user
authentication from the Studienstiftungs headquarters.
- The Stifti Wiki
This Wiki for current and former Studienstiftlers is, according to the home page,
"an inofficial representation of the collected knowledge of the current and
former Studienstiftlers in the Internet". Wow. In German.
- Stifti-Treff in Boston
This website is maintained by scholars in the Boston area and offers
a lot of infromation for incoming students. In German.
- Studienstiftung-Page Ilmenau maintained by scholars at TU Ilmenau,
"THE inofficial homepage of the Studienstiftung", offers a wealth of
information. In German.
- Stifti-Treff Berlin
This is a quite extensive website about the activities of a group of
scholars in the german capital. In German.
- City Group Heidelberg Extensive pages, mostly local but also
some general information. In English and German.
- Studienstiftung
Initiativgruppe Dresden This site from students at
the technical university of Dresden. In German.
- Studienstiftung an der
TU Clausthal. In German.
To have other web sites included, please send e-mail to
Martin Berz.
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The Daedalus Medal of the German National Merit Foundation
To find out more about the Daedalus Medal that is shown at the
top of this page, follow
this link.
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