Metropolen in Mittel-, Südost- und Osteuropa

Benefits & funding

• Annual financial support totals up to EUR 32,992.
• The package includes EUR 300 per month for study costs, a means-tested domestic stipend of up to EUR 855 per month, and health and long-term-care insurance subsidies of up to EUR 137.
• An overseas allowance of EUR 350 per month is available for up to 12 months.
• An in-country intensive language course of at least two weeks is funded up to EUR 1,600, plus up to EUR 25 per day for meals for no more than 20 days.
• Travel support ranges from EUR 211 to EUR 1,188 by destination, and tuition support is available up to EUR 10,000 per academic year.
• Non-financial support includes the Studienstiftung education program, a direct contact for study planning, an alumni network, an online preparation seminar, and an expected networking seminar in a destination country.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be students in any field from the end of their second semester; external applicants who are not already funded by Studienstiftung cannot apply from art or design.
• Eligible study stages include bachelor’s students, bachelor’s graduates entering an eligible first master’s program, and master’s students; doctoral candidates and applicants who have already completed a master’s, Diplom, or Staatsexamen are not eligible as external candidates.
• Applicants need very strong academic results in a broad, intensive course of study; the 2025 program FAQ describes the expected level as at least the top 10 percent.
• Prior knowledge of the destination language is desirable but not required.
• Applicants must study at a state or state-recognized institution in Germany, or complete part or all of their studies at an institution in the EU or Switzerland, and must also meet an applicable BAföG-status or citizenship-and-study route described by Studienstiftung. EU or EU-candidate citizens outside the cited BAföG categories may qualify when permanently studying in Germany toward a German degree.
• The project must take place abroad in Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Croatia, Lithuania, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, or Hungary. Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia are not currently fundable destinations.
• The stay is usually one year, with a minimum of seven months and a maximum of four semesters; it must begin in summer or autumn 2027 and include an in-country intensive language course of at least two weeks.

Application process

1. 1
   Confirm the formal Studienstiftung eligibility route and develop a concrete study- or research-centered project in one or more eligible destination countries.
2. 2
   Download and complete the 2026 application form, then assemble every supporting document specified in that form.
3. 3
   Send the completed form and all required documents as a PDF email attachment to the address on the official program page by 1 October 2026.
4. 4
   External applicants who pass preselection attend a two-day selection seminar in Berlin with individual interviews and group discussions; internal applicants are decided on their written materials by a specialist jury.

Program timeline

1. Application window opens

   1 July 2026

2. Application deadline

   1 October 2026

3. External selection seminar and internal jury decisions

   Late November / early December 2026

4. Online preparation seminar

   April 2027

5. Intensive language course and overseas study begin

   August / September 2027