Neufert Foundation Scholarship — Master's Scholarship

The Neufert Foundation sits in Weimar, Germany, and was set up in 2001 by the Neufert family to carry on the work of Ernst Neufert and his son Peter Neufert. Ernst Neufert trained at the Bauhaus in Weimar and wrote the Bauentwurfslehre, the design handbook that architecture students across the world still work from. The scholarship, running since 2007, traces back to one year in his own life: as a Bauhaus student he spent a year travelling and studying in Spain, and that year shaped his later work as architect, teacher and author.

Two routes lead to the award. A graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture, urban development or landscape architecture at a university in Germany and is taking up and completing a master’s programme at an international university can apply; so can an international student who completed a relevant bachelor’s degree abroad and is taking up and completing a master’s at a German university. More than 40 students have been supported since 2007, and the published list shows two or three awards in most recent years, to people heading for schools such as ETH Zurich, TU Delft, KTH Stockholm and Parsons in New York.

Benefits & funding

A one-time award of EUR 2,500 per scholarship holder.
The money is paid as a single award rather than a monthly or yearly stipend; the foundation publishes no separate travel, tuition or insurance component.
The award has to be paid back if the holder does not take up the master’s programme or breaks it off, unless exceptional circumstances prevent the studies.
Holders are named on the list of past recipients published on the foundation’s own site.
After graduating, the holder sends the foundation a record of the master’s thesis in printed and digital form, and the foundation may publish or exhibit it.

Eligibility

Open to applicants of any nationality. The foundation names no eligible or excluded country.
A completed bachelor’s degree in architecture, urban development or landscape architecture.
One of two routes: earn the bachelor’s degree at a university in Germany, then take up and complete a master’s at an international university; or, as an international student, complete the bachelor’s degree abroad, then take up and complete a master’s at a German university.
Admission to or registration on the master’s programme must be documented. If the university officially announces admission only shortly before the semester, proof may instead be submitted by the end of the first month of the first semester; guest-auditor status is not accepted.
No age limit, no work experience requirement and no gender requirement is published.
Application papers are accepted in German or in English.

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Education required
Bachelor · Master Enrolled

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Application process

1
Download the application document from the foundation’s scholarship page; the 2026 form is posted in a German and an English version.
2
Write a cover letter setting out your motivation, and prepare a chronological CV with a photograph.
3
Add a certified copy of the bachelor’s degree together with the transcript of records, plus a reference from a professor at the school that awarded it.
4
Set out in writing why you chose that particular master’s programme and university, and attach the admission or registration document. If official admission is announced only shortly before the semester, submit proof by the end of the first month of the first semester; guest-auditor status is not accepted.
5
Assemble a portfolio of at least four pieces of work, the bachelor’s thesis among them, in DIN A4 format.
6
Send the complete file by ordinary post — not registered mail — to Neufert-Stiftung, c/o Maringo Computers GmbH, Stolberger Straße 114a, 50933 Cologne. The postmark decides whether the deadline was met.
7
Applications are received between 1 March and 15 May each year.

Program timeline

Applications open for the 2026 round
Mar 1, 2026
2026 deadline, decided by postmark — now closed
May 15, 2026
Next annual round opens
Mar 1, 2027
Next annual deadline
May 15, 2027
The foundation publishes no decision date and no interview stage.