The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes administers this program with participation from the Dr. Alexander und Rita Besser Foundation. It supports graduates entering practical science or foreign-affairs journalism in the German-language media sphere.
Recipients arrange their own internship, newsroom traineeship, or practice-oriented journalism course with a host in Germany or abroad. The work must build practical journalistic skills rather than study journalism as an academic subject. The 2026 application cycle closed on 15 June 2026.
Benefits & funding
- Funding is tailored to the proposed project and may cover accommodation, living, and travel costs.
- The award is capped at €12,000 per year; the actual amount varies with the project and annual cohort.
- Recipients may participate in the Studienstiftung educational program.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have completed a degree in any field with at least the German grade “gut”; law graduates need at least “vollbefriedigend”.
- The intended career must be in science or foreign-affairs journalism, and the proposed work must provide practical training.
- Eligible formats include internships, unpaid or low-paid newsroom traineeships, and practice-oriented journalism education; photography, theoretical journalism research, and foreign-language journalism training fall outside the funding profile.
- A standard project should last at least nine months, although current and former Studienstiftung recipients may propose a shorter project.
- Prior Studienstiftung funding is not required.
- Citizenship is not a single fixed exclusion: German citizens and applicants of any nationality who satisfy BAföG §§ 8(1)–(3) or 61 may qualify; the linked rules cite permanent residence or settlement rights in Germany, recognized asylum, refugee or subsidiary-protection status, and tolerated status after 15 months.
- Outside those BAföG routes, applicants must permanently study toward a degree in Germany and hold citizenship in an EU member state—Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, or Sweden—or an EU candidate country: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, or Ukraine; the Studienstiftung page specifically notes Ukraine and Moldova.
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Application process
- 1Download and complete the signed application form.
- 2Prepare one ordered PDF containing the form, a tabular CV, a narrative CV in German, academic certificates, a one-to-two-page statement on civic or political engagement, a detailed project and schedule, a professional reference, and selected work samples.
- 3Ask an academic or journalist for a one-to-two-page reference covering personal and professional qualities, journalistic preparation, and the proposed project; the referee may submit it separately.
- 4Email the complete application to the program address by the stated deadline.
- 5Shortlisted applicants are invited to a digital selection day, expected in early July, where experienced journalists and a representative of the Dr. Alexander und Rita Besser Foundation decide awards and individual funding.
Program timeline
Applications opened for the annual cycle.
15 January 2026
Application deadline.
15 June 2026
Expected digital selection day.
Early July 2026
Applications are expected to reopen under the published annual schedule.
15 January 2027