SBW Berlin Scholarship 2023 aims to support young and motivated students from developing countries to study in Germany. Talented students who are actively engaged in social activities who are committed to returning to their home countries upon graduation to contribute to the betterment of their communities, particularly in the education sector are encouraged to apply.
SBW Berlin Scholarship 2023- 2024 funds students to study for either Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in any university in Berlin or Postdam. In special cases, SBW berlin can also fund professional training.
In partnership with other NGOs, SBW berlin offers fully-funded scholarships that covers, tuition fees, allowance, and accommodation for selected students. In return, students are required to return to their home country for 18 months and also to participate, initiate, and implement social projects in Berlin and/or their home countries.
Applicants will be required to submit a project proposal during the application process that will be evaluated and selected students for the SBW berlin scholarship will be required to implement the project.
Read the below article on OPPGATE to learn more about SBW berlin scholarship 2023 – 2024 and how to apply for this unique scholarship in Germany.Â
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SBW Berlin Scholarship Overview | |
City | Berlin and Potsdam |
Funding | fully funded |
Eligible Nationalities | All developing countries |
How to apply | SBW Berlin application form |
Degree | Bachelor’s and Master’s degree |
Scholarship Name | SBW berlin scholarship |
Who can apply for SBW scholarship?
- Nationals of countries who are in need of development from the following regions: Eastern Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa.
- Homeless Foreigners.
- Refugees.
- Holders of a settlement permit.
- Holders of an EU long-term residence permit
- Students from the EU and EEA countries who have previous work experience in Germany related to their studies.
- Students from EU/EEA with a permanent right of residence.
- Those in Germany who are being funded by other institutions to pursue their studies are not eligible to apply
Benefits SBW Berlin Scholarship
Recipients of the SBW scholarship will receive the following benefits:
- Tuition Fees
- A room in an SBW shared student flat
- Travel allowance for the trip from the applicants home country to Germany(maximum allowance for trips within Europe is 500 euros, and 1,000 euros for outside Europe)
- The monthly allowance ranges between 325 -550 euros. Please note that the amount of the monthly allowance you receive will depend on the rating of the project proposal that you submit during the application and that you will discuss during your interview. (you can check the SBW berlin application guide for further information)
- Students usually receive 100 euros per month for book allowance.
Scholarship requirements
Applicants who are interested to pursue their undergraduate or Master’s degree in Germany through SBW program must fulfill all the following requirements
- Must be between 18-30 years old
- Have an average GPA equivalent to a German grade point of at least 2.0
- Applicants must apply before the start of the university or they can fully be enrolled in the first, second, or maximum their third year of a state-recognized university(in Germany or abroad)
- Applications for Master’s degrees should be submitted shortly after obtaining a bachelor’s degree
- Students applying for SBW berlin must prove that they have not stayed in Germany for more than 18 months
- Applicants must not have first-degree family members who reside permanently in Germany.
- Willingness to return to the home country of the applicant to work for 18 months upon graduation from Germany.
- Must have engaged in volunteering experiences or professional work in NGOs
- Ability to prove low net income. The total income of the household should not exceed the average income that is officially stated for the applicant’s home country. This includes all sources of income such as employment, property, business activities, and so on).
Also read: Fully Funded Bachelors Scholarships| Full ScholarshipsÂ
Required Documents
 SBW berlin requires several documents from applicants to submit along with the applications. There are some documents that are mandatory that must be submitted with the application by the deadline, else the application will not be considered. Other additional documents can be submitted if available and some of them will be required later if the student was selected for the scholarship. It is recommended to submit as many documents as you can even if they are not mandatory.
Please note the below documents must be submitted in either English or German. If they are not originally in English/German, you need to translate them. Non-certified copies or translations of the document are sufficient for the application process. However, if students were selected for the SBW Berlin Scholarships and pass the selection process, all documents and/or translated documents must be certified for the verification process.
Mandatory Documents
All applicants must submit the below to apply for the SBW scholarship (without the below documents, applications will not be considered for selection).
- Application Form (You can download the form below at the end of this page)
- Motivation Letter( 1-2 pages)
- An up-to-date CV (the CV does not need to be attached as a separate document, there is a section in the application form which you will download where you can add the information of your CV such as your work/volunteering experiences).
- Transcripts that show your grades
- High School or university diploma
- Information on the net household income (this information should be written in the application form which you will download, there is a specific section for it. Please also attach any supporting documents such as payslips, bank statements.. etc.)
Other Documents
  Applicants can submit the following documents if available
- University Entrance Qualification
- Admission letter to a university in Berlin or Potsdam where you wish to study/or already studying in.
- Proof of language proficiency that is internationally recognized (IELTS or TOEFL) in the language in which you intend to study. This certificate will be required for submission during the verification process if the student has been selected for the SBW berlin scholarship.
- Work, training, internship, apprenticeship certificate, and references.
The below documents are not mandatory but are recommended by the SBW berlin selection committee. Hence, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit them:
- One or two recommendation letters (academic or professional).
- Evidence of net household income. Please note that if the student was selected for the SBW berlin scholarship 2023 , students will be required to submit this document during the verification process.
SBW berlin application form
- Read the scholarship conditions and make sure you fulfill all the requirements
- Download the Application Form (You can find it below at the end of the page)
- Fill in all the required information including personal information, volunteer/work experiences.
- Gather all the required documents stated above.
- Email SBW berlin application form and all documents to SBW email (found below)
Selection Process for the SBW Berlin
The selection process for the BW Berline is divided into two main phases:
 The first phase: During this phase, a number of applicants will be shortlisted/selected based on grades, CV, letter of motivation.
The Second phase: In the second phase, an online interview will be conducted with the shortlisted applicants where they will get to express their motivation but most importantly, talk about a social project(non-profit) that they plan to do and also a detailed project description/proposal will be required for submission in which the applicants discuss the project’s significance, timeframe, budget, funding, steps and so on.
After the interview, and the project proposals are reviewed, a final list of selected students will be announced.
The project proposals will be rated on a scale of 100 and the rating your project receive will influence the amount of monthly salary you will receive.
Other fully funded scholarships in Germany: DAAD Fully Funded Scholarships for Master’s and PhD in Germany
Scholarship Verification Process
The Selected students for the SBW scholarship 2023 have to submit all submit the following documents for the verification process to begin the scholarship.
- A copy of passport.
- A copy of student visa.
- Evidence of the net household income
- Evaluation report for the grade conversion into the German Grading system( from uni-assist or others
- Admission to a university in Berlin or Postdam
- Confirmation of enrollment (if issued)
- Certified copy of the latest school/university with grade description
- Certified high school/university diploma
- Legalization of the highest academic qualification achieved( I,e bachelors, high school diploma) if It’s from a foreign institution
- Certified copies of work, training, internship certificates
- Copy of an internationally recognized language certificate( in the language you will study in)
SBW Berlin can cover the cost of the certification/legalization of documents.
Please Note: During the verification process, final details of the planned social project of the applicants will be discussed and agreed upon and it will become binding. The project description/proposal will become part of the SBW Berlin Scholarship contract
sbw berlin Application
The application for SBW scholarship opens twice a year. The first round of applications starts on May 15 until June 30. The second round starts on November 15 until December 31.
Applications after this deadline will not be considered.
Official links and forms of the scholarship:
Other scholarships