International Office
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Girl with Graduation Hat

PROMOS stays for the preparation of a final thesis

Research stays abroad for the purpose of writing a final thesis (Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom, Magister, state examination thesis) with a duration of one to six months can also be eligible for funding.

Next application deadline:

June 1, 2024 (11:59 pm, before midnight)



For stays abroad for the preparation of a final thesis (Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom, Magister, state examination thesis) in the funding year 2024

The first application deadline for the funding year 2025 ends on November 1, 2024. Please note that ongoing stays can also be funded, as long as the application can be submitted in due form and time before the end of the stay. Multiple applications for PROMOS funding of the same stay within the same funding year are not possible. If you have any questions, please contact us as early as possible.

Important notes and restrictions

  • PROMOS can support stays of at least four weeks and up to a maximum of six months for the purpose of completion of a thesis.
  • This PROMOS funding is solely intended for the purpose of completion of a final thesis and not the participation in courses at a foreign host university.
  • Possible PROMOS funding will be examined on a case-by-case basis if the applicant plans to receive additional monetary compensation for their research stay. In this case, it is possible that only a mobility grant may be awarded.
  • Unfortunately, stays abroad for the purpose of completing a doctoral (PhD) thesis cannot be funded.
  • Medical students who are doing their doctorate during their studies can exceptionally be funded via PROMOS.
  • According to DAAD regulations, international degree-seeking RUB students can be funded in all subprogrammes, as long as they do not intend to stay in their home country. However, exceptions may apply within the RUB PROMOS programme to international students who are completing a stay abroad in their home country to do research for their final thesis.

Required documents for the online application

Online application

Please apply via our online portal and upload all the required documents.

To the online portal

Curriculum vitae

The CV should be about one to two pages; can be written in German or English.

Motivation letter

The motivation letter should provide a detailed justification for conducting research abroad. It should be about one to max. three pages in length; can be written in German or English.

Description of the research project

This description should include methods, a time schedule and a description of preliminary work/studies and, if applicable, a bibliography; can be written in German or English.

Transcript of records

This can be created automatically in eCampus or FlexNow and saved as a PDF. Medical students please upload your entrance examination (PJ-Reifeprüfung). A Transcript of records issued by the Examination Office is also accepted.

Current enrolment certificate

You can download your current enrolment certificate (Studienbescheinigung) yourself from eCampus.

Confirmation of the thesis allocation

The confirmation of the thesis allocation should be written by the supervising university lecturer at RUB. This can be an informal letter (or possibly an email); can be submitted in German or English.

Subject-specific recommendation letter

The subject-specific recommendation letter is also issued by the supervising university lecturer at RUB; can be written in German or English.

There is no template for the letter of recommendation required as part of the application for a PROMOS scholarship. The letter should recommend the candidate as particularly worthy of the scholarship. The lecturer can address the applicant's academic achievements as well as any (possibly non-academic) commitment, their personality and/or additional qualifications (e.g. knowledge of foreign languages). Curriculum vitae, references and the like can be helpful. Above all, the lecturer should emphasise the applicant's particular suitability for the PROMOS programme.

Usually the RUB academic staff member will send their recommendation letters directly to the International Office. In this case please upload a short note (as PDF) as part of your application, indicating that this is the case. If the letter of recommendation is handed or emailed to you, please upload a scan of the letter. PDF only, please. Please note that we cannot accept your application if the letter of recommendation is not available by the deadline.

Acceptance letter by contact person abroad

This can be submitted in German or English; for other languages, please prepare your own translation. An informal letter or, under certain circumstances, an e-mail will be accepted.

In exceptional cases (e.g. in the case of field research), it may be possible to waive the requirement of a letter of acceptance from a contact person abroad. In this case, please contact us as soon as possible!

Language certificate

Current and valid proof of sufficient knowledge of the working language.

Please note that the language certificate is a mandatory part of the PROMOS application! Only selected certificates are accepted (see below). The language certificate cannot be submitted later and must not be older than two years at the application deadline. If you have any questions, please contact us in due time.

Accepted language certificates are:

  • DAAD language certificate issued by the RUB University Language Center (ZFA)
  • If you are enrolled in a language program, one of your lecturers can issue the DAAD language certificate; please get in touch with the PROMOS-Team at an early stage!
  • UniCert (further information on the ZFA website)
  • Bachelor degree in a philology
  • For English: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, CAE, Duolingo
  • For French and Spanish: DELF, DELE, SIELE
  • For Asian languages: JLPT, TOPIK, HSK

Language certificates that are not accepted:

  • DAAD language certificates that have not been issued by RUB (unless they are equivalent)
  • All above mentioned certificates, if they are older than two years at the application deadline
  • Language course certificates of participation
  • A-level (Abitur) certificate

(If applicable) Copies of university diplomas

If you have already completed a university degree, please submit official proof (certificate and/or diploma) of this - including final grade (!).

Please note that the certificate of general higher education entrance qualification (allgemeine Hochschulreife) is not a university certificate.

(If applicable) Proof of other funding

If you receive other funding and/or monetary compensation for your research stay abroad, please upload proof of the amount and purpose of the scholarship or the compensation respectively.

In case of doubt, the International Office must consult with DAAD whether parallel funding is possible. If you have any questions, please contact us in due time.

After the stay abroad

Documents for returning PROMOS fellows

Please send the following documents, no later than 30 days after the end of your stay, by email to promos@rub.de and complete the PROMOS questionnaire online:

The final grade can be handed in later, as soon as it is available.

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