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Internships, research and writing a thesis abroad

PROMOS Internships

The PROMOS program can fund study-related internships abroad worldwide – except in Erasmus program countries* – in duration of four weeks to a maximum of three months.

_{*Medical students who wish to complete half a "PJ-Tertial" in an Erasmus program country and therefore do not meet the minimum Erasmus funding period (i.e. two months) can apply for a PROMOS grant.}

Next application deadline: March 1, 2025 _{(11:59 pm)}
_{- For the funding year 2025 (January 1, 2025 - December 31, 2025)}

Internships in Switzerland

_{Internships in Switzerland of at least two months (i.e. 60 days) can be funded via the}_{Erasmus internship program}_.

_{Medical students who complete half a "PJ-Tertial" in Switzerland and therefore do not meet the minimum Erasmus funding requirements are eligible for PROMOS funding.}

Important notes and restrictions

Ongoing internships can also be funded, as long as the application can be submitted in due form and time before the end of the internship. Please note, though, that funding is only possible from January 1 of a calendar year and that the minimum funding period of one month must be met.
For the funding year 2025, there are three application deadlines: November 1, 2024; March 1, 2025; and June 1, 2025. However, it is not possible to apply more than once for PROMOS funding for the same stay within the same funding year.
The first application deadline for the funding year 2026 ends on November 1, 2025.
Study-relevant (full-time) internships can be funded for up to a maximum of three months with a minimum funding period of four weeks.
Paid internships: Possible PROMOS funding will be examined on a case-by-case basis if the applicant receives additional monetary compensation for their internship. Usually, only a travel allowance can be awarded.
Erasmus internships: Internships in Erasmus participating countries lasting two months or longer can usually be funded under the Erasmus internship programme. Alternative or parallel PROMOS funding is not possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions!
Special regulation for medical students: Medical students who only wish to complete half a "Tertial" in an Erasmus program country and therefore do not meet the minimum Erasmus funding period, which is why Erasmus funding is not possible, can apply for a PROMOS grant.

Internships that cannot be funded via PROMOS

Internships that are eligible for specific DAAD internship funding programmes (page only available in German) may not be funded under the PROMOS programme. Please check at an early stage whether your internship can be funded via PROMOS!

For internships at the following institutions, PROMOS funding is not an option:

EU institutions
UN institutions
certain NGOs
diplomatic representations of Germany
German Humanities Institutes Abroad
Goethe Institute
the German Archaeological Institute
German schools abroad (DAS)

Here, an individual application to the DAAD is still required. Please check whether, for example, the "Carlo-Schmid-Programm für Praktika in internationalen Organisationen und EU-Institutionen" (page only available in German) or the "Kurzstipendien für Praktika im Ausland" (page only available in German) or other funding programmes are suitable for you. Internships at DSD and Fit schools are possible through PROMOS.

Internships arranged through the following organisations can be provided a DAAD travel allowance, but not PROMOS funding:

IAESTE
AIESEC
bvmd
ZAD
ELSA

You can find information on "Travel allowances for arranged specialised internships abroad" (page only available in German) in the DAAD scholarship database.

In case you have any doubt or have any questions, please contact us in due time!

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.

PROMOS Training agreement

The PROMOS Training agreement is an essential part of your application. A contact person at your internship institution has to provide various details about your internship and confirm that you have been accepted for your internship. Please take care of the Training agreement early as it cannot be submitted later!

Download form

Confirmation of relevance for studies

Must be issued by a representative of your respective faculty/department.

Download form

Motivation letter

About one to max. three pages (incl. a short description of the internship); German or English

Recommendation letter

The recommendation letter must be issued by an RUB academic staff member exclusively for your current PROMOS application. Please note that general reference letters or letters of recommendation issued for another purpose or programme cannot be accepted. The recommendation letter should be about one to two pages and 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.

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.

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 internship fees, other funding certificates

If you receive other funding and/or compensation for your internship, please upload proof of the amount and purpose of the scholarship.

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: