PROMOS Study Abroad

• If the Federal Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for the destination country, a PROMOS application is not possible.
• For the funding year 2026, there are three application deadlines: November 1, 2025; March 1, 2026; and June 1, 2026. Please choose the one that suits best for your plans.
• The application must be submitted in due form and time before the end of the study abroad.
• It is not possible to apply more than once for PROMOS funding for the same stay within the same funding year.
• Free Mover: Self-organized study abroad stays that do not take place within the framework of an exchange program of Ruhr University Bochum cannot be funded via PROMOS.
• Erasmus: Additional PROMOS funding of Erasmus semesters or study abroad stays in Switzerland funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Program (SEMP) is not possible.
• PROMOS funding for study abroad stays at one of RUB's partner universities that are completed as part of an RUB exchange program is possible for up to a maximum of six months.
• The admission letter from the host university can be handed in after the PROMOS deadline if it has not been issued by then. (All other documents must be submitted in due time.)
• According to DAAD regulations, international degree-seeking RUB students can be funded in all subprograms, as long as they do not intend to stay in their home country. The home country is defined as the country in which the applicant has had their main place of residence for at least five years. However, exceptions may apply within the RUB PROMOS program to international students who are completing a stay abroad in their home country to do research for their final thesis.

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

To the online portal

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

The motivation letter should be about one to max. two pages in length and can be written in German or English.

This can be created automatically in eCampus or FlexNow and saved as a PDF. Medical students please upload your Zeugnis über den Zweiten Abschnitt der Ärztlichen Prüfung (also known as "M2"). A Transcript of records issued by the Examination Office is also accepted.

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

The letter of recommendation is a mandatory document for applying for a PROMOS scholarship. Without this document, your application cannot be considered.

Template for the PROMOS Letter of Recommendation

The letter of recommendation must be issued by a RUB lecturer specifically for your current PROMOS application. Please note that general letters of reference or employment references, as well as letters of recommendation issued for another purpose or program, cannot be accepted.

PROMOS applicants who already submitted a letter of recommendation for their application for a RUB exchange program of the International Office can also use this letter for their PROMOS application. A new recommendation letter is not required.

The letter of recommendation will be sent directly to the International Office by the lecturer. Please include a short note with the name of the person issuing the letter of recommendation and upload it (in PDF format) as part of your online application.

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

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
• Further certificates for English: TOEFL, IELTS, TOEIC, CAE, Duolingo
• Further certificates for French and Spanish: DELF, DELE, SIELE
• Further certificates for Asian languages: JLPT, TOPIK, HSK
• Native speakers: Please provide proof that the language is your first language by submitting a passport from a country where the language is an official language. In addition (!), please hand in proof of a school or university degree from a country where the language is an official language. The school or university degree must have been completed in the relevant language.

If you are in doubt about your language certificate, please reach out to us early!

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

A confirmation that you have been selected either by the International Office or by your faculty or institute for either a term abroad or a full academic year abroad at an RUB partner university.

As proof of participation in an RUB exchange programme, the acceptance email or the official acceptance letter from the coordinator of the exchange programme can be accepted.

The official admission letter issued by the host university may be submitted later as a single document if admission has not been received at the PROMOS application deadline.

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 you receive other funding, 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.