What You Need to Know

• Applications are open to regularly enrolled students in Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom, Magister and Staatsexamens degree programs at RUB, who are German citizens, as well as persons who are treated as equivalent to Germans according to § 8 paragraph 1 number 2 ff, paragraph 2, 2a and 3 BAföG.
• Non-German RUB students can apply if they are enrolled with the aim of obtaining a degree at RUB.
• International degree-seeking RUB students can be funded in all subprogrammes, as long as they do not intend to stay in their home country. The country in which the (PhD) student has been living in for at least five years is considered the home country. Exceptions apply to international students who are completing a stay abroad in their home country to do research for their final thesis.
• PhD students are not eligible for PROMOS funding. Exception: medical students who are already pursuing a PhD as part of their regular studies. Also, in the subprogramme "field trips" PhD students can be funded.
• Students who already receive funding from German public funds for their stay abroad cannot be funded through PROMOS. (If in doubt, please contact us!)

• PROMOS funding

A student stay abroad can be funded with a PROMOS partial scholarship for mobility and/or a PROMOS partial scholarship for the stay, depending on the destination country and the duration of the stay. The mobility grant is a one-time lump sum for travel expenses. Please note that the monthly PROMOS grants are only partial scholarships. In contrast to full scholarships, which completely finance a stay abroad, partial scholarships only cover the additional costs related to the stay abroad.

• PROMOS 2026 Funding Rates

The funding rates apply to individual stays of RUB students (i.e. study abroad, internship, stay to prepare the final thesis).

• PROMOS funding for field trips

For field trips organised by RUB lecturers a daily rate of 45 euros per person applies. Further information for lecturers is available here.

• PROMOS total funding period

Basically, a student can receive PROMOS funding for a total of six months within an academic educational period ending with the achievement of a degree (e.g. Bachelor's, Master's, Diplom, Magister and Staatsexamens , but not a PhD). A combination of the funding measures study abroad, internship abroad and/or thesis abroad is possible.

For the participation in PROMOS field trips there is no limitation by a total funding period.

• Travel Warnings Issued by the Federal Foreign Office and PROMOS

When planning and carrying out activities abroad, you are strongly advised to observe the travel and safety instructions and in particular the (partial) travel warnings issued by the Federal Foreign Office.

A PROMOS application is not possible if there is a travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office for the destination country.

If there is a (partial) travel warning issued by the Federal Foreign Office, it is strongly recommended that you follow the advice of the Federal Foreign Office and dot not travel to the region in question.

If, due to a disability and/or a chronic illness, additional expenses abroad are to be expected and other responsible authorities (e.g. social insurance agencies) have rejected additional financial support, an application for PROMOS special needs can be submitted to the DAAD. If you have any questions, please contact the RUB PROMOS team.

There are three application deadlines per PROMOS funding year (January 1 - December 31):

• 1 November

For internships, research stays (final thesis only!), study trips (organized by RUB teaching staff) and for a study abroad (exclusively at a partner university of Ruhr University Bochum within an exchange program of the International Office or a department/institute) in the next year

• 1 March

For internships, research stays (final thesis only!), study trips (organized by RUB teaching staff) and for a study abroad (exclusively at a partner university of Ruhr University Bochum within an exchange program of the International Office or a department/institute) in the current year

• 1 June

For internships, research stays (final thesis only!), study trips (organized by RUB teaching staff) and for a study abroad (exclusively at a partner university of Ruhr University Bochum within an exchange program of the International Office or a department/institute) in the current year

Usually, it takes about six weeks after the application deadline to receive a response.

Please note that within a year it is only possible to apply once for PROMOS funding for the same stay. Nevertheless it is possible to apply for funding for different stays. Please consider the minimum and maximum funding periods. Within each study period (Bachelor or Master) students may receive PROMOS funding for a total of six months. Please weigh which application deadline would be the most suitable for you.

Please note that the first criterion has the highest priority, followed by the other criteria.

• Academic records
• Purpose of the stay
• Motivation
• Language skills
• Letter of recommendation
• Academic progress and potential
• Extracurricular activities and interests
• Formal requirements on the application documents

An internal RUB selection committee, consisting of professors from various RUB departments, selects the PROMOS scholars based on their written applications. There are no interviews. The selection is usually determined approximately four to six weeks after the respective application deadline during a selection meeting coordinated by the International Office.