Scholarships & Finances

Scholarships & Finances

This page is designed to give you more information on the tuition fees, available fellowships, FAU Germany Scholarships, other scholarships and educational grants.

Germany often has a reputation for being a somewhat cheap place to study. This is mainly because of the very low tuition fees compared to most other popular study destinations. However, this is not the full story and before you apply for MAP you should consider very carefully the financial costs of carrying out a Master’s program in Germany. In addition to general fixed expenses such as living costs or study materials, foreign students have to face costs for travel, fees for visa applications and translations and so on. There are various websites which give information for prospective students regarding the cost of studying in Germany. E.g. the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or the website Studying in Germany give a good overview. Furthermore, you should ask any friends or former colleagues who are studying here about what costs you can expect to face.

A YouTube-video on how to get a scholarship in Germany by FAU students delivers many helpful insights.

Since Winter Semester 2013/14, tuition fees have been abolished in the Free State of Bavaria. Consequently, the only fees to pay consist of the semester contribution to the Student Services fee and to the basic semester ticket.  All university facilities can be used by students free of charge. Exams and administrative procedures are free of charge as well. Language courses, special events (excursions) and university leisure facilities may incur a charge.

CRC 1411 Equal Opportunity Fellowship for pursuing a Master’s degree at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1411 – “Design of Particulate Products” invites applications for an Equal Opportunity Fellowship. Eligible are international female applicants to one of the involved study programs at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg that have been admitted for start in Winter Semester 2025/26. Candidates for the MAP program, among others, can apply for the fellowship.

The fellowship explicitly aims to support excellent female students with an interest in the research topics of the CRC. Holders will be able to establish close contacts with the involved projects and researchers of the CRC and to get to know the scientific topics in detail. Subject to suitability of the fellowship holder and if both parties are in agreement, the CRC will recruit the holder on completion of the Master’s program into the doctoral program of the CRC.

The following support is offered by the fellowship:

  • Financial support: 934 Euro/month over 12 months, starting with the start of the winter semester 2025/26.
  • A student assistant position will be offered as a continuation of the financial support in the second year, upon successful completion of the academic requirement of the first academic year.
  • The fellowship holder will also receive for the entire duration of the Master’s program (4 semesters):
    • Student associate membership in the Integrated Research Training School of the CRC and, with this, full access to all training offers and funding measures provided by the program
    • Admission to all training offers and support measures provided by the equal opportunity program
    • Scientific mentoring by a professor involved in the CRC 1411
    • Priority offers of mini-projects or master thesis topics relating to the research fields of CRC
    • Participation in all (semi-annual) CRC status meetings including board and lodging
    • Prospects for a doctoral position within the Collaborative Research Centre, subject to motivation and scientific performance

The application deadline is 15 June 2025.

Further information on the CRC 1411 Equal Opportunity Fellowship, can be found in the respective section of the CRC 1411 website.

FAU Germany Scholarships (to be confirmed for 2025 application)

FAU supports its top students as part of the Germany Scholarship (Deutschlandstipendium) program. Each semester, scholarships of 3,600 euros are awarded to the most gifted students for one year. The unique feature of this scholarship is that half of the money comes from companies, donors, friends of the university and alumni, while the other half is provided by the German Federal State.

Students at FAU can apply for a Germany Scholarship once a year. Funding amounts to 300 euros per month and is initially granted for two semesters (the winter semester and the subsequent summer semester), which can be extended annually (from the next winter semester) until the end of the standard duration of the degree program. Students must apply again to receive an extension.

The application period for 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 is from 15 June to 15 July 2024.

More information is available on the FAU Germany Scholarship website.

Applicants who are admitted to the MAP program are advised to mention the following aspects in particular in their motivation letter:

  • Name of the program you will be studying: “Advanced Materials and Processes” (MAP). Include a hyperlink to our website.
  • Describe in a few sentences the interdisciplinary character of our program and explain which Focal Subjects you would like to choose for which reason.
  • If you have a background in Materials Science and Engineering or Polymer Technology, please explain this specifically as there are several companies that want to support especially such students.

Other scholarships

Since we are not able to fund all our students and since the competition is fierce, we highly recommend that you also look for other external funding possibilities. Amongst others, the scholarship database of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a broad variety of information regarding this matter.

MAP students can apply for support in order to attend external events (language classes, workshops, conferences etc.) which supplement the program’s academic and professional training program.