It's expensive to study in Germany – especially for young people who care for children or other family members while studying or who come from low-wage countries. This can be a real challenge, particularly for very talented students who volunteer in social projects.

"I was largely dependent on my family's income in Bosnia-Herzegovina – and Bosnian income levels are extremely low compared to salaries and the cost of living in Germany. This is why financing my studies was always a precarious and incredibly stressful matter. This is especially true for Baden-Württemberg, the only German state that charges tuition fees for students from countries outside the EU."

Marko Miljević, a politics and public administration student at the University of Konstanz

Investing in the future
For young people like Miljević, the Deutschlandstipendium was launched by the federal government twelve years ago: Private donors – foundations, companies or individual people – provide half the funding for these scholarships for talented students. The German government provides the other half. Scholarship recipients are paid 300 euros each month. A donation of 1,800 euros thus funds a full-year scholarship. Donors can also choose the subject their scholarship should apply to and even keep in close contact with the recipient, providing them with guidance and support as they study.

"In my opinion, education and research are our most important investments in the future. I, too, really benefited from these things, and that's why I would like to give something back with the Deutschlandstipendium. It's really important to me to provide funding for financially disadvantaged young people."

Professor Jahn, who has been an honorary senator of the University of Konstanz since 2016, funds Miljević's scholarship.

"The applicants must have very good grades in order to be among the finalists", emphasizes Silvia Burkhardt, who manages the scholarship programme at the University of Konstanz. "They get an added bonus if they volunteer in social projects or have special responsibilities, like caring for children or other relatives. Financial need is also taken into account".

Focus on studying
Mira Dürr is working towards a master's degree in Biological Sciences with a specialization in disease biology. She applied for the scholarship because she was in a difficult financial situation. She did not have the time to work alongside her studies, and she may have even had to take out a loan to get the required funding. "The scholarship reduced the pressure caused by my financial worries. Now I can focus more on my studies", Mira Dürr says. For her master’s thesis, she developed alternative test methods for chemicals that do without animal testing.

Mira Dürr's scholarship is funded by the foundation "Lennart-Bernadotte-Stiftung". "The foundation is named after our father, Lennart Graf Bernadotte, who made it his mission to support researchers and the important work they do for our society, as well as to mentor junior researchers and promote scientific progress. We are convinced that funding the Deutschlandstipendium is the best way to continue our father's commitment", says Björn Graf Bernadotte, managing director of Mainau GmbH and chair of the foundation board.

How you can support students with a Deutschlandstipendium scholarship:
You too can invest in the next generation of academics! Simply choose your preferred option – a one-time donation or a sponsorship. If you like, you can even choose the subject the scholarship should apply to. If you would like to know more about the Deutschlandstipendium programme, please contact the Relationship Management team at the University of Konstanz. - Contact 
 

Bonus for volunteer work
The applicants undergo a multi-step selection process involving professors from each faculty, students and staff members. The final step is a personal interview that determines who is awarded a scholarship. In Miljević's case, his consistently good grades – at school in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as at the University of Konstanz – paved the way for his scholarship. In addition to this, he volunteered in social projects in his home country, for example in the Red Cross and several other NGOs. While at the University of Konstanz, he joined the United Nations Association student group. In his role as a graduate student assistant, Miljević supported data processing for the project "Ethnonationalism in party competition dataset" (EPAC Dataset).

The Deutschlandstipendium made it possible for him to study at the university in the first place, but he also benefits in other ways: As part of a large network of scholarship recipients and donors, he felt more involved in university life. After finishing his bachelor's degree in the spring of 2025, he plans to pursue a master's degree in Data Science in order to expand his knowledge of the relevant methods. He adds:

"Ultimately, it gave me self-confidence and a sense of belonging. By supporting me in this way, the university also recognized my achievements and hard work, and this motivated me even more. I have felt welcome in Konstanz and in Germany as a whole. Now, I feel like I have a home here."

Marko Miljević

Information about the Deutschlandstipendium and donation options