Cost of living and funding options
The cost of living in Passau
You should budget for a minimum of €861 per month for accommodation, food, transport and other activities; this sum does not yet include your health insurance contributions! Nevertheless, your actual cost of living will vary depending on your lifestyle, and so you should treat this figure as an absolute minimum.
The University of Passau does not charge tuition fees. However, you have to pay a contribution of currently (as of winter semester 2021–22) €87.00 per semester at matriculation and re-registration. Much of this semester contribution goes to the student services association, which runs the refectory, cafeterias and halls of residence, among other things. The semester contribution also includes the fee for a semester bus pass for buses operated by Stadtwerke Passau (SWP).
In course of the corona pandemic, which is also affecting students a number of scholarship opportunities and assistance are being offered. Further information can be found on the corresponding website.
Scholarships and student grants
Video: scholarships for international students
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Scholarships are usually awarded on the basis of academic performance; the applicant's financial situation only plays a minor role in the decision. For this reason scholarships (particularly scholarships which are granted by the University of Passau) are not awarded before the start of the period of study.
If you wish to apply for a scholarship before coming to Germany, please contact the German Embassy or German Consulate in your home country well in advance.
Funding options offered by the University
International students faced with financial hardship and are thus unable to finance their cost of living and their studies, may apply for a one-off grant under the 'Promotion of Internationalisation' programme. You must have studied at the University of Passau for at least two full semesters before you can apply for this grant.
Despite its name, which translates as 'Germany scholarship', this scholarship is available to all students, regardless of citizenship. This scholarship, with a stipend of 300 euros per month, runs for one year and you may re-apply in subsequent years. For further details, visit the Deutschlandstipendium page.
Funding options from external institutions
A very small number of students are eligible for support under the German Federal Education Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföG). Under certain conditions refugees, stateless persons and EU students with children can be awarded a BAföG grant. For details, contact:
Student Services Association (Studentenwerk)
Amt für Ausbildungsförderung
Innstr. 41
94032 Passau
Germany
Phone: +49 851 509 ext. 1904, 1905 or 1906
Graduates from German international and partner schools who are setting out on a degree programme in Bavaria may obtain scholarships from BayBIDS.
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides scholarships to international students, and its scholarships database also lists many scholarships from third-party institutions.
The scholarship programme "Hilde Domin Programme" of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) aims to support students and doctoral candidates worldwide respectively with a recognised refugee status and/or an entitlement to asylum who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied educational rights in their country of origin, due to their ethnic, sexual, gender or religious identity and/or their political or civic engagement, to take up or continue their studies in Germany in order to obtain a degree or doctorate at a German university.
Students and doctoral candidates from different disciplines can be nominated,
- who can prove or credibly demonstrate a threat to their personal well-being or safety (e.g. physical violence, arrest, denial of civil and educational rights, etc.) to the nominating institution
- who are in possession of educational certificates that enable entrance to a higher education institution and warrant the pursuit of a desired higher education qualification according to the www.anabin.de database
- who, as a rule, have not been staying in Germany for longer than 15 months at the time of the application deadline.
Further information can be found on the DAAD programme website.
How can I be nominated by the University of Passau?
In order to be nominated by the University of Passau as a possible candidate for the DAAD scholarship programme, you must first apply at the International Office. Please ensure in advance whether you are eligible to apply at all. You must fulfil certain requirements in order to be enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree programme at the University of Passau (https://www.uni-passau.de/en/apply/). Further information can also be found on the DAAD programme website. If you have any questions, you may contact the Student Registration Office (registry@uni-passau.de) or the Academic Advice Service (advice@uni-passau.de) directly. Please submit your complete application documents (one PDF-file) afterwards. Bachelor's or Master's students who are already enrolled at a German higher education institution may apply for a scholarship in the degree they are aiming for until the end of their second semester.
Please note: You are required to hand in copies of your documents and if necessary, provide German or English translations of documents which are in the national language of your country of origin or present residence. In addition, the DAAD reserves itself the right to request certified copies of all documents handed in, if necessary.
Once we have checked your documents, we will inform you if we will nominate you to the DAAD. Potential candidates are nominated to the DAAD via the University Executive. Based on a plausibility check by the DAAD, suitable candidates will be contacted by the DAAD in the next step and invited to apply via the DAAD's online application portal.
If you have any further questions about the Hilde Domin Programme, please do not hesitate to contact us! Stefanie.Dallmeier@uni-passau.de
Nomination and application deadlines
Planned start of studies winter semester 2023/24
(an earlier start of studies is only possible if you already have sufficient proficiency of German or English at the time of nomination)
- Applications at the University of Passau: 15.07.2022
- Nominations of the University of Passau to the DAAD: 15.07. until 15.09.2022
- Applications of the nominated candidates at the DAAD: 16.09. until 28.10.2022
We would also like to ask you to refrain from making a request if you have already been nominated by another public institution. Double nominations to the DAAD do not increase your chances of receiving a scholarship!
Students coming to Passau on the basis of the ERASMUS programme receive scholarships through their own university. Please contact the programme co-ordinator or the International Office at your home university for further details.
The Protestant Student Community (Evangelische Studierendengemeinde; ESG) has compiled a scholarship guide (in German) for students with undergraduate, postgraduate and postdoctoral qualifications from Eastern European countries.
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