Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences Scholarships for International Students 2026

Most scholarships connected to H-BRS assume you are enrolled in an on-campus degree programme (even if you use online learning platforms as part of your studies), rather than studying fully online from abroad.

Both exist: H-BRS offers a mix of German-taught and English-taught programmes, depending on the department and degree level. For example, the Social Protection (MSc) programme is taught in English, and H-BRS publishes English certificate requirements for specific English-taught degrees.

In real scholarship journeys, students in Social Protection repeatedly described an English-only classroom experience: Aiana wrote, “All of my classes were conducted in English.”

Another practical detail from scholarships: Nawshin Tabassum noted that for her DAAD Helmut-Schmidt route, “DAAD does not ask for a German Language requirement,” because German language training can be funded after selection.

It depends on the scholarship. Many university-linked scholarships focus on merit and engagement rather than age, while some external scholarships have their own rules.

For the DAAD Helmut-Schmidt Programme (which multiple H-BRS Social Protection recipients used), the programme states there is no age limit, but it expects your last university degree to be recent (not older than a set number of years at the time you apply).

At H-BRS, many funding routes are not “subject-restricted” in the way a departmental award might be; instead, they are open across departments and then decided based on merit, motivation, and (often) social engagement. That said, the stories connected to H-BRS show clear subject clusters where students commonly win external funding.

• Engineering / tech (STEM): Examples include English-taught master’s tracks where H-BRS lists formal language requirements (e.g., Autonomous Systems).
• Business: H-BRS has business-focused degrees (and some applicants apply via uni-assist for certain English-language programmes).
• Humanities & social sciences (broadly): A major example is Social Protection / public policy-related study—both Mahnoor Zubair and Nawshin Tabassum pursued Social Protection at H-BRS with DAAD Helmut-Schmidt funding.
• Medicine: H-BRS is a university of applied sciences and does not offer a full medical degree (MD/State Examination). If you specifically want medicine as an international student, you would typically need a medical faculty at a different German university; scholarships may exist, but they would not be “H-BRS medicine scholarships.”

It depends on the funding source. Some options at/through H-BRS are open regardless of nationality as long as you are a student at H-BRS, while other funding is explicitly for international students, and many external scholarships depend on your passport country.

• Open to H-BRS students generally: Deutschlandstipendium (eligibility is tied to being a student at H-BRS, with selection based on excellence and other criteria).
• International-student focused support: H-BRS mentions limited STIBET degree completion assistance specifically for international students in financial need who are performing well.
• External scholarships with nationality rules: DAAD programmes vary; Helmut-Schmidt is aimed at applicants from selected partner countries. In GlobalScholarships stories connected to H-BRS, recipients included Pakistan (Mahnoor), Bangladesh (Nawshin), and Kyrgyzstan (Aiana).

Often yes, but it depends on the programme language. For English-taught programmes, H-BRS lists accepted English certificates and minimum scores/levels for specific degrees (for example, Social Protection requires C1-level English, and H-BRS lists IELTS and TOEFL thresholds among the accepted proofs).

In the scholarship stories, the language-test path varied: Nawshin reported IELTS 8.0, while Mahnoor mentioned submitting IELTS even though she later found it was not strictly required for her scholarship route. Aiana described preparing for TOEFL as part of her application journey.

For German-taught programmes, you would typically need German proof (e.g., TestDaF/DSH) if the programme requires it.

Admission requirements are programme-specific (and can include subject prerequisites, language proof, and sometimes work experience). For instance, the Social Protection (MSc) page highlights requirements like a relevant bachelor’s degree, English at C1 level, and relevant experience/research proposal components.

From the scholarship-recipient side, the stories show that strong grades help, but perfect grades are not always necessary. Mahnoor Zubair wrote, “many people assume you need to have a straight 4.0 in every semester to win a fully funded scholarship, but this is not the case,” and she reported a CGPA of 3.69/4.00. Nawshin reported CGPA 3.78/4.00 (1st in class).

A “good background” usually means (1) strong academics relevant to your target programme, plus (2) a clear story of impact (research, work experience, community involvement), and (3) documents that connect everything logically.

• Evidence of academic strength: Aiana reported a 3.8 GPA in her bachelor’s, and Nawshin reported being 1st in class.
• Research and proof you can do graduate-level work: Mahnoor emphasized research outputs and tailoring every document to the programme.
• Engagement and practical relevance: Nawshin said, “community involvement and job experience are crucial for the DAAD Scholarship,” and she described club work, feminist advocacy, and research assistant experience.

Exact documents vary by programme and whether you apply directly or via uni-assist, but common requirements include identity documents, academic records, and language proof. For some English-language programmes (especially for non-EU/non-EEA applicants with foreign transcripts), H-BRS requires applying via uni-assist.

• Passport (or national ID, depending on the portal)
• School/university transcripts and degree certificates
• Language certificate (English for English-taught degrees; German where required)
• CV/resume
• Motivation letter / statement of purpose (programme-specific)
• Programme-specific items (e.g., Social Protection highlights a research proposal and proof of relevant experience)

Scholarship applicants often submit an additional “proof package.” For example, Nawshin described collecting “academic transcripts, a recommendation letter, job experience letters, and other certificates” and putting most effort into the motivation letter. Mahnoor described making sure her motivation letter, CV, transcript, and supporting letters all “added up” into one coherent story.

H-BRS itself may not charge a separate “university application fee” in the way some countries do, but many international applicants to certain programmes must apply via uni-assist, and uni-assist charges handling fees per application.

If your programme requires uni-assist, plan for uni-assist fees (a first-course fee and a lower fee for each additional course in the same cycle). Always check your specific programme page at H-BRS to confirm whether uni-assist applies to you.