Unlike in other countries, higher academic education in Germany is for free.
Moreover, we offer a range of highly attractive financial scholarships to help covering our students' living expenses. As an applicant for our Master programs, you can apply for the following scholarships:
International students wishing to obtain the degree of M.Sc. Photonics or the M.Sc. Quantum Science & Technology at the Abbe School of Photonics can apply for one of our scholarships during the regular application procedure. These scholarships are based on criteria of academic excellence and are granted regularly for 12 months, and they comprise a stipend of currently 992 Euro per month (budget updated in 2024) and additional German language courses. In very exceptional cases, also scholarships for up to two years are granted, those are then covering the entire two-year Master's degree. Approximately ten scholarships are currently available per year. German students are not eligible for this scholarship scheme. Scholarships can only be awarded to students who are physically in Jena and are studying on-campus, not online.
To apply for one of these scholarships, just mark your interest along with your personal application in our online application portal. In addition to your personal data, two letters of recommendation must be presented. A template for these letters can be downloaded here; pdf, 274 kbhowever, using this template is optional. Please make sure that each letter of recommendation is signed. If one or both referees prefer personalized, free-style recommendation letters, these should contain a quantitative performance statement of yours, a date, and an official headline/stamp from the higher education institution the referee is affiliated with.
Another way to obtain a scholarship for a M.Sc. Photonics degree at the Abbe School of Photonics is via the Max Planck School of Photonics, which offers a Germany-wide photonics scholarship program. Its prestigious and well-funded scholarships are based on criteria of academic excellence and are granted for a period of 5 years, thus enabling our students to enter directly into the PhD phase after obtaining the two-year Master's degree. The Max Planck School of Photonics is offering scholarships that comprise a stipend of at least 1,365 Euro per month and additional German language courses. Up to seven scholarships are available per year. German students are also eligible for this program. To apply, please follow the instructions given at www.photonics.schoolExternal link and mark the Abbe School of Photonics at the University of Jena as your preferred destination.
All students who are either
may also apply for a Deutschlandstipendium. You may apply for this kind of scholarship at an early stage of your photonics studies, even from abroad. Awardees with prospects of excellent study results will receive financial support of 300 Euro per month for a duration of at least one year.
Until 2021, the China Scholarship Council (CSC) provided full scholarships for Chinese applicants holding a Bachelor's degree and working for the Chinese civil service, non-profit organizations or higher vocational schools for 12 to 24 months. In the past, these scholarships were fully compatible with studies in Photonics at the ASP in Germany.
Unfortunately, to our information CSC scholarships are currently only available for PhD applicants, and not for Master's degree studies. For more information, please visit the CSC websiteExternal link.