Before we begin, we would love to give you a very big “CONGRATULATIONS,” for your resilient spirit, we know it’s not easy, and we celebrate you.
It is very common for children with disabilities to be left behind, especially in education and it mostly happens in developing countries. In fact, statistics from The World Bank found that primary school completion for children with disabilities in 19 developing countries* is just 48 percent, and as many as three in ten children with disabilities have never been to school.
The beauty of Germany is that lots of higher education in this country provide special specific services for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses. They also provide scholarships for disabled students in Germany, and we’ll be listing them soon.
You should also know that most of the scholarships in Germany are made available for both regular students and disabled students. That means, there is no preferential treatment for disabled students in most scholarships in Germany, but there are exceptions, and we listed them in this article.
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Scholarships for Disabled Students in Germany
1. The DAAD Mobility with a Disability Scholarship
The DAAD is one of the biggest providers of scholarships for disabled students in Germany, and they encourage students and researchers with disabilities or chronic illnesses to spend part of their academic programmes abroad, improve their foreign language skills and cultivate international contacts.
The DAAD provides scholarships worth up to €10,000 in additional costs, to make sure that disabled recipients are allowed equal access to study and research opportunities abroad.
However, the DAAD doesn’t offer special scholarships to disabled or chronically ill students or researchers. Disabled students have to apply to one of the regular funding programmes offered by the DAAD just like everyone else.
2. SRH Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
This is a fully-funded scholarship provided by SRH University Heidelberg to prospective students and students with physical or mental disabilities or health restrictions. To be eligible for this scholarship you need;
- Enrolment or regular application for a degree programme at SRH University Heidelberg (dual degree programmes are excluded from funding) as well as fulfillment of the university entrance requirements and admission criteria for this degree programme.
- Restrictions for your studies due to illness or disability
- Social commitment desirable
3. University of Mannheim – The Erasmus+ Program
This is one of the scholarships for disabled students in Germany that has awarded more than 650,000 German students funds for their education. And, their goal is to improve the competencies and skills that are needed for the world’s labor market, also to promote the modernization of systems of general and vocational education, and children and youth welfare.
Furthermore, Erasmus+ is one of the programs that strive to make sure all students get equal rights and opportunities to study. This is why students with a degree of disability (GdB) of 20 or higher are eligible for a top-up on their grant of 250 euros per month.
Also, the special grant can be combined with the grant for “Green Travel”.
Continuing below, the following scholarships are for both healthy and disabled students in Germany
4. DAAD Master’s Degree Scholarships
This scholarship programme offers you the opportunity to continue your academic education in Germany with a postgraduate course of study. Also, the scholarship will fund the whole fees of recipients and it can last between 20 to 24 months depending on the length of your chosen programme.
The scholarship will also award you €861 per month. Your health, accident, and personal liability insurance are also covered.
5. Hilde Domin Programme
This is another scholarship for both healthy and disabled students in Germany provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The aim of the scholarship is to support those students and doctoral candidates who are at risk of being formally or de facto denied educational or other rights in their country of origin.
This scholarship will provide these students and doctoral candidates the opportunity to begin or complete a study or research degree at a higher education institution in Germany.
6. Heinrich Böll Foundation Scholarships in Germany
The Heinrich Böll Foundation provides scholarships to approximately 1500 undergraduates, graduates, and doctoral students enrolled in any major from any country in the world, annually. Excellent academic record is one of the major criteria to be awarded this scholarship, being disabled might also be considered to some extent.
Candidates also need to be socially and politically engaged.
7. The Deutschlandstipendium
This scholarship doesn’t only provide financial support to the recipients, it also provides material support to excellent and committed students from all nations. The Deutschlandstipendium provides €150 per month to awardees, and the federal government also provides an extra €150 to recipients.
As a Deutschlandstipendium holder, you are also eligible for other awards from otter universities and private sponsors, such as concurrent mentoring programmes, networking events, and internships. Most importantly, this scholarship is available for both able-bodied and disabled students in Germany.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are few scholarships exclusively for disabled students in Germany. As I said earlier, it’s because of Germany’s belief in equality in education.
For most scholarships, the same criteria that apply to a regular student also apply to a disabled student.