Photo collage of portrait photos of various students at the University of Bayreuth who are supported by a BayWa-funded Deutschlandstipendium scholarship

Our scholarship holders

The University of Bayreuth is eager to nurture the new culture of scholarships developing in Germany. It creates enthusiastic and highly talented students, and establishes tight-knit networks of sponsors, alumni, students, and university. There is no better way to support the outstanding young talent of tomorrow.

"The social commitment of our current and former scholarship holders, who now number almost 240, is very important to us," says University President Prof. Dr. Stefan Leible. Scholarship holders supervise and teach junior students, take part in demanding international student competitions, and work as research assistants. Outside the University, they organize church youth camps and scout jamborees, lead the trombone choir, or teach German to refugees.

To illustrate, a few of our scholarship holders introduce themselves below. In the 2020/2021 winter semester, a total of 56 young people at the University of Bayreuth will be supported by a Deutschlandstipendium.

Scholarship holder voices

Sport is so much more than just exercise for me. Sport brings people of different cultural backgrounds together, sport means passion and gives strength, sport creates space for discourse, sport manages to unite society. Because these values are of great importance to me and I wanted to become part of this unique world, I decided to study Sport, Business & Law at the University of Bayreuth. As one of the first selected for the double degree programme with Ohio University, I also have the opportunity to understand sports management in an international context. The Deutschlandstipendium helps me stay focused despite this double workload, and allows me to exchange ideas with sponsors and fellow scholarship recipients.

Lisa Bäumler, Sport, Business & Law B.Sc.

I have been interested in the legal background of things ever since I trained as a tax clerk, so studying law was the logical next step for me. I chose the University of Bayreuth not only because of the excellent reputation of our University, but especially because of the interdisciplinary orientation of the faculty and the law programme in Bayreuth. This is demonstrated, among other things, by offers such as its additional training in economics for lawyers. This gives you the opportunity both to appreciate the bigger picture and to develop a profile for yourself. The additional training also provides you with a good understanding of the economic basis of the many subjects that are dealt with from a legal perspective, for example, in my major field of study, corporate and tax law. The Deutschlandstipendium gives me financial independence, which enables me to focus on my studies, and at the same time, still have time for other commitments outside of my studies. In addition, the Deutschlandstipendium offers me the opportunity to make interesting contacts with sponsors and fellow scholarship recipients.

Janik Bischoff, Law

In my home country of Namibia there is no state or private educational sponsorship, so I’m especially happy and proud to have received the Deutschlandstipendium. Through the financial support, I can give my undivided attention to my studies, and I am more financially independent. I can even do internships that may not be paying positions. As part of the Deutschlandstipendium, I will have the chance to meet face-to-face with international sponsors and enterprises, and so gain insights early on, into the directions my studies could take.

Hannah von Rhein, Bachelor of International Economics & Development

Being an engineer is a way of life. For me, it means wanting to make the world a little bit better in any possible way, and to do better every day myself. The Mechanical Engineering degree programme at the University of Bayreuth offers numerous opportunities for further education, and not just in the theoretical sense, but also in its strong practical orientation. To this end, for the past five years, I have been leading various projects in the University's Elefant Racing Bayreuth e.V. Formula Student Team,  which every year develops and manufactures a new, electrically powered – and in the meantime also autonomously driving – racing car. Actually, I am dealing with the future of mobility in my master's thesis. This is about the structural design of the solar panels of a nanosatellite at Fraunhofer EMI in Freiburg. The Deutschlandstipendium (Germany Scholarship) allows me to devote all my energies to my  task, and to establish the all-important contact with sponsors, even before entering professional life.

Felix Völkl, Master of Mechanical Engineering

The law degree programme at the University of Bayreuth stands out for, among other things, its interdisciplinarity, its encouragement of stays abroad, as well as the opportunity for personal development through student institutions, for example student legal advice. As a law student, the Deutschlandstipendium has increased my financial independence. During my stay in England at the University of Bristol, supported by the University of Bayreuth, I was able to take advantage of the full scope of advantages and opportunities of a master’s degree course abroad. And without the time constraints of a part-time job, I am able to pursue my commitment to pro-bono legal advice, and am a member of the Bristol Law Clinic. I will definitely contribute the practical and theoretical experience I gained during my LL.M. course back in Bayreuth in my conversations with fellow students, fellow scholars, and sponsors.

Christian Albrecht, Law

“Who still needs philosophy today?” To which philosophers counter true-to-form: What do you mean by “need”? Bayreuth’s “Philosophy & Economics” programme combines two types of usage of the term. On the one hand – seeking meaning – we can reflect on morality, meaning, and rationality. On the other, in its combination with economics, we gain the tools to analyse society and improve it from a sound basis. At the moment, I’m developing both sides in a year abroad at Oxford University. In the process, my Deutschlandstipendium has become an England scholarship, and allows me to concentrate fully on all the unique tutorials. Moreover, it gives me the opportunity to share the impressions I have gathered with a network of fellow students and enterprises. I’m already looking forward to that once I return to Bayreuth; my experience in Brexit-country suggests that philosophy – in both senses of the word – is in urgent need everywhere.

Nikolas Mattheis, Bachelor of Philosophy & Economics

I see my future being in the tax consulting and accounting professions. Especially in the context of a rapidly growing regulatory environment in the area of financial reporting as well as tax legislation, a well-grounded business and legal education is the cornerstone of a successful career start. The master’s programme in business administration with the FACT advanced course at the University of Bayreuth is a degree tailor-made for me. Added to that the possibility of obtaining the accountancy option certificate to already gain credit for two examination areas of my future accountancy exams, my studies put me well on my way to tax consulting and accountancy. Thanks to the Deutschlandstipendium, I am not only in a position to focus on my studies, but also to engage in lively discussion with sponsors and fellow scholars alike.

Florian Kaiser, Master of Business Administration

There is an ever-growing need in healthcare for people in possession of both economic and medical knowledge – precisely what is provided by the Health Economics degree programme. Thanks to the interdisciplinary training over the course of my degree at the University of Bayreuth, I can utilize my knowledge in a meaningful way in healthcare. The financial support of the Deutschlandstipendium allows me to concentrate fully on my studies, and as a result achieve excellent results. Moreover, it inspires me to keep improving.

Wendy Sellenthin, Master of Health Economics

The focus of the master’s programme in Finance and Information Management is on the interface between business administration, computer science, and mathematics. A central aim of the programme is very much to impart an appreciation of the issues in digitalization, as well as approaches to tackle the commercial challenges associated with it. The extra financial independence afforded to me through sponsorship by the Deutschlandstipendium enables me to focus on my studies, and to pursue my extraneous social commitment. One aspect of this involved conceiving an initiative to heighten environmental awareness amongst the youth of our society. The Deutschlandstipendium’s network of students and sponsors opens up new perspectives, and especially its events provide the forum for highly diverse discussions that never fail to provide new food for thought. This multi-faceted and interdisciplinary dialogue is both an inspiration and an impetus for me.

Felix Wagon, Master of Finance and Information Management

It is of great importance to me personally to preserve our remaining ecosystems for future generations, and to develop new economically and ecologically sound ways to shape our future. That’s why I decided to study geography in Bayreuth. The orientation of the University of Bayreuth and the Department of Geography enables me to explore a variety of ecological and economic, but also social scientific topics, all at the same time, and to put them into a spatio-temporal context. The support of the Deutschlandstipendium gives me the freedom to study and volunteer, as well as networking opportunities and good prospects for my academic and professional career.

Thea Fechner, Bachelor of Geography

Photo above: Since the 2020/21 winter semester, the BayWa Foundation has been supporting twenty Bayreuth students in the fields of nutrition and renewable energies with a Deutschlandstipendium. Among them are the following scholarship holders:

Photo: (from left to right) Hannah Hübner: Food & Health Sciences; Michelle Reimann: Computer Science; Jonas Schwan: Polymer Science; Sophie Arzberger: Geoecology - Environmental Sciences; (from left to right) Patricia Kappler: Environmental Chemistry; Sandra Strozniak: Food & Health Sciences; Lu Qi: Intercultural German Studies; Maria John: Biotechnology & Process Engineering

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