The Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (German National Academic Foundation) is the oldest and largest foundation for the promotion of gifted students in the Federal Republic of Germany. According to its statutes, it promotes "the higher education of young people whose high academic or artistic talent and personality give rise to expectations of special achievements in the service of the general public". Scholarship recipients are selected and supported independently of political, ideological and religious guidelines. At the Cologne University of Music and Dance, Prof. Christian Wetzel is the contact person and trusted lecturer for the German National Academic Foundation.
The Heinrich Böll Foundation supports around 1400 students and doctoral candidates of all disciplines and nationalities each year, both in universities and in technical colleges/universities in Germany. We expect our scholarship holders to have outstanding academic or scientific achievements, social commitment and political interest, as well as an active engagement with the foundation's core values: ecology and sustainability, democracy and human rights, self-determination and justice.
The Otto Benecke Stiftung e.V. works in close coordination with the Educational Counseling Guarantee Fund University. The educational advisors provide support in questions of academic and professional integration. Together with those seeking advice, they plan the commencement or continuation of university studies or entry into academic employment. They check the eligibility requirements according to the guidelines "Garantiefonds Hochschulbereich" of the BMFSFJ and forward the applications to the Otto Benecke Stiftung e.V. for financial support. The educational counseling also supervises and advises the GF-H participants during the funded measures.