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Copernicus Scholarship

Growing Together in Europe

Copernicus is a scholarship program founded in 1992, we offer students from Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe as well as from Central Asia and North Africa a unique opportunity in their lives.

 

Copernicus e.V. has a firm goal, especially in the times like these, to promote more tolerance, openness and democratic values.

Application (DE)About us (DE)

One Semester in Hamburg

2 - 3 Month Internship

Accommodation in Host Families

The Goal

With its scholarship program, COPERNICUS pursues the goal of promoting the education of qualified students from Eastern, Central and South-Eastern Europe as well as from Central Asia and North Africa. In addition, with the help of this program, a contribution is made to intensifying personal contacts between the states from the above-mentioned regions and Germany. At least on a small scale, COPERNICUS wants to create an exchange forum between German and students from abroad. Ultimately, COPERNICUS is intended to contribute to development, stabilization and democratization of post-communist and North African countries.

The Idea

Eastern Europe needs more than money and packages – this is the motto under which COPERNICUS e.V. was founded by students from Hamburg in 1992. The aim of the organization is to enable students from the post-communist states and North Africa to spend a semester studying and doing an internship in Germany.

Study trips abroad broaden your horizons and enable you to form your own impression of another country. At the same time, they offer the opportunity to study subject areas that are not taught in your home country. However, many students from Eastern, Central and Southeastern Europe as well as Central Asia and North Africa are still unable to finance their studies in (Western) countries due to a lack of financial resources. In view of the EU enlargement, it seems all the more important that non-EU students also have the opportunity to find out about the significance of the enlargement for their country in Germany. After all, it will be they who will contribute in their countries to the successful realization of a common, enlarged European Union. For a country with the geographic location of Germany, it is of particular importance to have good personal and economic contacts in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and North Africa. However, many countries (such as Tajikistan, Belarus or Egypt) are still largely unknown in Germany, if only because not everyone in Germany has had the opportunity to get to know these countries personally.

Scholarship

The application deadline is always on:

  • September 1st for the following summer semester (program starts April 1st)
  • March 1st for the following winter semester (program starts October 1st).
  • CV
  • Social engagement
  • Letter to your future host family
  • High school diploma
  • Notes
  • Proof of sufficient language skills (German B2 is a minimum)
  • Photograph

In general, students from the following disciplines can apply:

  • Law
  • Political Science / International Relations
  • Economics
  • Humanities and Social Sciences
  • Natural sciences
  • Medicine

A detailed list of all subjects can be found on the webpages of Universität Hamburg.

What makes us different from other scholarship programs

When selecting the scholarship recipients, the willingness of the applicants to help other people is particularly important. In addition to their studies, the scholarship holders volunteer in various projects in their home countries, e.g. for democratization, environmental protection, education or poverty reduction. The social background also plays a role in the selection, i.e. with equal suitability, the person would receive the scholarship who otherwise could not afford a semester abroad.

Copernicus scholarship includes a semester at the University of Hamburg followed by an internship. The scholarship holders live with the host families, take an active part in the life of the organization and this is how friendships develop across generations and borders.

Copernicus Alumni

Experiences of our alumni

Copernicus semester was one of the best times in my life that made so much possible for me. Definitely, I recommend this to all students who are ready to change their lives and have an unforgettable time! Copernicus will become your little family in Germany and you will be part of a very cool community!

Elizaveta Petrenko

Former scholarship recipient, WiSe 2019/2020, Russia

I would like to thank the Copernicus team for a very fruitful and eventful time during my semester in Hamburg. This experience helps me a lot in my adult life!

Eldaniz Gusseinov

Former scholarship recipient, WiSe 2020/2021, Kazakhstan

Back in 2016/2017, the Copernicus scholarship gave me the opportunity to experience the big world without a family and broaden my horizons. During the semester, you make a lot of experiences that are very helpful for your future life!

Shahnoz Bakhtiyorova

Former scholarship recipient, WiSe 2016/2017, Tajikistan

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