Among non-English speaking countries for studying abroad, Germany happens to be the most sought after destination for pursuing MBA and the 4th largest economy in the world. While it may sound unreal, public universities in Germany do not charge any tuition fees from their students including international students which means you can actually study an MBA for free just by paying for your accommodation and personal expenses including food, travel, utility bills, etc. On an average, the cost of an MBA in Germany for Indian students is around 20,00,000-40,00,000 INR at some of the most coveted private B-schools.
Are you considering an MBA scholarship in Germany for international students? You have made the right choice as you will find several opportunities to study MBA in Germany with scholarship. Here is a comprehensive guide to MBA scholarships in Germany including eligibility criteria, how to apply, deadlines, duration, capacity, range and more.
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How Much Does it Cost to Study an MBA in Germany?
Germany is home to several distinguished public as well as private institutions. Generally, only private B-schools in Germany charge tuition fees and the public ones literally have no tuition fees. The average tuition fees for MBA in Germany for international students is €20,000-50,000. You may also be able to secure an admission offer from a university that charges no tuition fee but even then all students are required to pay a fixed semester contribution fee which is around €100-350 per semester.
Coming to the cost of living in Germany, you will spend somewhere around €800-1,200 per month. For visa purposes, you must demonstrate a minimum amount of €861 per month i.e. €10,332 per year to account for living expenses in Germany. You can keep this budget in check by choosing the type of accommodation, lifestyle, mode of transportation, etc.
Popular MBA Scholarships in Germany
When we talk about top B-schools in Germany some of the most prominent names are ESMT Berlin, Mannheim Business School, Frankfurt School of Business, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, WHU (Otto Beisheim), etc. Let us take a look at the most popular MBA scholarships in Germany offered by these business schools:
1. DAAD Scholarships
The DAAD scholarship for MBA in Germany is funded by the government. More than 100,000 fully-funded scholarships are awarded every year to international students to encourage them to study MBA in Germany with scholarship.
Application Process |
Official DAAD website |
Application Deadlines |
August-October 2022 |
Amount Covered |
Fully funded |
Number of Awards |
100,000 |
Duration |
1-2 years |
2. ESMT MBA Scholarships
ESMT offers over 28 merit-based scholarships to full-time MBA students on the basis of academic records, professional achievements, leadership skills and interpersonal qualities. There are some scholarships for which you will be automatically considered and others for which you have to submit an application at the time you are applying for the MBA program. You will be given the choice to apply for 3 application-driven scholarships but will receive any 1 award only. We will discuss both automatically awarded as well as application driven scholarships.
Let us take a look at the 3 scholarships for which you will be automatically considered once admitted to MBA at ESMT Berlin:
Name of Scholarship |
Details |
Early Application Scholarship |
Awarded to students who apply within the first 3 of admission. The amounts awarded are €5,000, €2,500 and €1,000 for rounds 1, 2 and 3 respectively. |
GMAT/ GRE Scholarship |
To be eligible for this scholarship, you must have a GMAT or GRE score equivalent to 85th percentile or above. You will be awarded a one-time scholarship of €3,000. |
German Language Scholarships |
If you are a non-German speaking student with German language proficiency and submit test scores to demonstrate the same, you will be awarded a scholarship worth €1,000 for B1/ B2 level of proficiency and €2,000 for C1/C2 levels. |
Application driven scholarships at ESMT Berlin are classified into diversity scholarships, impact scholarships and network scholarships. Let us take a look at the top 3 scholarships at ESMT Berlin that requires an application:
3. Dean’s Excellence Scholarship
Awarded to students with excellent academic records, leadership and interpersonal skills and professional achievements. Recipients of the award are expected to actively participate in the ESMT community and as ambassadors.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Varies |
Amount Covered |
50% of tuition |
Number of Awards |
1 |
Duration |
Program duration |
4. Women in Business Scholarship
This scholarship is given to reward ambitious women who demonstrate outstanding professional achievements.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Varies |
Amount Covered |
€7,500 |
Number of Awards |
2 |
Duration |
One-time award |
5. Asia Scholarship
Regional scholarships by ESMT Berlin are MBA scholarship in Germany for international students from different regions and they are expected to be an ambassador of ESMT.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Varies |
Amount Covered |
25% of tuition fees |
Number of Awards |
2 |
Duration |
Program duration |
6. HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management Scholarships
Similar to ESMT Berlin, HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management awards various scholarships to ambitious MBA students including some regional scholarships, women in business scholarship, future entrepreneur, young leader and dean’s list scholarship.
Here is a discussion on the scholarship for MBA in Germany for Indian students awarded by HHL Leipzig:
7. HHL Women in Business Scholarships
Awarded to successful female MBA candidates who hold a bachelor’s degree, at least 3 years of work experience and above average GMAT scores.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Application to be submitted with program application |
Amount Covered |
25% of tuition fees |
Number of Awards |
Varies |
Duration |
Entire length of program |
8. HHL Future Entrepreneur Scholarships
This partially-funded scholarship is awarded to candidates who demonstrate entrepreneurial abilities and wish to start a business. The selection task is a scholarship question to be answered in essay or presentation format.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Apply by the program application deadline |
Amount Covered |
25% of full-time MBA fees |
Number of Awards |
Varies |
Duration |
Program duration |
9. HHL Asia-Pacific Scholarship
Regional scholarships at HHL are meant for high-spirited international students who bring diversity to the MBA class and fulfill the scholarship requirements. The Asia-Pacific Scholarships covers the scholarship for MBA in Germany for Indian students.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Apply by the program application deadline |
Amount Covered |
Partial reduction in tuition fees |
Number of Awards |
Varies |
Duration |
Program Duration |
10. Mannheim School of Business Scholarships
Mannheim Business School values talent and offers various partially-funded scholarships to high achieving students. It is best to apply early to get maximum consideration for these scholarships. One such scholarship is the MBS Network Scholarship, the details of which are given below:
Application Process |
MBS Network Scholarship Application |
Application Deadlines |
31 August 2022 |
Amount Covered |
€5,000 |
Number of Awards |
1 |
Duration |
One-time award |
11. Frankfurt School MBA Scholarships
At the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, scholarships are awarded mainly to women in business, international students and academically excellent students on the basis of results, GMAT/ GRE scores, personal and professional achievements.
Application Process |
No separate application |
Application Deadlines |
Rolling basis |
Amount Covered |
Partial amount of tuition |
Number of Awards |
Varies |
Duration |
Program duration |
12. WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management
WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management provides you the opportunity to avail various merit-based scholarships based on academic, personal and professional achievements. The available options include Scholarship for Emerging Market Leaders, Scholarship for Ambitious Women, Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurs and Scholarship for Diversity. You can only apply for any one of these scholarships.
Application Process |
Separate application required |
Application Deadlines |
Program application deadline |
Amount Covered |
Varies |
Number of Awards |
4 |
Duration |
One-time award |
With this we come to the end of the discussion on MBA scholarships in Germany. We hope you got a clear idea about scholarship for MBA in Germany for Indian students. MBA abroad is considered to be the most thriving degree worldwide with a variety of sustainable career options and lucrative packages. One thing is for sure that your investment of money, time and efforts will definitely give you wholesome returns. While sorting your finances, we will definitely recommend you to consider MBA in Germany scholarship especially those offered by German Academic Exchange Service i.e. DAAD scholarship for MBA in Germany.