Scholarships and Awards

Many scholarships are available to students in German. A partial list follows.

A list of recent scholarship recipients is available here.

Department Internal Scholarships

The Lore B. Foltin Memorial Prize

This prize, which is named in honor of the late Professor Lore Foltin, who served in the Department of German until the early 1970s, is intended to recognize the academic excellence of graduating German majors. Recipients are selected annually by the faculty of the Department of German.

Kuschmierz Scholarship for Study in Germany

Dr. Ruth Kuschmierz, an alumna of the Pitt German department and a professor of German and English at the Pitt-Greensburg campus for more than 30 years, endowed a scholarship to help students study in Germany. The scholarship is awarded annually.  Students apply through the department and recipients are selected by the faculty of the Department of German. To apply for the Kuschmierz and Wylie-Ernst Scholarships, please complete the form below and submit it to the German Department (grmndept@pitt.edu) before January 30. The Kuschmierz and Wylie-Ernst Scholarship Application is linked here.

Elizabeth Wylie-Ernst Scholarship for Study Abroad

This prize, named after Dr. Elizabeth Wylie-Ernst, an alumna of the Pitt German department and a professor here for many years, provides funds for students to study abroad. The scholarship is awarded annually.  Students apply through the department and recipients are selected by the faculty of the Department of German. To apply for the Kuschmierz and Wylie-Ernst Scholarships, please complete the form below and submit it to the German Department (grmndept@pitt.edu) before January 30. The Kuschmierz and Wylie-Ernst Scholarship Application is linked here.

The Ruth L. M. Kuschmierz Endowed German Student Resource Fund

This Fund provides support for undergraduate students in the Department of German for education-related expenses exclusive of tuition, room, and board. Expenses may include, but are not limited to, experiential learning opportunities, conference fees, travel expenses, research, internships, books or their equivalents, and lab fees. Preference will be given to students who are majoring in German. Students who are interested in applying should send an application to the German Department Chair (vondirke@pitt.edu) indicating in detail the purpose of the request and the amount requested.

The Ruth L. Kuschmierz Endowed Tuition Scholarship

The German Department is excited to announce a new scholarship opportunity for German majors. Thanks to the generosity of an emeritus Pitt faculty member, Dr. Ruth L. Kuschmierz, we now offer an annual Ruth L. Kuschmierz Endowed Tuition Scholarship. All German majors
are eligible to apply for this scholarship—financial need is not a prerequisite. The scholarship will be awarded at three levels, with $2,800 awarded at each level. The funds are applied to tuition during the current year.

The three scholarship levels (based on the highest-level course taken in German) are:

-Intermediate – Students are enrolled in or have taken at least one course on the 200-level
-1000-level – Students are enrolled in or have taken at least one course on the 1000-level
-Advanced – Students are enrolled in or have taken at least one 1100 level course or higher

To apply for the scholarship, please write a personal statement of 350-500 words in your best German. Describe the nature of your interest in German as well as how this scholarship would impact your further study of German and your future educational and career goals.
Please submit the essay in MSWord format to vondirke@pitt.edu no later than October 21st, 2022. On the top of the essay, please include the following information:

• Your Name
• Your Peoplesoft ID#
• The highest-level German Course you have taken at Pitt (not including 1500-level
courses)
• All Majors for which you are registered

The faculty of the German Department will evaluate the essays and determine scholarship recipients for each level. We encourage all German majors to apply.

German Department Internship Awards

The generosity of an anonymous donor has made a new fund available to support student internships. This fund will provide $500 of support each for students in German-related internships, specifically for students who have no other financial support for their internship. The department will award this for two internships each semester. Preference will be given to students pursuing a German major or certificate. To apply, please send the following information to the German Department Chair vondirke@pitt.edu:

  • Your name, Peoplesoft ID#, Year of Study, and the degree you are pursuing in German
  • A current transcript (an advising transcript is acceptable)
  • The name of one faculty member who can recommend you
  • The name and description of the internship you hold
  •  A list of any funding you have for this internship
  • A brief paragraph describing how this internship will help you in your educational and career goals.

Review of application will begin after Friday, October 21st, but applications will be considered until the available scholarships are filled.

Pitt Scholarships

The Jeff Maltz Undergraduate Scholarship in German Studies

This two-year scholarship is funded by an alumnus of the Department of German and is named in honor of his Pittsburgh high school teacher.  German majors may apply for this scholarship in their sophomore year, to be awarded for both their junior and senior years. To apply for the Maltz Scholarship, please fill out the form below and submit it, along with the accompanying documents, via email to the German Department (grmndept@pitt.edu) no later than January 30. The Maltz Scholarship Application is linked here.

Kessler Scholarship

This scholarship, presented by the European Studies Center and available to a student seeking a West European Studies or European Union Studies certificate, is intended to provide financial support to a student who plans to study abroad during the summer. The recipient is selected by a faculty committee. More information about this scholarship is available here.

Nationality Room Scholarships

The Summer Study Abroad scholarships sponsored by the Nationality Rooms Committees support the ideal of education through cultural exchange. There are a number of nationality rooms (i.e. Austrian and Swiss) that offer scholarships in support of German-language study abroad.  More information is available here.

Vira I. Heinz Program for Women in Global Leadership

 A one-year leadership development program that includes pre-departure and re-entry retreats, a structured community engagement experience, as well as a minimum $5,000 scholarship to study abroad. Applications are open to sophomore and junior women with no previous international experience and a GPA of at least 3.0.  More information is available here.

FLAS

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) scholarships are available through the University Center for International Studies (UCIS).  These prestigious and competitive awards allow select Pitt undergraduate students to devote full time attention to their chosen modern foreign language and area studies specialty.  There are separate competitions for the Academic Year FLAS Fellowship and the Summer FLAS Fellowship.  More information is available here.

Honors College Fellowships

These include the Brackenridge and the THINK (Trans-disciplinary Honors Inquiries in New Knowledge) Research Fellowships and support University of Pittsburgh undergraduate students on the Oakland campus who conduct an independent research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. These fellowships are open to undergraduates from any field. For more information, please contact Jason Sepac at the Honors College (jason.sepac@pitt.edu).

Pitt External Scholarships

There are numerous organizations outside the University of Pittsburgh that also provide generous scholarships for study in German-speaking countries. Most of these are overseen by the University Honors College. Students interested in them should speak with Lesha Greene (LEG78@pitt.edu).  These include:

DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)

The German Academic Exchange Service offers a variety of opportunities for students to study or do an internship in German.  More information is here.

DAAD-RISE (DAAD Research Internship in Science and Engineering)

RISE Germany offers undergraduate students from North American, British and Irish universities the opportunity to complete a summer research internship at top German universities and research institutions. RISE Germany is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. For more information click here.

CBYX for Young Professionals (Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange)

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, that annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals, between the ages of 18-24, the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. CBYX is open to candidates in all career fields who are interested in a year of academic, professional, and cultural exchange.  More information is available here.

Fulbright Study/Research Award

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects.  A candidate will submit a Statement of Grant Purpose defining activities to take place during one academic year in a participating country outside the U.S.  More information is available here.

Fulbright English Teaching Fellowship

The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program places Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETA’s help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S.  More information is available here.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation’s German Chancellor Fellowship Program

Provides recent university graduates with the financial support to spend a year in Germany pursuing research-based, self-developed projects at host institutions. Projects should be of social significance; have a long-term, publicly visible impact; and be in fields such as politics, public administration, media, business, economics, society, or culture. German language knowledge is NOT required. Applicants must be a national of the United States, the Russian Federation, the People’s Republic of China, Brazil, or India. More information is available here.

Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship Program

A fully-funded, 9-to-12 month professional development program in Germany for up to 15 accomplished young Americans to live abroad, study German, and gain experience in business, economics, journalism, law, and public policy. More information is available here.