Max Weber Program
The Max Weber Program supports gifted and talented students at Bavarian tertiary education institutions. Students who are awarded scholarships receive professional mentoring during their studies and benefit from the program’s wide-ranging approach. This includes an allowance of €1,800 per semester and financial aid for semesters spent abroad as well as high-quality academic and personal guidance and mentoring.
Wide-ranging support, individual guidance
The Max Weber Program offers much more than financial support: our scholarship holders have access to an array of opportunities. They receive individual guidance and are encouraged to gain experience of studying or working overseas at a young age.
We offer a range of services and events to nurture our scholarship holders and encourage their personal development, including Soft Skill Seminars and Summer Academies. Such events give scholarship holders the opportunity to adopt an interdisciplinary approach in tackling current societal and scientific issues.
Our scholarship holders are part of a network in which interdisciplinary and international collaboration and exchange plays a crucial role. We regularly host events that give our scholarship holders the chance to meet prominent figures from the worlds of science, business and politics, and benefit from their knowledge and experience.
Financial support is provided in the form of a Semester Allowance of €1,800 per semester. The Max Weber Program also provides funding for stays working or studying abroad.
Become part of the Max Weber Program
On the one hand, the Max Weber Program accepts gifted young people straight after leaving secondary school. On the other, students at tertiary education institutions in Bavaria can also apply for the Max Weber Program after completing two full semesters. Students applying to the programme must also have at least two semesters of their regular course of study remaining.
The German Academic Scholarship Foundation
The Max Weber Program is operated by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. The oldest support agency for gifted students in Germany, its 14,200 scholarship holders also make it the country’s largest – and a strong partner for the state of Bavaria.
More support for Bavaria's talented young people
The Free State of Bavaria is expanding its state-run program to support gifted students by increasing the monthly allowance under the Max Weber Program to 300 euros. Science Minister Blume describes this as a “financial boost for bright minds” and a clear signal in support of educational equity.
2026 MWP Summer Festival
About 250 guests accepted the Max Weber Program’s invitation to the traditional summer festival on 13 June, which took place in Erlangen this year. In the morning, the keynote address focused on the topic of artificial intelligence, while the afternoon featured social and athletic activities.
More reports:
- MWP New Year Reception 2026 Read the report
- Visit with the President of the State Parliament on 5 May 2026 Read the report
- The Max Weber Program celebrates its 20th anniversary with a grand Alumni Day Read the report
- On the trail of Wilhelmine: 2025 Summer Festival in Bayreuth Read the report
