Q&A about the Max Weber Program
The Max Weber Program supports talented students in Bavaria. We have put together the most frequently asked questions and answers about the program.
The Max Weber Program offers talented students at Bavarian universities scholarships and an accompanying educational program. It is an education grant from the Free State of Bavaria. The Max Weber Program is one of several programs under the umbrella of the Elite Network of Bavaria.
The Max Weber Program supports talented students at Bavarian universities. Scholarship holders receive 1,290 euros per semester. In addition, they get financial support for research projects abroad.
In addition, the scholarship holders are supported both professionally and in their personal development. They receive individual mentoring at their universities. This gives them early contact with researchers and provides insights into research areas. Diverse high-quality events also make a specialist immersion possible as well as interdisciplinary exchange. Attention is also paid to an early occupational relationship. The comprehensive program offers many opportunities to networking with each other.
Yes, a scholarship from the Max Weber Program does not affect the BAföG claim.
The Max Weber Program is religiously and ideologically independent. This also applies to the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, which is responsible for the implementation of the program.
The Max Weber Program is a funding program for students of the Free State of Bavaria. The funding for scholarships, educational programs and administration is provided by the Free State of Bavaria.
You must have obtained a higher education entrance qualification (“Hochschulreife”) in Bavaria and have a final grade of at least 1.30. Then your head teacher proposes you for the so-called “Ministerialbeauftragtenprüfung” (MB exam). This exam must take place in the year of your higher education entrance qualification.
If you have successfully completed this exam, you will be offered a scholarship in the Max Weber Program, provided sufficient places are available. A precondition is that you have enrolled at a Bavarian university before the age of 23.
Anyone who has passed the MB exam, but is initially excluded from the program due to limited places, will participate in the follow-up procedure. News that you may follow up will not reach you before November of each year.
The (MB exam) is offered at all Bavarian schools. It is carried out for graduates of grammar schools, technical secondary schools and vocational colleges in the same year in which they obtained the higher education entrance qualification. A precondition for participation is, amongst others, a grade average of at least 1.30.
Schools answer questions on the MB exam. The respective ministry officials are responsible for communicating the examination results.
Admission via the MB exam is only possible after graduation from a Bavarian school. However, students at Bavarian universities who are proposed or who apply proactively do not have to have a school degree from Bavaria.
Yes, a precondition for funding in the Max Weber Program is the beginning of your studies at a Bavarian university before the age of 23.
However, this age limit includes, for example, the care of one's own children, compulsory and voluntary services, training periods, access to higher education through second-chance education and study periods abroad. On the other hand, au pair stays, work & travel or periods of employment, for example, are not counted.
No, the prerequisite for a grant is that you start your studies at the age of 23 at a Bavarian university. In any case, you must take the examination in the year of your higher education entrance qualification.
No, if you have passed the MB exam successfully, you will only qualify for the Max Weber Program. Irrespective of this, proposals for scholarships by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation are made directly by head teachers.
No, to be eligible for the Max Weber Program, you must study at a Bavarian university, even if your desired study course is not offered here. Even if the only positive answer is from a university outside Bavaria after applying to several universities, there is no funding.
If you begin your studies outside of Bavaria, however, you are eligible for a grant from the Max Weber Program if you later transfer to a Bavarian university (for example for a master's degree) before the age of 23. The funding of a second degree is not planned.
Yes, if this change is made for subject-specific reasons, a change to a higher education institution outside of Bavaria is possible within the framework of the program.
Students who complete an integrated degree program can be supported in the Max Weber Program, provided the other requirements are met. Exceptions are courses of study at vocational academies or administrative colleges (for example at the Hochschule für den öffentlichen Dienst in Bavaria), which are also not eligible under the BAföG. If you are unsure whether your education is eligible, please ask the Max Weber Program contact persons.
Yes, that is possible. You can apply via any access route once:
- MB exam
- proposal via an examination office
- proposal by a university teacher
- proposal by an Elite Graduate Program
- self-nomination
The last four access routes are only open after your study has started.
For admission to the Max Weber Program via university admission, it is not necessary that you have attained a university entrance qualification in Bavaria. Decisive is the enrollment at a Bavarian university.
Yes, the prerequisite for admission to the Max Weber Program is that you have not completed your 23rd year of age at the beginning of your scholarship. However, this age limit includes, for example, the care of one's own children, compulsory and voluntary services, training periods, access to higher education through second-chance education and study periods abroad. On the other hand, au pair stays, work & travel or periods of employment, for example, are not counted.
No. Anyone who possesses the nationality of a member state of the European Union or who belongs to a state with which the so-called reciprocity is guaranteed may apply.
If you are unsure about this, please directly ask the contact persons of the Max Weber Program. Preconditions for participation in the application process are sufficient knowledge of German (at least B2 / C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
No. An application is only possible if you are still studying for at least two semesters within the (regular) period of study at the start of funding (1 April). In consecutive degree programmes, this refers to the Master's degree and not to the period of study of the Bachelor's degree.
You can apply if you have studied a subject or subjects other than your current one for a maximum of three semesters. It is generally not possible to apply with a second degree.
Students may be accepted as scholars of both the Max Weber Program and one of the Federal Government's 13 scholarship foundations, such as the German Academic Scholarship Foundation. A double financial support, however, is not possible.
In principle, a Deutschlandstipendium is not compatible with a scholarship in the Max Weber Program. It is possible, however, to combine the funding provided by the Max Weber Program with the non-financial support of the Deutschlandstipendium (if offered).
Students who complete an integrated study program can be supported by the Max Weber Program, provided the other requirements are met. Exceptions are courses of study at vocational academies or administrative colleges (such as the Hochschule für den öffentlichen Dienst in Bavaria), which are also not eligible under the BAföG. If you are unsure whether your education is eligible, please ask the Max Weber Program contact persons.
Yes, that is possible. You can apply via any access route once:
- MB exam
- proposal via an examination office (Prüfungsamt)
- proposal by a university teacher
- proposal by an Elite Graduate Program
- self-nomination
The nomination period ends on November 1 of each year. From this date, the Max Weber team will record all nominations and mail the nominees by mid-December. If you have not received any mail before, please first ask your examination office and then ask the contact persons of the Max Weber Program.
Please submit all application documents on time for 15 January. Only complete documents can be considered.
Yes, in this case we need another reference from you. Your university teacher's proposal counts as a nomination for the Max Weber Program. In order to complete your application documents, we thus require another signed reference (from the main subject) on the subject-related excellence from a university teacher or doctoral research assistant other than the proposer.
The reference should come from a university teacher or a research fellow with PhD. It is important that you know the person from your studies. The reference usually includes one to two pages and contains a professional and personal assessment as well as a recommendation.
As far as the form of the references is concerned, there are no specific requirements. Usually, the following points are dealt with in references:
- name and date of birth of the candidate
- From what context and since when is the student known to the referee?
- professional and personal assessment compared to other students
- possibly extra-university engagement (if known)
- final rating, possibly also by percentage classification / recommendation
A reference for students is usually one to two pages long and is written in German or English. The reference must be signed.
In order to maintain the confidentiality of the reference, it is intended that the referee will send us the reference directly by e-mail (mwp-bewerbung@studienstiftung.de). We will then add it to your application documents. It is therefore imperative that the reference contains your name, address and processing number.
No. The detailed curriculum vitae gives the members of the selection committee first indications of reasons for decisions that have influenced your life. Documents containing only a tabular CV do not fulfill the formal application requirements.
If a large number of applications are received, a pre-selection will be made on the basis of the written documents. Criteria are the fulfillment of the formal requirements, grades and references. The personal profile of the applicant plays no role in the preselection. Candidates who are rejected in the preselection will receive a notification by mail.
Applicants who meet the formal requirements will be invited to an assessment seminar, which will take place over a weekend. Invitations to the assessment seminar will be sent from the beginning of February.
Due to the ongoing Corona pandemic, all selection seminars will be conducted online in spring 2023.
The selection process generally starts on a Saturday morning. In the course of the selection process, you will take part in a subject-related and a general discussion of about 30 minutes each. In addition, you will participate in online group rounds, during which you will also give a short presentation and moderate the subsequent discussion. The selection seminar ends on Sunday afternoon.
In order to obtain a positive answer, you must convince the committee during the seminar in the following five areas:
- intellectual ability
- commitment and motivation
- communication and articulation skills
- social skills
- extracurricular interests and social involvement.
Absolutely not! The selection process of the Max Weber Program is not socially selective. Applicants from academic families and non-academic and / or immigrant families have the same chances of being accepted into the Max Weber Program. We are looking forward to a diverse field of applicants!
The invitation to an assessment seminar will be sent from the beginning of February by e-mail to the address you indicated in your application documents. Please also check your spam folder! If you have not received any feedback by mid-February, please contact the contact persons of the Max Weber Program.
You can indicate when applying if you are tied up on certain dates. The Max Weber Program tries to take that into account. Once the seminars have been scheduled, no change is possible.
Exchanging seminars after the completion of the seminar allocation is usually not possible.
If you have further questions about the procedure, please contact the Max Weber Program:
Max Weber-Programm Bayern
Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Ahrstraße 41
53175 Bonn
Send an e-mail to the Max Weber-Program:
mwp@studienstiftung.de