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.
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 scholarship from the Max Weber Program does not affect the BAföG claim.
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, 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.
Yes, that is possible. You can be recommended or 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 you have started your studies.
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 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).
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 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.
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.
Pupils who have achieved very good results in their A-levels exams at Bavarian grammar schools can take part in the so-called Ministerialbeauftragtenprüfung (MB exam). At technical secondary schools and vocational colleges they can take part in the Eliteprüfung (elite exam). The 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 one of these exams, 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 Ministerialbeauftragtenprüfung (MB exam) is carried out at all Bavarian schools. It is aimed at graduates of grammar schools. The exam must be taken in the year of the university entrance qualification. Further information can be found here.
The elite exam is offered at technical secondary schools and vocational colleges across Bavaria. The exam must be taken in the year of the university entrance qualification. Further information can be found here.
Schools answer questions on the MB exam. The respective ministry officials are responsible for communicating the examination results. The Max Weber Program cannot provide information on examination dates or results.
No, the prerequisite for a grant is that you start your studies by 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, 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.
No. An application is only possible if you study for at least two further 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.
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 contact the Max Weber Program.
Please submit all application documents on time for 15 January. Only complete documents can be considered.
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.
In order to maintain the confidentiality of the reference, it is intended that the experts send the reference directly to us by e-mail (mwp-bewerbung@studienstiftung.de). We will then add it to your application documents. It is therefore imperative that the review contains your name, address and processing number.
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.
If we do not receive the reference by January 15, the application documents will be considered incomplete. Only complete documents can be considered. If you or your reviewers can foresee that the reference cannot be submitted by the deadline, please contact us at mwp-bewerbung@studienstiftung.de as soon as possible.
For self-applications, the reviews must be submitted together with the remaining application documents by November 1st.
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.
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.
The selection seminar starts at noon on Saturday (face-to-face) or on Saturday morning (digital). On Sunday, the seminar ends at lunchtime.
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 group rounds, during which you will also give a short presentation and moderate the subsequent discussion.
The members of the selection committee are alumni of the Max Weber Program and/or the Studienstiftung, mentors or other individuals familiar with the program.
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.
No, 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 welcome as diverse a field of applicants as possible.
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 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.
No. You are a guest of the Max Weber Program!
The assessment seminars usually end on Saturday around 9:00 pm to 9:30 pm. If you want to return home then you can do that. However, the Max Weber Program recommends that you take the opportunity to socialize with your fellow students.
Location requests cannot be taken into account, as there is not always a suitable committee member for each subject on site. When allocating the assessment seminars, the Max Weber Program can only take into account urgent appointment requests, for example due to exam dates.
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