SWG support nine students
Stadtwerke Gießen is a sponsor of the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship programme.
Nine young men and women who are studying in Giessen and achieve outstanding results can look forward to a grant of 300 euros per month for a year. Half of this money is contributed by Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG). In fact, the company has been a sponsoring partner of the Deutschlandstipendium since 2012. This is a national programme that provides financial support to high-achieving and committed students in Germany - regardless of their parents' income, nationality or age. The state and private sponsors, i.e. companies, foundations or private individuals, share the costs. The aim is to give talented students more freedom to study. "For us, it is a matter of course to be a sponsor of the Deutschlandstipendium and thus take on a certain amount of responsibility for the education of young academics," explains Andreas Hergaß, Commercial Director of SWG.
Focus on energy and the environment
Six of the nine scholarship holders are studying at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen, the remaining three at Justus Liebig University. "As an energy supply company, training in our sector is of course particularly important to us," adds Matthias Funk, Chief Technical Officer at SWG. Consequently, six of the young people are studying programmes that are relevant to SWG: Energy Technology, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Business Informatics, Environment & Global Change, Environmental Sciences and Sustainable Transition. Two young women and one young man are travelling in the medical field. They are studying Medical Management and Public Health respectively.
Both first-year students and students already enrolled in any subject area at state or state-recognised universities in Germany can apply for the Deutschlandstipendium. The main criteria for selection are primarily performance and talent. School or university grades are used to assess these. Social commitment - such as voluntary work -, special life circumstances such as a history of migration, family burdens or the first generation of academics as well as personal career to date are also taken into account as selection criteria.
Support within the framework of the Deutschlandstipendium is usually granted for at least two semesters and ends at the latest with the standard period of study of the respective degree programme, in the case of a change of subject or, of course, with graduation. Each university regularly checks whether the scholarship holder's performance is suitable and whether an extension is possible. Important detail: The Deutschlandstipendium is in addition to BAföG. It therefore has no influence on the amount of BAföG and does not have to be repaid.