After a break last year, the time has finally come again: committed young people can upload their documents to the Bertha von Suttner-Studienwerk website up to and including July 31, 2026. They should have performed very well at school, at university or in extracurricular or non-university activities; they should identify with a humanistic world view and be committed accordingly; and they should have a keen interest in critically examining major questions of human existence and in interdisciplinary discourse.
Students from all subject areas are welcome, beginners as well as doctoral students. As the Bertha von Suttner-Studienwerk does not yet receive any state funding, unlike the religiously oriented funding organizations, scholarship holders can currently only be supported with a grant of 300 euros per month. The standard funding period is two years.
The application process is straightforward and is explained on the Studienwerk’s application page. From August 1, the Studienwerk’s selection committee will review the applications received. Those who pass this first round of the selection process will receive an invitation to an online interview. The new Suttner scholarship holders will then be confirmed by the end of September at the latest, so that the funding can be paid out on time at the start of the 2026/27 winter semester.
The last call for applications for the Suttner Scholarship 2024 was very successful: around 250 students and doctoral candidates submitted their applications. The 10 best candidates have been funded since October 2024. They include first-year students, advanced students and doctoral candidates from a wide range of disciplines such as aerospace engineering and philosophy. Most of them are enrolled at German universities, but some are also expanding their knowledge at universities abroad. The scholarship holders have a wide range of interests, but what they all have in common is a clear orientation towards humanistic values and a scientific world view.
The Bertha von Suttner-Studienwerk was founded in 2021 by the Humanist Association of Germany, the Giordano Bruno Foundation, the Humanist Academy of Germany and the Federal Association of Humanist Students. With its help, humanist students should have the same opportunities for support as their religious fellow students. The BvS is supported by a renowned advisory board and numerous public figures, including many academics.
