Funding: €300 per month for 12 or 18 months, up to €5,400 in total.
Who can apply: Bachelor’s, Diplom and State Examination students in chemistry or qualifying chemistry-related programmes.
Study stage: For the 2027 call, applicants should normally be entering their 4th or 5th subject semester in summer 2027.
BAföG: The scholarship is not deducted from BAföG.
Deadline: Applications open 15 October 2026 and close 1 February 2027.
Table of Contents
The August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Scholarship 2027/28 supports around 20 high-achieving chemistry students in Germany with €300 per month for up to 18 months.
The scholarship is offered by the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation, which is administered by the German Chemical Society (Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, GDCh).
You can apply if you study chemistry, chemistry teacher training or an eligible chemistry-related programme and meet the academic, financial and study-stage requirements.
Applications open on 15 October 2026 and close on 1 February 2027. Funding begins in April 2027.
Hofmann Scholarship at a Glance
Information
Details
Scholarship
August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Scholarship
Provider
August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation / GDCh
Country
Germany
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Number of awards
Around 20
Study level
Bachelor’s, Diplom, State Examination
Eligible fields
Chemistry and qualifying chemistry-related programmes
Teacher training
Chemistry teacher-training students eligible
Funding
€300/month
Duration
12 or 18 months
Maximum total
€5,400
BAföG compatible
Yes
Application opens
15 October 2026
Application deadline
1 February 2027
Funding begins
April 2027
Application method
Online
The current GDCh announcement confirms that around 20 scholarships will be awarded for the summer semester 2027 and that recipients can receive €300 monthly for up to 18 months.
What is the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Scholarship?
The August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation supports talented chemistry students who demonstrate very good academic performance and have limited financial resources.
The scholarship is named after August Wilhelm von Hofmann, the first president of the German Chemical Society founded in 1867, a predecessor organisation of today’s GDCh.
The programme is intended to help motivated students complete the later stages of their undergraduate chemistry education with additional financial support.
Social engagement outside your studies can also have a positive influence on your application.
How much funding do you receive?
If selected, you receive €300 per month. The scholarship can run for either: 12 months, giving you €3,600 in total, or 18 months, giving you €5,400 in total.
Funding begins in April 2027. The exact duration depends on how many eligible semesters remain in your programme.
The scholarship cannot be extended beyond the approved funding period.
Who can apply for the Hofmann Scholarship?
The scholarship supports students enrolled in:
- Chemistry - Chemistry-related degree programmes - Chemistry teacher training - Bachelor’s programmes - Diplom programmes - State Examination programmes
For the 2027 funding cycle, the current GDCh announcement states that applicants should be in their 4th or 5th subject semester at the beginning of summer semester 2027.
The broader foundation rules describe support for students in semesters four to six and applications submitted during the third or fourth semester.
For the current application round, you should follow the 2027 call-specific semester requirement.
Can I apply if I study a chemistry-related subject instead of pure chemistry?
Yes, potentially. GDCh states that chemistry-related programmes can qualify if they contain approximately: 100 out of 180 ECTS in chemistry modules. This is roughly 55% chemistry content.
If your degree combines chemistry with another field, you should check your module catalogue and calculate how much of your programme consists of chemistry modules before applying.
Can chemistry teacher-training students apply?
Yes. Students training to become chemistry teachers are explicitly included in the scholarship rules.
You still need to meet the academic-performance, financial-need and study-stage requirements.
Do I need a specific GPA or minimum grade?
No fixed minimum GPA or German grade is published. However, the current call explicitly requires very good academic performance.
This means your university transcript is an important part of the selection process, even though GDCh does not publish a universal numerical cut-off.
Do I need to show financial need?
Yes. The scholarship is specifically aimed at talented students with limited financial resources.
The official announcement does not publish one fixed income threshold, so you should provide the financial information requested in the application portal accurately rather than trying to assess eligibility from a specific income number.
Does social engagement improve my application?
Yes. GDCh states that social engagement outside your studies is positively considered during selection.
This can therefore strengthen an otherwise academically strong application.
If relevant, include evidence of activities such as volunteering, student organisations, community involvement or other forms of engagement.
Can international students apply?
The official GDCh scholarship information does not state a nationality restriction, but it also does not explicitly confirm that all international students are eligible.
For that reason, international eligibility should not be assumed solely from the absence of a nationality rule.
If you are an international student enrolled in an eligible chemistry programme at a German higher-education institution, you should confirm your individual eligibility with GDCh before submitting your application.
Can I receive BAföG and the Hofmann Scholarship together?
Yes. The August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Scholarship is not counted against BAföG benefits.
So receiving BAföG does not automatically prevent you from receiving the €300 monthly Hofmann Scholarship.
Can I receive another scholarship at the same time?
Not if the other funding is another merit-based material scholarship from a Begabtenförderwerk. GDCh explicitly excludes this type of double funding.
If you receive another scholarship or grant, you should check with GDCh before applying rather than assuming that the funding is compatible.
What documents do you need?
The online application requires several documents.
You should prepare:
- university academic-performance record or transcript - CV - motivation letter - school-leaving certificate - professor’s recommendation.
You must also provide the email address of the professor who will submit your recommendation. GDCh recommends asking the professor in advance.
Your application is only considered complete once the recommendation has also been uploaded.
Do I need a professor’s recommendation?
Yes. A professor’s recommendation is a required part of the application.
You enter the professor’s email address in the online system, and the professor submits the recommendation separately.
Does the recommendation have the same deadline as my application?
Yes. Your complete application including the professor’s recommendation must be submitted by: 1 February 2027
GDCh sends you an email once the recommendation has been uploaded. This means you should contact your professor well before the final application day.
Studying chemistry in Germany?
Explore chemistry, chemical engineering and related programmes at German universities.
Choose a professor whose course you have attended and ask whether they are willing to support your application.
Arrange this early so the recommendation reaches GDCh before the deadline.
Step 4 — Complete the online application
The application portal opens on: 15 October 2026
The portal currently states that the 2027/28 call is not yet open and will start on that date.
Step 5 — Submit everything before the deadline
Your complete application, including the professor’s recommendation, must be submitted by: 1 February 2027
Application Timeline
Stage
Date
Application opens
15 October 2026
Application deadline
1 February 2027
Regional GDCh/JCF review
By 16 February 2027
Funding begins
April 2027
Funding duration
12 or 18 months
After applications close, GDCh regional branch chairs and JungesChemieForum regional representatives assess applications from their region and forward selected candidates to the foundation board.
How are scholarship recipients selected?
The scholarship primarily targets students with:
- very good academic performance - limited financial means - strong motivation.
Social engagement outside university can also strengthen your application.
Applications first go through a regional review process involving the relevant GDCh local section or JungesChemieForum.
Each regional body can forward selected applications to the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann Foundation board, which makes the final selection.
Important things to know before applying
The application does not open until 15 October 2026. The scholarship has already been announced, but the portal currently remains closed until the new application round begins.
Your professor’s recommendation is part of the deadline. Your own application alone is not enough.
BAföG is compatible with the scholarship. The €300 monthly support is not deducted from BAföG.
The scholarship is not for Master’s or PhD students. The published eligibility focuses on Bachelor’s, Diplom and State Examination programmes.
Chemistry-related programmes can qualify. Around 100 of 180 ECTS should consist of chemistry modules.
