Feedback from a student from Brazil, 2025
"Thank you so much for everything! The Discovery Study program was a very important experience in my life. Thank you very much for this great opportunity."
Discovery Studies international
BIDS Logo
Collage: Sabine MüllerWhat are the Discovery Studies about?
Groups of (future) graduates from German foreign schools or language schools can learn more about Friedrich Schiller University and the University of Applied Sciences Jena (in German: Ernst-Abbe-Hochschule Jena) by attending Discovery Studies held over several days. In addition to attending lectures and being guided around the facilities at the two Universities, prospective students can also look forward to a German language course, Study Programme Speed Dating, individual course advice or a tour of the small city together with current students. You can also enjoy a typical meal at the Mensa and take a look inside a dormitory operated by the student services organization. Together with course advisors, international students embarking on higher subject-specific semesters also offer a vivid impression of their student life and are on hand to answer any questions.
Trial course
Image: Christoph Worsch (University of Jena)Discovery Studies in the framework of the BIDS programme
Funding under the BIDS programmeExternal link of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has once again been secured for Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, following previous funding rounds in 2015, 2018, and 2020–2022.
The project Study in Paradise, jointly proposed in cooperation with Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, aims to establish and further develop a sustainable network between the two Jena-based universities and different PASCH schools. As in previous years, participating PASCH students will once again have the opportunity to take part in a two-week study programme in Jena. During this time, they will become familiar with both universities as well as the city through academic, language, and cultural modules, while also being prepared for the possibility of pursuing a degree in Jena.
Scholarships
As part of the DAAD funding programme, partial scholarships are awarded to former participants of the discovery study program who choose to pursue a degree at Friedrich Schiller University Jena or Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena. Scholarship recipients receive €500 per month during their first semester, as well as a mobility allowance.
All former participants of the international discovery study programme are eligible to apply. In addition to the scholarship application, a CV, and proof of German language proficiency at DSD II or DSH II level, applicants are required to submit a letter of motivation outlining their ideas for serving as an ambassador as part of the discovery study programme. At the same time, a complete application for admission must be submitted on time to either Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena or the University of Jena.
In previous funding phases, the International Office of the University of Jena, with support from the DAAD, offered a nine-day discovery study programme twice a year for students from four PASCH schoolsExternal link (PASCH Initiative) in Georgia and Serbia.
In addition to participants from two Georgian schools in Tbilisi and Telavi—institutions with which the University of Jena has maintained a long-standing partnership—a group of students from Serbia, from BelgradeExternal link and Sremski KarlovciExternal link, was welcomed to Jena for the first time in 2020.
-
Image: Sindy Meinhardt
Information
If you would like to arrange Discovery Studies please contact us. Jolene Rätz at the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences: bids@eah-jena.de, Helen Rode at Friedrich Schiller University: schnupperstudium-international@uni-jena.de.
Taster course for students from PASCH schools
Image: Christoph Worsch (University of Jena)Discovery Studies for PASCH schools from Latin America
Since 2017, the International Office of the University of Jena and the Goethe Institute in Buenos Aires have been jointly offering Discovery Studies for pupils of PASCH schoolsExternal link in Latin American countries twice a year.
The first group of participants shared its experiences and talked about what there is to discover and experience in Jena and its surroundings—and more!
Read and listen to what they experiencedExternal link (in German)
