If you can prove excellent study results, meaning that you belong to the top 5% of your class, you can apply for financial support within the scope of the KSOP scholarship program.
The KSOP scholarship amounts up to 400 EUR/month. Also you will have the opportunity to work as a research assistant on a research project in one of the KSOP institutes.
The scholarship is admitted for one year.

The Carl Zeiss Foundation funds a qualification scholarship program, which supports up to 2 M.Sc. Students in the Karlsruhe School of Optics and Photonics per year.

Support includes not only a stipend of 934€ per month for a year, but also enables scholarship holders participation in the Cluster of Excellence 3D Matter Made To Order, thereby providing the opportunity to learn and network on the doctoral level.

Application is currently opened until June 10, 2025, 11 am (CEST).

Required documents

• CV
• Letter of Motivation
• Matriculation
• Transcripts of Record BSc/MSc

Please note upfront: Only applicants for the KSOP Master Program can apply for a KSOP scholarship. The application is only possible together with your application of admission to the Master of Optics & Photonics.

Step 1: Fill out the KSOP scholarship application form

You have to apply for the scholarship parallel to your online application for the M.Sc. Program in Optics & Photonics.
Please note that you only have a chance to receive the KSOP scholarship if you can prove excellent study results, meaning that you belong to the top 5% of your class.

If you fulfill these requirements, KSOP Scholarship Application Form. (Please note: You can edit this pdf file after downloading it!)

Step 2: Submit your application

Individual scholarship applications will not be processed.

Submit the scholarship application form along with the attachments in a single PDF document (maximum size 5 MB) to mscapplication∂ksop.de by June 15, 2025.

Scholarship applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered.

Please make sure to attach the following documents to the KSOP Scholarship Application Form:

• A scanned copy of the verified academic certificates (school certificate/diploma, University transcripts, University degree certificate) together with an explanation of the grading system.
• Certificates about your Optics & Photonics related experience and extra-curricular activities in form of a written confirmation. If applicable, preferably mention your experiences abroad. You need to mention those in your CV and letter of motivation.
• One recommendation letter from a professor of your current university is needed. The referees should mention in the letter of recommendation, whether they recommend you for a scholarship or not. Please make also sure that KSOP is mentioned.
• Certificates about your English language proficiencies (unlike the application for the master program, for which the certificate must be shown during enrollment, the English language certificate is mandatory for to complete your KSOP scholarship application.)
• If applicable, a certificate about your German language proficiencies.