Founder

Dr. Charlotte Dettling was born in 1901 in Oldenburg. Already in her youth she had to live through the First World War, and later survived the Second. Since 1917 she had to face life on her own as an orphan, overcoming material hardship and social obstacles. Finally she found scientific as well as familial success. Yet the publication of her dissertation two years after its completion in 1931 was still possible only through the financial support of others.

Mindful of her own experiences, the founder, who died in 1986, decreed in her will that her estate be used to aid the start into an academic life for "[...] high school graduates and students who are in need and worthy of support in my current residence Cadolzburg and the place of my birth, Oldenburg”.

Scholarship

Each semester, the Dr. Dettling Stiftung awards one six-month scholarship with a monthly funding of up to 700.00 € to suitable a student of Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. If two scholarships are awarded to equally deserving students, the funding drops to 400.00 € each.

Applicants have to meet all of the following qualifications:

• entitlement to BAföG funding is exhausted (maximum support periodexceeded)
• indigence due to financial, social, or family circumstances
• graduation is imminent or in concrete preparation
• outstanding academic achievements
• average working hours are less than 10 hours per week
• registered citizens of the city of Oldenburg and the European Union

Applications should be designed to make their compliance with the criteria transparent.

In any case they are to include the following documents:

• personal cover letter
• CV and photograph
• certificate of matriculation
• current overview of grades
• two letters of recommendation from two faculty members
• certificate of the student services of the extinct BAföG claim⁽¹⁾
• statement on the monthly income⁽²⁾

(1) This criterion relates to the planned funding period.
(2) This may be a signed sheet indicating one's monthly income, but also a work contract, a payroll, or copies of bank statements from two consecutive calendar months in the recent past.

Process

For the time being, the application and selection process follows the following pattern:

1. Applications are accepted only during the application period (see on the right).
2. After the application deadline all applications are examined by the Servicepoint Scholarships. Where required, missing documents are requested – usually via e-mail.
3. Now the university management selects eligible candidates. Their documents are submitted to the board of trustees of the Dr. Dettling Stiftung for the decision.
4. Subsequently all applicants receive positive or negative notice from the foundation.
5. The scholarship starts in the beginning of the following semesterand usually does not exceed a period of six months.
6. In a small ceremony, the scholarships are awarded to the students.