Financial support for highly talented students is available by a number of organisations, unions, churches and political parties. To receive a scholarship, an applicant usually undergoes a certain selection process and needs to meet specific requirements. Whilst some organisations chose applicants largely based on their performances and grades, others focus on social and volunteer activities. It is all worth it to do your research!
The key nation-wide scholarship options can be found here.
A meta search database for scholarships can be accessed at mystipendium.de. Through a matching-procedure, students can find out the available scholarship and other financial support options. The data base of this website includes more than 2.100 scholarship programs and other support initiatives with a total value of more than 465 million Euro per year.
The website www.fernstudium-direkt.de lists the sub-section Gefördertes Lernen on their website. This does not only provide an overview of the key financial support organisations, but it also names the smaller and often less known, local programmes. Furthermore, the website explains the advantages of receiving a scholarship, which requirements need to be met and how the application processes generally occur. The website also includes information on scholarships for all students, for the working population and for those intending to study abroad.