Summer Study Scholarships 2026 for Maryland High School Students
Application Deadline Extended to Midnight, Friday, January 9, 2026
Please read the following information carefully and then
click through on each of the links for the 4 components of the application process
Overview
The German Society of Maryland will award up to two scholarships to Maryland high school students to participate in the German Summer Study Program sponsored by the American Association of the Teachers of German (AATG) and Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD), an agency of the German government.
Application Deadline: Applications and all supporting materials for the 2026 scholarship offered by the German Society of Maryland are due by midnight, January 9, 2026. (Please note that the original deadline of January 5 has been extended to January 9.)
Interviews will be conducted during the month of January and selection by February 1, 2026.
In addition to filling out the online application for the German Society’s scholarship, applicants must also fill out the general application for the AATG’s Summer Study Program. This ensures that AATG has the information regarding preferred travel dates and study location of the winners and runner-ups. Filing the AATG application does not commit you to participate in the program. You do not need to submit any financial information to AATG unless you are also applying for an AATG needs-based scholarship separate from your application for the scholarship offered by the German Society of Maryland. Be sure you fill out both the German Society application and the AATG applications.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
The German Society of Maryland is not the only organization offering scholarships for the Summer Study Program. The German Society strongly recommends that you review the various scholarship possibilities listed on the AATG scholarship website and apply for those for which you are eligible. Note that the deadline for the scholarships listed on the AATG website is December 15, 2025, several weeks earlier than the deadline for the German Society scholarship.
AATG and PAD also sponsor the AATG/PAD National German Exam (NGE) Scholarship program. Recipients of this scholarship participate in a 3-week summer program similar to the Summer Study Program. In 2025, 36 students from across the United States received an NGE scholarship. To be eligible for this scholarship, students must take the National German Exam (NGE) and score at the 90th percentile or above and must be nominated for the award by their local AATG chapter.
If You Qualify for the AATG/PAD National German Exam Scholarship
The results of the NGE are normally announced shortly after the German Society of Maryland selects its scholarship winner(s). Should a scholarship winner qualify for the AATG/PAD National German Exam Scholarship, her/she will be required to apply for the NGE Scholarship. This enables the local chapter of the AATG to review the credentials of all qualifying students before selecting the best nominee from Maryland for this prestigious national award.
Should a winner of the German Society’s scholarship be awarded one of the few NGE Scholarships, he/she will be required to accept the NGE Scholarship and participate in its related summer program in place of the German Society’s Scholarship. The requirement provides the student with a superior summer experience because he/she will be participating in a summer study program open exclusively to the most standing students of German from across the United States. In also enables the German Society of Maryland to provide a scholarship to a runner-up candidate, thereby maximizing the number of Maryland students who can be provided summer study scholarships.
The winning student(s) will be selected by the Education Committee of the German Society of Maryland. The decision of the Committee is final. Selection criteria include the following:
- A strong interest in learning German;
- Limited prior experience in a German-speaking country after having begun to learn German; and
- The ability to favorably represent the United States and Maryland to the German host family and school.
The German Society of Maryland reserves the right to decide whether to award one or two scholarships based upon the qualifications of the applying students.
The Scholarship offered by the German Society of Maryland covers the cost of the German Summer Study Program ($4,820) and the administrative fee ($150) charged by AATG.
- Included in the Summer Study Program are the following items: round trip air transportation to Germany from the group departure airport, comprehensive insurance coverage (health, accident, liability), transportation and lodging within Germany (homestays during the first two weeks, hotel during the final week), all group excursions and meals in Germany, and the $150 administrative fee charged by AATG.
- Among the expenses not included in the Summer Study Program or the German Society Scholarship are passport fees, visa fees, excess baggage charges, transportation to and from the winner’s home to the U.S. departure airport (typically JFK Airport in New York City), and other items of a strictly personal nature. The Scholarship winner is responsible for these expenses.
Below are listed the Eligibility Requirements, the Application Requirements, and instructions for the Submission of Letters of Recommendation, Transcripts, and Essays. Read each of these sections carefully before filling out the Online Application form (see link below).
Eligibility Requirements
- The student must be a U.S. citizen and resident of Maryland.
- The student must be between the ages of 15 and 17 for the entire duration of the summer program. There will be, however, several sets of departure and return dates, allowing some flexibility for students with June or July birthdays. Because AATG has not yet announced the exact dates, please contact us if there is any questions about meeting the age restrictions.
- The student must be enrolled in a Maryland high school or homeschool program.
- The student must have completed at least two years of German study at the high-school level prior to the start of the program.
- The student must have good academic standing (“B” GPA or higher).
- The student must be fully vaccinated against measles or have acquired immunity against measles.
- The student must not have ever been enrolled in a full-time school in which the language of instruction was German.
Application Requirements
- Applicants must submit both the application for the German Society of Maryland scholarship and the general application form for the AATG Summer Study Program, which is available on the AATG’s website. This ensures that our partner organization receives applicants’ preferences regarding travel dates and study location. See links below for each application.
- Applicants must request two teachers to provide letters of recommendation. One of these teachers must be the student’s German teacher. These letters are to be sent by the teachers directly to the German Society. See submission instructions below.
- Applicants must request their school to send a copy of their high school transcript to the German Society. See submission instructions below.
- Applicants must submit an essay in German, about 150 words in length, discussing themselves, their family, and their free-time activities. See submission instructions below. Applicants shall prepare this essay on their own without AI apps or correction by a teacher. Use of dictionaries and grammar/textbooks is permitted.
- Applicants must submit an essay in English, at least 300 words in length, explaining why they want to go to Germany. See submission instructions below. Applicants are to prepare this essay without the use of AI apps.
- Applicants must appear for a personal interview with members of the Education Committee of the German Society of Maryland. A representative of the Society will contact Applicants to schedule the interviews, which at the discretion of the Committee may be conducted online.
- All application materials must be received by the German Society of Maryland by midnight, January 9, 2026.
Applicants must agree that should they be awarded a Summer Study Scholarship from the German Society of Maryland and subsequently qualify for the AATG/PAD National German Exam Scholarship, they will apply for that scholarship in early February 2026, and, if offered it, accept that national scholarship in place of the scholarship from the German Society of Maryland.
Submission of Letters of Recommendation, Transcripts, and Essays
- Letters of Recommendation and transcripts are to be sent directly by the teachers and school administrators to the German Society. PDFs of these documents are to be sent by email. These materials must arrive by 12:00 midnight, January 9, 2026.
- Applicants should print out 3 copies of the information sheet Submission of Supplemental Materials for the 2026 Summer Study Scholarship and give a copy to each of the teachers and to the school administrator.
- Applicants are to write two essays as described in the Application Requirements. Applicants should prepare these essays in the word processing program of their choice and transmit them as two separate PDF files to the German Society. Please print out a copy of the information sheet Submission of Essays for detailed submission instructions.
Direct Links to the Required Application Items
Remember that you must fill out and submit an online application for the German Society scholarship and an online application for participation in AATG’s Summer Study Program.
Questions, Problems, or Difficulties?
If you have questions about the Summer Study Program or have difficulties filling out the online form, please contact the Education Committee of the German Society of Maryland: