For over 60 years, the Federal Republic of Germany, through the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and its Pedagogical Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst), has provided the AATG/PAD National German Exam Scholarship (formerly Study Trip Award), a three-week trip to Germany in the summer following the Exam. Students attend classes at an academic high school, stay in homestays, and participate in various excursions to places of cultural significance.

As of 2022, there is no longer a distinction between Award I (Non-Senior) and Award II (Senior) scholarship categories like in previous years. However, all students who are nominated for an NGE Scholarship by their local chapter will take the Avant STAMP Test to determine final placement.

Eligibility:

To be eligible to apply, students must score in the 90th percentile or higher on the National German Exam, be in high school, have a minimum of a B average, and be between the ages of 15 and 17 for the duration of the program. Students must be US citizens or permanent residents, not live in a household where regular conversation is in German, and must not have visited a German-speaking country for more than two consecutive weeks since the age of six. Additional eligibility requirements apply; please refer to the full list on the National German Exam Scholarship Application page. 

How to Apply:

Students who qualify for the scholarship submit applications on the National German Exam Scholarship Application page. Local committees select nominees for each AATG Chapter. All students who are nominated for a scholarship by their local chapter will take the Avant STAMP Test to determine group placement. A national committee then selects the final scholarship recipients. Complete application materials and procedures are available on the National German Exam Scholarship Application page. 

Scholarship:

Students receive round-trip air transportation from Newark or New York to the course sites in Germany. Domestic transport to the group departure airport and the AATG administrative fee are not included. In addition to a two-week school and homestay program, the trip also includes visits to other German cities, such as Berlin and Bonn. Domestic transport to the group departure airport is not included. Exact travel dates will be announced once they have been confirmed by our German partners.

• Homestay. Students experience Germany as part of a family with a host sibling who attends the local academic high school (Gymnasium). Host families are carefully selected by the director (Kursleiter/Kursleiterin) of the program, a German teacher at the school you are attending. Every effort is made to match host siblings with similar interests.

• Attend Classes. The host Gymnasium is still in session when the American students arrive, and special arrangements are made to integrate American students into the German school. Students have German lessons tailored to meet their needs and attend regular classes with their host sibling during the day. More details on the specific high schools will be shared as this information becomes available. 

• Visit Fascinating Places. It’s not all about school! Field trips are organized for students to explore nearby cities, museums, castles, monuments, and the great outdoors. On weekends, host families generally plan trips to show their visiting students the surrounding area.

• Adult Supervision. Outside of their host families, students are supervised by the local program director (Kursleiter / Kursleiterin). The groups travel with an American high school teacher of German. The chaperone will meet the students at the airport before the flight to Germany. The chaperone supervises excursions, serves as a liaison with the German school, and provides the support students need when they are away from home.