Preparing a Funding Application for Editing

Editing funding applications: how to check them properly

This guide helps you analyse your own situation, identify the right contact points and structure the steps for applying for funds and for obtaining an external quote. It describes the system at German universities and student services organisations (Studierendenwerke), which is useful to know if you study in Germany, including as an international student.

Different contact points and their specific roles

You cannot assume that responsibility or benefits for a funding application for editing are the same across Germany. Find out from the official documents of your university and its student services organisation which office fits your circumstances. Compare the social advice service, the student services organisation, the family office, the equal opportunities office and the International Office using the information they publish. Their names alone say nothing about an application or about whether costs are covered.

The social advice service of the Studierendenwerke helps you to assess your social and financial situation and can help you find further contacts. It is a sensible starting point, but it does not mean that any particular funding will follow. The Studierendenwerk in Cologne describes local loans and grants with their own conditions and provides for an advice session before you apply. The Studentenhilfe in Munich describes a local emergency fund as one-off, earmarked support in a difficult financial situation. These examples say nothing about other places or about editing costs.

For certain life situations the source material names further local examples: the University of Hamburg refers to Madame Courage for pregnant and single-parent students in the final phase of their studies. The University of Cologne describes a local fund for pregnant students and for parents in study or doctoral programmes from non-EU countries. Always check the conditions of the specific offer. Only the official documents of the office you contact are binding.

Routes that fit your personal situation

First assign your situation to a clear route to check. Belonging to a group does not in itself create an entitlement to funding. It only helps you check the published criteria and the right contact point in a targeted way.

1. Students on a low income or under financial strain: Read the local call for applications in full and compare your details with the conditions described there. The social advice service of a Studierendenwerk can give guidance on your social and financial situation and point you to further contact points. Also check the information on state student support (BAföG), student loans and scholarships, and the overview of scholarships, without concluding that you will be approved for another application.
2. Single parents or with a family situation: Find out from the official documents whether a family office, an equal opportunities office or another office is named. The University of Hamburg refers to support through Madame Courage for pregnant and single-parent students in the final phase of their studies. That is a local example; it does not mean the conditions carry over elsewhere. General advice on studying with a child does not replace checking the specific criteria either.
3. International students: Do not classify yourself by origin or passport. Check the programme criteria that are explicitly published. With STIBET, the university applies for the programme from the DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service); taking part, universities can use it to award scholarships to international students and doctoral candidates. The University of Cologne names pregnant students and parents in study or doctoral programmes from non-EU countries for its local crisis fund. So check the target group, location and purpose carefully in each offer.

Keep the three routes separate and ask only questions that relate to your own situation and the specific call for applications. Belonging to a category replaces neither an application nor the decision of the office. More study tips can help you stay organised but do not change any programme criteria. For editing, you also clarify in writing whether this purpose and a quote can be considered in the specific programme.

You will find further notes in our study tips.

Defining your need and distinguishing types of funds

Before you ask, state the purpose precisely: it is about editing, and about whether this expense can be considered in the specific programme. This question cannot be derived from the name of a programme. Clarify it in writing in advance with the office where you want to check your application.

Ask separately about the type of funds, the intended use, the accepted type of proof and the date of submission.

First distinguish free funds from earmarked grants. Free funds are not described as reimbursement of a single invoice; with an earmarked grant, the intended use is what counts. Loans are separate again: they are a form of support in their own right and must not be treated as grants. A reimbursement of an invoice is different once more. Here you must explicitly clarify whether an expense that has already been incurred or one that is still planned can be considered under the respective conditions.

A non-binding quote is also neither a commitment nor an invoice. You can request an individual non-binding quote from us. Whether the office you approach accepts this quote as proof of costs, and in what form, is that office's decision. So write a short question in writing: "Can I state editing as the intended use? For this, will you consider a non-binding quote, an invoice or another type of proof?" Add only the details that the call for applications asks for.

For the quote request, describe the type of service, the length of your text, the date you need it and your contact details. Our price calculator can help you organise the scope of service you want for your request. Also check separately whether you are asking for editing of a bachelor's thesis or of a master's thesis. Neither tells you which costs a programme considers. The written answer on the specific type of funds and the stated purpose remains decisive.

Step-by-step guide to applying

Prepare the application in a fixed order. That way you keep checking the local conditions apart from requesting a quote, and you avoid giving details that the application does not ask for.

1. Read the local call for applications: Find out from the official documents which office is responsible, which target group is addressed, which purpose is described and which deadline applies.
2. Use the advice on offer: Book or use the advice session if the documents leave points open. Have your questions ready on the target group, the intended use and the proof required.
3. Match target group and purpose: Describe your own situation only by the criteria of the call. State the intended use explicitly as editing and ask in writing whether this purpose can be considered in the specific programme.
4. Collect proof: Submit only the documents the local call asks for. Clarify in writing whether a non-binding quote is accepted as proof or whether another type of proof is intended.
5. Wait for the decision: Send the application in on time and keep your details and the reply from the office for further planning.

Our contact form is for requesting an individual non-binding quote. For this you describe the service you want, the length of your text and the date. You make the funding application yourself. The office you ask decides whether and in what form it accepts the quote as proof of costs.

A factual enquiry could be worded like this: "Hello, I am checking an application in my situation as [target group]. Can editing be considered as the intended use? Which type of proof do you accept for it: a non-binding quote or another proof? By which application deadline do I have to submit the documents?" Add only details that are needed to assign your enquiry.

If you want to place other options in context, treat them separately from the specific application: when it comes to financing your studies in an emergency, check the conditions published in each case. Scholarships during your studies, too, are no substitute for clarifying the specific call. For your thesis, what remains decisive is what the office you ask tells you in writing about target group, purpose, proof and deadline.

Checklist: documents you need and clear separations

Put documents together only on the basis of the local call. Submit only proof that is explicitly required there for your financial situation, student status, proximity to graduation or family situation. Pass on only the information that is needed for the proof required.

• Details for the funding body: Note which proof the call names for your situation. Before submitting, check that the documents are complete and in the form required.
• Details for the quote: Have the type of service, the length of your text, the date you need it and your contact details ready. You use these for the request for an individual non-binding quote.
• Clarify the type of proof: Ask in writing whether the office accepts a quote as proof of costs or requires another type of proof.
• File documents separately: Keep the application, quote, funding approval and invoice as separate documents and use them only for their own purpose.

A quote describes the service requested and is not yet a funding decision. A funding approval is the decision of the office you asked; it replaces neither a quote nor an invoice. An invoice is only issued for the service actually billed and is likewise not the same as an approval. So before placing an order, clarify in writing which document is required at what time.

Do not mix the documents: the details for the application follow the local call, while the quote describes the service you want. Keep the replies from the office together with the call, so that you can later trace which type of proof was required. Check the notes on scholarships, state student support, student loans and international students in Germany separately, each by its own published criteria. Otherwise only the written answer of the responsible office counts for your specific application.

Sources and status

• Deutsches Studierendenwerk: social advice: www.studierendenwerke.de (checked on 2026-08-21)
• Studierendenwerk München Oberbayern: emergency fund: www.studierendenwerk-muenchen-oberbayern.de (checked on 2026-08-21)
• Kölner Studierendenwerk: loans and grants in emergencies: www.kstw.de (checked on 2026-08-21)
• University of Hamburg: Madame Courage for single parents: www.uni-hamburg.de (checked on 2026-08-21)
• University of Cologne: emergency fund for international students with a child: verwaltung.uni-koeln.de (checked on 2026-08-21)
• DAAD: STIBET: www.daad.de (checked on 2026-08-21)

The sources are German-language pages of the offices named.