SAGSE-Society for Australian-German Student Exchange

The Society for Australian-German Student Exchange (SAGSE) awards scholarships to Australian students each year to travel to Germany during their summer holidays. The exchange program aims to give students an insight into a foreign culture and build up links of friendship between the youth of these two countries. The Society is registered with the respective Government Authorities in New South Wales and Victoria, and is sponsored by German and Australian businesses, teachers' associations and fundraising activities of past scholarship holders. Branches of the Society also operate in Western Australia and Queensland*. A similar affiliated Society operates in New Zealand.

The Exchange
Each year, the New South Wales and Victorian branches of the Society each offer approximately 10 scholarships to students in Year 11 (and Year 12 in Victoria) who are studying German. A scholarship may also be offered in Western Australia. Students leave Australia at the end of November to spend just over two months living with a German family and attending a German school, returning around the end of January. During their stay in Germany, the students attend a camp run by GASS Germany, as well as a group trip to Berlin which includes a reception at either the Australian or New Zealand Embassy before returning home.

A Group Leader accompanies the students to Germany and stays in Germany as their first point of contact for any queries or problems. The Group Leader is appointed by SAGSE and is an experienced past scholarship student.

Upon arrival in Germany, students are met by their host families and representatives of the German arm of the Society, GDANSA e.V. The students often stay with German scholarship winners, who travel to Australia the following June. However, no Australian scholarship winner is obliged to host a German student.

Scholarship Benefits
Scholarship winners receive fully-paid return airfares from their home town to their destination in Germany. Students do not pay board to their host families and are not required to host a German student on their return. Students should be aware that accepting a scholarship may involve missing some part of the school year in Australia

Eligibility and Selection Criteria
To be eligible for a scholarship, students must be in Year 11 or Year 12 (Year 12 applies for Victoria only) and have studied German for two years. Students are ineligible to apply if they are German citizens, have lived in a German-speaking country.

Although academic achievement and ability in German are important, the selection committee places at least as much importance on factors such as maturity, adaptability, ability to mix with people, initiative, general knowledge (particularly about Australia) and interest in Germany, its people, culture and history.