Ways to join TUMJA

The academy invites students of TUM and the partner universities HFF (Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film), ADBK (Akademie der Bildenden Künste) and HMTM (Hochschule für Musik und Theater München) as well as the students of HfP ("Hochschule für Politik München") to apply for the program.
At TUM, students of every school are nominated based on their grade average, compared to other students of their semester. However, students can also apply proactively with a letter of recommendation.

Partner university students do not need to submit letters of recommendation with their application.

Besides academic performance, the most important criteria for admission to the scholarship program are a convinced research interest, creativity, social commitment and the willingness to take on responsibility.

The next application phase will begin on the 1st of July 2026, with a deadline for applications on the 31st of August 2026.

Information Events for Applicants

We launch information events about TUM: Junge Akademie – #class2027.

The events will take place on:

July 22, 2026 / 6:30 - 8 p.m. / TUM Campus Munich, Friedrich von Thiersch Hörsaal
August 4, 2026 / 6:30 - 8 p.m. / in front of the Alte Pinakothek (southern side - look for a TUMJA flag with a wing on it)
August 13, 2026 / 6 - 7:30 p.m. / Online via Teams

If you plan to participate at one of our information events, please register via the following link: collab.dvb.bayern/x/l6iMB

Eligibility criteria

You are

enrolled at TUM (incl. HfP), ADBK, HFF, or HMTM
one of the outstanding students of your semester
eager to continue your personal development
highly interested in science and research
not likely to be compromised in your educational performance by the membership

Please note: A semester abroad is generally not a disqualifying factor for an application. What matters most is your motivation to contribute to your research project remotely (especially considering timezone differences, etc.). Since most project teams hold their meetings in a hybrid format, collaboration is usually not an issue. How you coordinate your project work with your time abroad should be discussed within your team.

If you cannot be on-site during the second application phase, the Selection Days, we will arrange an online interview with you. Please inform us in such a case as early as possible after you receive a positive response for the first application phase.

Application documents

Please note:

All documents must be submitted in English. Only the Letter of Recommendation may be written in English or German.
We aim to assess all applicants as neutral as possible. Thus, we ask for the five personal questions, CV and Essay/Video/podcast to be handed in anonymously (i.e. without your name and picture). Please also name the files in a neutral manner (e.g. “CV”, “five personal questions”, “Essay” - we are still able to relate it to your application).

1	Five personal questions (per question 150-200 words) (anonymized)	1. What is your biggest strength? Describe it with a picture and give a short explanation. 2. ⁠Describe a moment where you were wrong about something you cared about and what did you change? 3. ⁠⁠What are you expecting from your participation in TUMJA? 4. What topic could you could talk about for 30 minutes without preparation and why? 5. ⁠What kind of impact would you like to have on the future?
2	Curriculum Vitae (tabular) (1 - 2 pages) (anonymized)
3	Transcript of academic records, including grades Students of partner universities (HMTM, HFF and AdBK) who cannot provide a transcript of records upload a certificate of enrollment instead.	official document (does not need to be signed)
4	Essay on this year's call (~ 2 pages) or a self-made video (~ 2 minutes) or Podcast (~5 minutes) (anonymized, if possible)	Work on a topic of your choice, inspired by this year's call, and explore it in depth in a structured way. The essay, video or podcast will help us to get to know you better during the selection process. It should contain visions and be creative - and may even be surprising.
5	Letter of Recommendation Mandatory for initiative applications from TUM students (i.e. without a nomination), optional for everyone else.	It is up to you to decide who you ask for a recommendation. The person you choose should know you well and be informed about your current activities and situation. If you have been nominated for the TUM: Junge Akademie or are studying at a partner university, you can also voluntarily submit a letter of recommendation. Please consider whether this can offer us an additional perspective on your person that is not sufficiently conveyed by other documents. The Letter of Recommendation may be written in English or German. The letter of recommendation (only it!) can also be submitted after the application deadline until September 10. If you would like to make use of this extended deadline, please indicate so in the application form via the designated checkbox.

Note on the letter of recommendation

The letter of recommendation is meant to provide us with a better impression of you as an applicant. As degree programs vary greatly in size, a personal assessment by a member of the professoriate can be difficult.
Therefore, in contrast to previous years, the letter of recommendation can also be written by non-professors (e.g. representatives of student initiatives or team leaders of volunteering you participate in).

Questions?

Please take a look at our FAQ first.

If your questions isn't answered there, Taskforce Recruiting is happy to assist with issues and questions: recruiting@ja.tum.de