The scholarship amount is applied directly to your tuition fees, reducing either:

• your total annual tuition (if paying upfront), or
• your monthly or semester instalments (including extended payment plans).

Please note: the €895 enrolment fee is not covered by the scholarship. It must be paid in full and on time to confirm your place.

A full breakdown of tuition fees with the scholarship applied can be found in your chosen programme’s course guide, available on the programme page.

Scholarships are available only after you’ve completed your main programme application.

During your application, you’ll be asked whether you’d like to be considered for a scholarship. If you select yes, you’ll receive a separate scholarship application form.

Once submitted, your scholarship application will be reviewed by the admissions team. You’ll be notified directly if you’re selected as a successful recipient.

All scholarship recipients are required to take part in Catalyst’s Storytelling, Events & Community activities as a condition of accepting the bursary.

The time commitment for the general scholarships is approximately 16 hours per month and will be agreed with each recipient individually at the start of the academic year, ensuring the format and frequency align with your preferences and comfort level.

We look forward to supporting your journey and celebrating your growth along the way.

Submit a short letter (approx. 300 words) that includes:

• Why you believe you are a strong fit for your chosen specific scholarship
• How your personal background, creative journey, or professional goals align with the values of the scholarship
• What you hope to achieve through the programme — creatively, personally, and/or professionally
• How you might document or share your experience at Catalyst — either publicly or within our community
• Include links to any relevant creative work, projects, public platforms, or published material that support your candidacy

This scholarship is for applicants who are not only pursuing a creative degree, but are also already active as communicators, content creators, or digital storytellers. It supports those with existing channels — whether on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Substack, podcasts, or elsewhere — who want to document their creative journey in real time, sharing insights with both their own followers and the Catalyst community.

As a Storytelling Ambassador, you'll collaborate with our in-house team to reflect on your student experience through content formats that suit you best: vlogs, photo essays, blogs, interviews, reels, or behind-the-scenes snapshots of your work and learning. Your creative process becomes a living archive — inspiring others while deepening your own reflective practice.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Demonstrated presence on one or more public-facing platforms (min. 1,000+ engaged followers or equivalent content reach)
• Consistent content sharing (photo, video, written or audio) related to creative practice, education, or personal storytelling
• Willingness to document and share progress throughout the academic year
• Interest in collaborating with Catalyst’s marketing and storytelling team

For students using music or sound to explore, reinterpret, or preserve cultural traditions, community histories, or personal heritage.

Who it’s for:

Students drawing from non-Western, diasporic, or regional sonic traditions to create new work, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds in music education and production.

Eligibility criteria:

• Engagement with sound practices rooted in specific cultural or community traditions
• Interest in blending traditional forms with contemporary production
• A background or identity underrepresented in the music industry or education systems

For underrepresented and structurally excluded students aiming to enter the music, sound, or audio tech fields.

Who it’s for:

FLINTA* (female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, agender), BIPOC, and late-entry creatives building a professional pathway in electronic music, sound design, or audio engineering.

Eligibility criteria:

• Self-identification with one or more underrepresented communities in music/audio
• Demonstrated interest in music technology, production, or sound design
• Evidence of personal initiative or self-directed learning in the field

For students pushing the boundaries of music and sound through innovative tools, cross-disciplinary approaches, or unconventional techniques.

Who it’s for:

Artists working at the intersection of sound and visual media, experimental musicians, and those using modular synthesis, field recording, audiovisual storytelling, or other nontraditional formats.

Eligibility criteria:

• Active exploration of sound through experimental or hybrid methods
• Background in another creative discipline (visual art, film, installation, etc.) or a nontraditional pathway into music
• Interest in developing a personal or interdisciplinary sonic practice

For students with a previous degree or career experience in a different field who are now making a purposeful transition into music, sound, or audio-based disciplines.

Who it’s for:
Applicants who already hold a degree (in any field) or have professional experience outside of the creative industries and are now choosing to pivot into music production, sound design, or audio engineering.

Eligibility criteria:

• Prior higher education or professional experience in a non-music field
• Clear motivation to shift into music, sound, or audio arts professionally
• Demonstrated initiative (self-taught skills, side projects, collaborations, etc.)
• Desire to apply transferable skills or life experience to creative practice

For students from diasporic, non-Western, or otherwise underrepresented cultural backgrounds who are using film, writing and visual media to tell stories not typically seen in mainstream media.

Who it’s for:

Applicants whose lived experiences, heritage, or cultural identity shape their storytelling — including those from the Global Majority (BIPOC), migration backgrounds, or marginalised communities.

Eligibility criteria:

• Self-identification with a community or cultural background underrepresented in film
• A commitment to telling stories from, with, or about these communities
• Experience or interest in disrupting conventional film narratives through cultural perspective

This scholarship is for students using film, acting, writing, or visual media to explore identity, community, and systems of power — particularly from perspectives that are too often left out of the mainstream. It supports those navigating structural barriers as they build a creative path in the screen and performance industries.

Who it’s for:
Applicants who identify with one or more underrepresented communities in film and media, including:

• Queer and LGBTQIA+ individuals
• FLINTA* (female, lesbian, intersex, non-binary, trans, agender)
• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour)
• Mature or career-switching creatives entering the field later in life
• Anyone whose lived experience involves navigating intersectional barriers related to race, gender, class, disability, or migration

Eligibility criteria:

• Self-identification with a structurally excluded or marginalised group
• A creative focus on identity, representation, community, or social issues
• Demonstrated engagement with storytelling, media-making, or activism from a personal or political perspective

For students using film, writing, acting or photography to investigate themes of displacement, climate, borders, or social inequality, particularly through long-form, community-based, or issue-driven approaches.

Who it’s for:

Film, acting and visual media artists committed to socially engaged creative practice — including those with lived experience of migration, rural marginalisation, or working-class contexts.

Eligibility criteria:

• Projects or themes focused on displacement, justice, ecology, or identity
• Demonstrated interest in documentary, hybrid, or activist storytelling
• A personal or political motivation to explore urgent global or local issues through film

For students who are moving from another academic or professional field into acting, film and visual media industries — bringing new perspectives, transferable skills, and life experience to creative storytelling.

Who it’s for:
Applicants who have previously studied or worked in a different industry (e.g. law, education, business, tech, healthcare) and are now seeking a new creative path in the screen arts.

Eligibility criteria:

• Prior degree or substantial career experience outside the film industry
• Demonstrated interest in storytelling through film, writing, or photography
• A reflective approach to shifting careers and building creative authorship
• Motivation to challenge dominant perspectives through lived experience

This scholarship is for students who have worked in grassroots mental health or community wellness and are bringing this experience into their academic and creative practice.

Who it’s for:
Applicants with verifiable experience in mental health support, peer-to-peer care, or community wellness initiatives.

Eligibility criteria:

• Documented work or volunteer experience in mental health or community support
• A clear motivation to integrate these experiences into your studies
• Interest in combining psychological and creative approaches to healing
• Evidence of reflective practice and commitment to community care
• Desire to develop a professional or research-based path in this field

This scholarship is for students integrating lived experience of identity and marginalisation (including queer perspectives) into their psychological or creative practice.

Who it’s for:
Applicants whose work engages with identity, equity, or alternative approaches to psychology.

Eligibility criteria:

• Personal or professional experience connected to the perspective you wish to develop
• A commitment to bringing diverse voices into psychological practice or research
• An interest in connecting psychological study with creative or social work
• Evidence of critical thinking about representation in psychology
• Motivation to make an impact in the field through inclusive practice

For students who are transitioning into psychology from another career and want to merge their past experiences with future impact — through mental health, creativity, or community-based work.

Who it’s for:
Applicants with a previous degree or professional background in another area (e.g. business, education, public service, law, tech) who are now making a purposeful transition into the field of applied creative psychology.

Eligibility criteria:

• Completion of a degree or equivalent work experience in a different field
• Demonstrated motivation to shift into psychology and human development
• Clear intention to integrate prior experience into future practice
• A strong personal commitment to personal growth, care work, or community service

Scholarships are available only after you’ve completed your main programme application.

During your application, you’ll be asked whether you’d like to be considered for a scholarship. If you select yes, you’ll receive a separate scholarship application form.

Once submitted, your scholarship application will be reviewed by the admissions team. You’ll be notified directly if you’re selected as a successful recipient.

Ideally not – you should apply to one course only, and as part of that application, you may apply for one scholarship. We encourage you to choose the option most aligned with your background, motivation and future plans.

If you’re awarded a scholarship:

• BA students will receive a €2,000 tuition fee reduction per academic year, applied automatically for up to three years – totalling €6,000 over the full duration of the programme.
• MA students will receive a €2,000 tuition fee reduction applied to their one-year programme.

This reduction will be reflected in your chosen payment plan – whether you’re paying in full upfront or in monthly or semester-based instalments.

The €895 enrolment fee is separate and not affected by the scholarship. It must be paid in full and on time, even if a scholarship is awarded.

If you choose to pay in instalments, your monthly payments will be reduced based on the scholarship amount. The €2,000/year is divided across your 12 instalments.

All scholarship recipients are required to actively contribute to the Catalyst community by supporting storytelling, events, and community engagement activities throughout the academic year.

This includes a commitment of approximately 16 hours per month, which may involve:

• Participating in Catalyst events or open days
• Supporting our on-campus radio, content, or documentation teams
• Sharing your learning journey through written or video testimonials
• Contributing to social media content, blog features, or interviews
• Collaborating on community-building or promotional initiatives

After receiving a scholarship offer, you’ll be sent a short form to indicate your skills, preferences, and areas of interest. We’ll aim to align your involvement with your strengths and passions, but please note that Catalyst reserves the right to assign you to specific tasks or teams based on organisational needs.

This is a unique opportunity to develop professional skills, connect with the wider community, and play an active role in shaping the student experience for future creatives.

Yes. Participation is a required condition of all Catalyst scholarships.

All recipients are expected to contribute approximately 16 hours per month to activities that support Catalyst’s storytelling, events, or wider community engagement. This may include:

• Participating in events or open days
• Sharing your student experience through testimonials, interviews, or creative documentation
• Supporting content creation for Catalyst’s platforms
• Assisting with Catalyst Radio or other community initiatives

You’ll be asked to complete a short form indicating your skills and interests. While we aim to assign you to a team that aligns with your strengths, final placement is based on Catalyst’s needs, and flexibility is expected.

Engagement is reviewed at the end of each academic year. Scholarships may be revoked if commitment or attendance is incomplete.

Only the Master's programmes (full-time and part-time) and the 3-year Bachelor's programmes are eligible for the Scholarships. The 1-year HE Certificate programmes are not eligible for any scholarships nor BAFÖG. However, all degree programmes may benefit from our Early Enrolment Bonus when applying by the priority deadline. Please visit our Course Fee page for additional details.

No – the scholarship is awarded for the full duration of your programme, as long as you remain in good academic and financial standing.

Please reach out to the Catalyst Admissions Team at admissions@catalyst-berlin.com. They’ll be happy to help guide you through the application and scholarship process.

Unfortunately, no. Catalyst scholarships must be applied for at the time of your initial course application, as the scholarship form is built into the main application process. If you’ve already submitted your application without selecting a scholarship, it’s not possible to apply retroactively.

If you’re still early in your application journey, feel free to contact our Admissions Team to discuss your options: admissions@catalyst-berlin.com