Questions for students

When applying for a job in our global job search you will be forwarded to register at our BASF Talent Community first. There you can activate a personal job agent to receive e-mails with the latest job openings. After registration, you will get to the regional application system to complete your application or receive further information.

Please apply via our online application system and use one single e-mail address.

Candidates applying for a vocational training program or joint work/study program should go to the following link.

BASF assesses candidates’ applications to decide which of the open positions they are best suited to.  The business unit in question then decides whether or not to invite the candidate to an interview day.

The invited candidates then take part in several interviews with representatives of the technical unit and BASF recruitment staff. BASF has found this approach to be extremely worthwhile – as one-on-one interviews offer an excellent opportunity to really get to know the applicant, and we consider personal impressions to be very important. Over the course of the skills-focused interviews, we establish whether the candidate’s specialist knowledge and abilities tally with the requirements of the post. The applicant also has the opportunity to meet future managers and colleagues. As a result of the success we have had with personal interviews, BASF does not include assessment centers in its recruitment process.

The application deadlines vary for the individual positions. You can apply to a job posting as long as it is still advertised. If you are actively looking for an internship in a specific time period, you may start looking three months in advance.

Several BASF employees are involved in the application process and process your application which means we cannot name one specific contact.  Please address your cover letter with "Dear Sir or Madam".

You can see the current status of your application at any time in your online application profile.

Wages at BASF are in line with industry standards, and depend on the type of role and your personal performance.

You can find more information on which documents are required for the application process here.

You can use any data you have already saved in our online application system for other applications. If you want to apply in another region, you might have to register again. Our global job search will automatically redirect you to the right online application system. An overview of all systems can be found here.

You are welcome to apply to several locations or for different positions.

All applications are processed irrespective of when they were received.

You can find all the information you need on thesis placements/student research projects on our career pages.

You can find current job postings in our global job search and apply via our online application system. If you cannot find an interesting position you can send us an unsolicited application.

You can find all of our open positions worldwide via our global job search. If you don't find an interesting position you can send us your unsolicited application via this link. Please specify the area you wish to focus on in your cover letter. All information on the application process can be found on our career sites.

You can apply for a temporary or casual job on our online application system.

As soon as you have applied for a position, you will receive immediately confirmation that we have received your application. Please ensure to complete your online application successfully by clicking "Send application".

All data provided to BASF is handled strictly in accordance with German data protection legislation. All candidate information obtained via our online application system, is treated in the strictest confidence and is used exclusively for staffing, recruiting marketing or talent relationship activities.

We prefer to send all correspondence by e-mail that you have provided during the online application process.

If you cannot take part in a selection interview, please contact our application hotline as soon as possible to arrange a new date, if possible.

You will receive more information on the BASF travel cost guidelines when you are invited to an interview.

You will receive more information on the BASF travel cost guidelines when you are invited to an interview.

You can send an unsolicited application here. If you don't find a suitable position in our job postings, you can send us an unsolicited application.

An internship usually lasts between two and six months. In Germany can mandatory internships be offered for a maximum duration of six months, depending on study regulations, while voluntary internships can only be offered for a maximum of three months. Gap year internships can be offered for a maximum duration of six months.

Voluntary internships are any internships which are not required by a university regulation. You may only do one voluntary internship for a maximum of three months per legal entity of BASF. If you have already completed an internship at BASF SE, you are not permitted to do another one at BASF SE. If this is the case, you can for example do a voluntary internship at a BASF Group company instead.

Mandatory internships are internships which are required during studies due to a university regulation.

You can submit the study regulations, which stipulate that you are required to complete a mandatory internship with your application documents.
Alternatively, you can also complete the form “certificate for a mandatory internship” provided by BASF and have the university administration to attest that the internship is mandatory.  

You need to be enrolled at a university for the whole duration of the study-related internship if you wish to complete an internship at BASF. For a Gap-Year internship, we do not need an enrollment certificate.

It goes without saying that all internships are paid!

We require the following documents from you for an application:

• résumé
• cover letter
• valid certificate of enrollment for the duration of the internship
• references
• certificates
• current grade transcript
• the completed form “internship questionnaire”
  

If you wish to complete a mandatory internship, please also submit your study regulations or, alternatively, complete this form “certificate for a mandatory internship” and have it attested by your university administration. For thesis applications, the forms are not required.

Final theses are obligatory to finish the studies, therefore they are handled as mandatory internships.

An internship between your bachelor and master or your master and doctorate is perfectly possible. However, a statement of intent is required which stipulates that you plan to commence a master degree or a doctorate.

Yes, BASF offers internships abroad with our Explore Together program. You can learn more about this program here.

Every year, we offer about 30 Explore Together internship positions, distributed over the areas of Business, Engineering and Research & Development. You can find the current vacancies in the BASF Job portal.

Explore Together internships are offered in countries with a BASF subsidiary – except of Germany. At the German BASF sites, there is a great number of internships in various fields of expertise on offer. Just have look at the BASF Job Portal

You can apply via the Job Portal on BASF’s career pages. Enter “Explore Together” into the Keyword Search. Then, select the Explore Together Posting that fits you best in terms of your expertise from the appearing postings and apply for it.

In the global BASF Job Portal you can search for all current internships vacancies at BASF sites worldwide. Alternatively, you can also send an unsolicited application to BASF subsidiaries where you would like to do an internship. Here is an overview of the subsidiaries and contacts.

It can also be helpful to do an internship at a BASF subsidiary in your own country before applying for an internship abroad. By getting in contact with many different BASF employees during such an internship could result in a chance for a subsequent internship abroad.

The selection process is carried out in several steps. First, we check your application documents (your motivation letter, your CV and your references). If your profile meets the criteria, there are two telephone interviews. A person from our Recruiting department conducts the first interview, and an expert from the regarding area of expertise does the other one. If you pass both of these interviews, we suggest you to the internship supervisor as a candidate for the internship position.

While working on a BASF site as an Explore Together intern you will be involved in technically demanding projects. That means that you will need to have already achieved a certain level of university education. This is the reason why it makes sense to apply towards the end of your studies for your Bachelor’s or during your Master’s.

Explore Together candidates should meet the following requirements:

• advanced bachelor’s or master’s degree
• initial experience in the area you would like to do your internship in, e.g. from your course of study and/or previous internships
• initial experience abroad, e.g. from internships, semester abroad, or language courses
• excellent knowledge of English and ideally knowledge of the national language
• extracurricular activities

It is not a prerequisite, even though we recommend it. You learn a lot about the company, its structure and its culture during a previous internship with BASF.

The internship duration ranges between three and six months.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to write your final thesis in the Explore Together program. A final thesis would require a higher level of supervision than the local BASF colleagues can offer.

There are many ways how we support you in the Explore Together program, starting with personal support with organizational issues. We also put you into contact with other Explore Together interns who will give you excellent practical tips. In addition, we pay for your visa and flight and you receive local internship salary. The salary amount depends on the specific country where you are working. Please note: In some countries, it is possible that the internship salary does not cover all your living costs.

Finally, we invite you to a seminar on intercultural topics where you also meet fellow Explore Together interns along with various persons who work for BASF. This helps you to reflect on your own intercultural experience and learn from one another.

After your internship, we will have a final talk with you where you can give us detailed feedback on different aspects of your internship. We use this feedback to further develop our Explore Together program.

And of course we want to further stay in touch with you - which is why we invite our Explore Together interns to BASF’s European Talent Pool. This offers you a wide range of options for staying in contact after your internship abroad. You will be invited to events, get a regular newsletter with news from BASF and have a direct line to the European Talent Pool team as your direct contact persons.

The European Talent Pool (ETP) is a program designed for BASF to keep in contact with students and graduates who have convinced us with a university degree with good grades and the right kind personality. Our ETP members are invited to exclusive events and workshops and are sent regular newsletters about the latest BASF news. Every ETP member has a personal BASF contact and the ETP team provides personal support on all issues relating to BASF internships, applications etc.

Unfortunately you cannot apply directly to the ETP.  A BASF employee has to recommend you personally for an entry into the ETP, e.g. after you have successfully completed an internship at BASF. Once you have successfully convinced your internship supervisor of your technical and social skills, he or she can nominate you for the ETP.
The only exception is our international internship program Explore Together - you can apply directly to this program. If we register you into the program after a successful selection process, you will automatically become a member of the European Talent Pool.
 

You can find more information on the European Talent Pool and its various programs on the BASF career pages.

The “Deutschlandstipendium” was introduced by the German government to support high-achieving students. It is intended to reward outstanding performance and pave the way for a new scholarship culture in Germany.

Students of all nationalities studying at a German university who are expected to achieve above-average results during their studies are eligible for a scholarship. However, academic performance alone is not decisive: other factors, such as community commitment or overcoming challenges in their personal life also play a role. Freshmen students can also apply.

The universities select the students. They publish the number of scholarships and provide information about the documentation applicants must submit and the deadlines. Universities match each successful “Deutschlandstipendium” applicant with a sponsor according to their interests and subject in order to establish personal contact. Applying directly to BASF is not possible.

All state and state-approved universities, with the exception of federally funded institutions, can offer the “Deutschlandstipendium”. A large number of German universities have already introduced the scholarship program. Detailed information is available from your university or on the official website of the Deutschlandstipendium.

The scholarship is initially granted for one year. The university then checks whether the students still fulfill the criteria before further support is granted. The scholarship is intended to provide support until the standard period of study has been completed.

The scholarship is not limited to undergraduate degrees but also covers postgraduate study, part-time or dual study programs, and masters degrees. There are no restrictions with regard to subjects.