Learn Hardcore German: Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren. - I would like to get a scholarship in order to study a semester abroad.

In German, infinitive clauses introduced by certain words—especially um, ohne, statt / anstatt, außer, als—must be separated from the main clause by a comma:

Ich lerne viel, um die Prüfung zu bestehen.
Er ging, ohne ein Wort zu sagen.

So in your sentence:

Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, ← main clause
um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren. ← infinitive clause of purpose

The comma marks the boundary between them.

What exactly does the structure um … zu studieren mean, and when do you use it?

um … zu + infinitive expresses purpose when the subject of both parts is the same.

Meaning: “in order to …”

Ich lerne Deutsch, um in Deutschland zu arbeiten.
→ I’m learning German in order to work in Germany.

You use this structure when:

The main clause and the infinitive clause have the same subject:
- Ich (subject) möchte ein Stipendium bekommen,
- Ich (same subject) möchte ein Semester im Ausland studieren.
You want to be explicit about the goal or reason for the action.

If you just say „… zu studieren“ without um, it usually still makes sense, but um makes the purpose very clear and is the standard way to phrase a purpose clause.

Why does the verb studieren go to the very end of the sentence?

In German, in infinitive clauses with zu, the infinitive verb (here, studieren) goes to the end of the clause:

…, um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.

Word order rules:

In a main clause with one conjugated verb:
- Ich studiere im Ausland. (finite verb in 2nd position)
In an infinitive clause with zu:
- … im Ausland zu studieren. (infinitive + zu at the end)

So, the pattern is:
um + [everything else in the clause] + zu + infinitive

Why is it im Ausland and not ins Ausland here?

im Ausland and ins Ausland are both correct German, but they express different things:

im Ausland = in dem Ausland (dative) → location / state
“abroad / in a foreign country (generally)”
- Ich will im Ausland studieren.
  → I want to study abroad (the state of being abroad).
ins Ausland = in das Ausland (accusative) → movement / direction
“to a foreign country / abroad (movement)”
- Ich gehe ins Ausland.
  → I am going abroad (the movement to another country).

In your sentence, the focus is on studying while being abroad, i.e. the location/state, so im Ausland (dative) is the natural choice.

What case is ein Stipendium in, and why?

ein Stipendium is in the accusative case, because it is the direct object of bekommen:

Wer? Ich (nominative subject)
Was? ein Stipendium (accusative object)

For neuter nouns with the indefinite article, nominative and accusative look the same:

Nominative: ein Stipendium ist hilfreich.
Accusative: Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen.

The function in the sentence (object of bekommen) tells you it’s accusative, even though the form doesn’t change.

What gender is Stipendium, and what is its plural?

Stipendium is neuter: das Stipendium.

The plural is: die Stipendien.

Some useful forms:

Singular:
- Nominative: das Stipendium
- Accusative: das Stipendium
Plural:
- Nominative: die Stipendien
- Accusative: die Stipendien

Example:

Ich habe ein Stipendium. – I have a scholarship.
Viele Studierende bekommen Stipendien. – Many students receive scholarships.

What is the difference between möchte and will in this kind of sentence?

Both relate to wanting, but their tone is different:

möchte = “would like to”
- Politer, softer, less forceful.
- Common in spoken and written German when talking about wishes or plans.
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen. → I’d like to get a scholarship.
will = “want(s) to” (strong will/intention)
- Sounds more determined or sometimes more blunt.
- Ich will ein Stipendium bekommen. → I want to get a scholarship.
  (Can sound more demanding or resolute.)

Your sentence uses möchte, which is more neutral and polite, especially when talking about hopes and plans.

Why do we use bekommen and not just haben or kriegen?

Because the idea is to receive a scholarship, not simply to have one.

bekommen = to get, receive
- Standard, neutral verb.
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen.
  → I would like to receive a scholarship.
haben = to have
- Describes possession, not the act of receiving:
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium haben.
  → I would like to have a scholarship.
  (Sounds slightly less natural in this context, because the process of being awarded it is usually what you talk about.)
kriegen = to get
- More colloquial/informal than bekommen:
- Ich will ein Stipendium kriegen.
  → Casual spoken German, not ideal in formal contexts.

For a neutral, standard sentence about being awarded a scholarship, bekommen is the best choice.

Could I also say „um im Ausland ein Semester zu studieren“ instead of „um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren“? Does the word order change the meaning?

Both word orders are grammatically correct, and the meaning is essentially the same:

um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren
- Slight emphasis on the one semester as the unit of time abroad.
um im Ausland ein Semester zu studieren
- Slight emphasis on the location (abroad) first, then the duration.

In everyday use, they are nearly interchangeable. The original version (ein Semester im Ausland) is very natural and probably the most common.

Why is zu placed immediately before studieren? Could it go somewhere else?

In German infinitive clauses, zu goes directly in front of the infinitive verb, and both are placed at the end of the clause:

… ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.

You cannot move zu away from the verb:

❌ … zu ein Semester im Ausland studieren.
❌ … ein Semester zu im Ausland studieren.

It must be:

✅ … ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.

With separable verbs, zu goes between the prefix and the verb:

anzufangen, weiterzulernen, mitzukommen, etc.
- … um morgen früh anzufangen.

But the position relative to the infinitive (directly attached) and the end of the clause rule still holds.

Why is Ausland capitalized, even though in English “abroad” is not?

In German, all nouns are capitalized, and Ausland is a noun meaning “foreign countries / abroad”:

das Ausland – literally “the foreign country / foreign countries”

So:

im Ausland = in dem Ausland = in foreign countries / abroad.

English “abroad” is an adverb, but German Ausland is a noun; that’s why it starts with a capital A.

Is Semester also a noun, and what does it literally mean?

Yes, Semester is a noun, which is why it is capitalized:

das Semester (neuter) = a university term/semester (usually half an academic year).

So ein Semester im Ausland literally means:

“one semester in (the) abroad” → “one semester abroad”.

Can I also say „…, damit ich ein Semester im Ausland studieren kann“ instead of „…, um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren“?

Yes, that’s a valid alternative, but the grammar and nuance change slightly:

um … zu + infinitive (same subject, more compact):
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.
damit + finite clause (usually introduces another subject, but can be same):
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, damit ich ein Semester im Ausland studieren kann.

Differences:

Structure:
- um … zu studieren = infinitive clause, same subject as main clause.
- damit ich … studieren kann = full subordinate clause with a conjugated verb (kann).
Usage:
- um … zu is the default when the subject is the same.
- damit is very common when the subject is different, e.g.
  Ich lerne Deutsch, damit meine Kollegen mich verstehen.

In your case both are correct; um … zu studieren is a bit more compact and stylistically slightly more neutral.

How would I negate this sentence? Where does nicht go?

There are several possibilities, depending on what you want to negate.

Negate the wanting itself:
- Ich möchte kein Stipendium bekommen, um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.
  → I don’t want to receive a scholarship in order to study abroad for a semester.
  (Here you negate ein Stipendium with kein.)
Negate the purpose clause (studying abroad):
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, nicht um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.
  → I want a scholarship, but not in order to study abroad for a semester.
- Or more explicitly:
  … sondern um in Deutschland zu studieren.
Negate the act of studying:
- Ich möchte ein Stipendium bekommen, um nicht ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.
  This sounds odd and is rarely what you mean; normally you don’t put nicht directly before the verb in such purpose clauses unless you contrast it with something.

Most naturally, if you just want to say you don’t want a scholarship, you’d use kein with Stipendium (option 1).

Is studieren only used for university study, or can it also mean “to study” in general like lernen?

In modern German:

studieren is mainly used for university-level study (being enrolled at a university), or studying an academic subject.
- Ich studiere Medizin. – I study medicine (at university).
- Sie studiert in Berlin. – She is a university student in Berlin.
lernen is used for:
- Learning a language, subject, or skill generally:
  - Ich lerne Deutsch. – I am learning German.
  - Er lernt für die Prüfung. – He is studying for the exam.
- School context:
  - Die Kinder lernen Mathe.

So in your sentence:

… um ein Semester im Ausland zu studieren.
clearly suggests university-level study abroad.
If you said … um ein Semester im Ausland zu lernen, it would sound unusual and non-native in this context.