Ausbildungsförderung nach dem BAföG Bewilligung für Studierende

You can receive financial support for your studies or internship if your parents do not have a higher income or you have already been working for a longer period of time independently of your parents. This support is called BAföG.

BAföG is the abbreviation for the Federal Training Assistance Act. BAföG is the colloquial term for the funding you can receive under this law. You receive this funding to finance

• your studies,
• under certain conditions of a prescribed internship as part of your studies.

In order to receive the monthly grant, you must meet a number of requirements. The most important are:

• Your parents and/or your spouse/life partner do not have a higher income
• You yourself have no or only a low income, for example from a mini-job.
• Your assets are below the allowance of EUR 8,200 or only slightly above it
• You are studying full-time
• Age limit: 30 years; 35 years for a Master's degree (exceptions are possible)

The amount of your BAföG is based on a fixed monthly requirement. Money is deducted from this requirement if your parents, your spouse/life partner or you yourself earn a little more.

If you are studying, you will receive half of the funding as a loan and half as a grant. This means that you only have to pay back half of the money regularly after your studies. You do not have to pay any interest on the loan ("interest-free loan"). The maximum repayment amount is usually EUR 10,010, irrespective of the total amount of the grant. This corresponds to 77 monthly installments of EUR 130.00 each from the start of repayment. The Federal Office of Administration is responsible for collecting the loan. You do not start repaying the loan until 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which usually corresponds to your standard period of study. If you do not earn enough to repay your loan, you can apply to the Federal Office of Administration for a deferment of payment.

Students
If you are a student, your monthly requirements are made up of different parts:

• Basic needs:
  • EUR 427.00 if you are studying at a higher technical college, academy or university (for example at a university).
• Accommodation requirements:
  • EUR 56.00 if you live with your parents or
  • EUR 325.00 if you do not live with your parents.
• If you cannot obtain health/nursing care insurance through your parents, you will receive an additional EUR 84.00 or EUR 25.00 respectively.
• If you have a child under the age of 14 living in your household, you will also receive a childcare supplement: EUR 150.00 for each child.

If you are spending a semester or year abroad, you can apply for supplements towards travel costs, tuition fees and health insurance abroad; if you are studying in the EU, stays of less than six months are also eligible for funding; you can also receive BAföG if you complete your entire course of study in another EU country; for stays abroad outside the EU/Switzerland, a purchasing power adjustment is also granted.

The following amounts are taken into account, i.e. they reduce your BAföG requirement:

• The income of your parents and/or your spouse/life partner in the penultimate year before the start of the approval period, if it is above the allowance. The allowance is:
  • EUR 2,000 if your parents live together,
  • EUR 1,330 per parent if your parents live separately and
  • EUR 1,330 for a possible spouse/partner.
  • Note: If your parents or your spouse/partner currently earn significantly less than in the year before last before approval, you can submit an update application.
  • Parent-independent BAföG: Your parents' income is not taken into account,
    • if you have been gainfully employed for five years after reaching the age of 18,
    • if you have completed three years of training and have been employed for at least three years afterwards (if your training was shorter, you will be employed for a correspondingly longer period),
    • in certain exceptional cases, if you are over 30 years old when you start your training.
• Your own income if it is more than EUR 450.00 per month.
• Your own assets, if they exceed EUR 8,200.

Note: The starting point for calculating income is generally the total positive income. In the case of training assistance law, this is the gross income minus the

• income-related expenses,
• social allowance and the
• taxes actually paid, including church tax and solidarity surcharge.

You can receive BAföG until the end of the standard period of study. Only in exceptional cases can your BAföG be extended thereafter, for example if you

• have failed the final examination for the first time,
• have a disability,
• are or were pregnant,
• have raised a child up to the age of 14,
• are or have been active in committees and bodies of the university, the student self-administration, the student unions or the federal states provided for by law or the statutes, or
• have cared for close relatives classified in care grade 3 or higher.

If you drop out of one degree course and start another ("change of degree course"), your new degree course can only be funded if

• the change took place in the 2nd semester at the latest or
• the change took place in the 3rd semester and there is an important reason for the change or
• the change follows from the 4th semester and there was an irrefutable reason for the change, for example:
  • a disability or allergy to certain substances that occurred after the start of the course, which makes it impossible to continue the course or to pursue the profession previously pursued.

Trainees and interns
BAföG can only be used to fund internships that you complete while you are in a training program that is eligible for funding under BAföG.

Only compulsory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships that are prescribed by your study regulations or training plan, i.e. that you have to do in order to complete or carry out your studies or training. Compulsory internships completed outside the EU are only eligible for funding if they last at least 12 weeks. Compulsory internships within EU member states can also be funded if they are shorter than 12 weeks.

You can also receive BAföG if you complete your entire course of study in another EU country.

• Certificate of enrollment with the imprint "according to § 9 BAföG" in the original or certificate from the educational institution
• If applicable, copy of the
  • identity card,
  • passport or
  • current residence permit
• If you do not live with your parents: Copy
  • of the tenancy agreement or
  • the registration certificate
• If you are not covered by family insurance: Proof of health and long-term care insurance with legal basis and contribution amount
• If applicable, proof of your own income during the approval period, for example
  • Pay slip, part-time job, work contract,
  • Orphan's pension certificate,
  • Scholarship certificate,
  • Riester pension certificate
• Proof of assets or debts on the date of application, e.g. bank statement
• If you have a car:
  • Estimate of the value, e.g. printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • vehicle registration document.
• From the 5th semester: proof of performance from your university.

Depending on the case, further documents may be required. Please follow the instructions in the application forms. The BAföG office responsible for you will request any missing documents.

Study:
You can receive BAföG if

• you are attending a university, academy or higher technical college. If it is a private educational institution, it must be state-recognized.
• you are studying full-time,
• you either
  • German or German nationality or
  • you are a foreigner and, for example
    • have a permanent right of residence or a settlement permit,
    • are a Union citizen and are entitled to freedom of movement under Union law as an employee or self-employed person or are entitled to freedom of movement as a child or spouse of such a Union citizen,
    • have prospects of remaining in Germany, for example a corresponding residence permit for family, humanitarian or political reasons, or
    • have already resided in Germany for 5 years or longer before the start of training and have worked during this time.
  • Please note: As the legal regulations are very complex, you should contact your local training assistance office at an early stage.
• you are younger than
  • 30 years old (Bachelor's degree) or
  • 35 years old (Master's degree program)
  • Exceptions:
    • You have acquired your higher education entrance qualification through second-chance education,
    • You have enrolled at a university solely on the basis of professional qualifications,
    • You were prevented from starting the course on time for personal or family reasons, in particular due to the uninterrupted upbringing of a child under the age of 14 (and did not work more than 30 hours per week), or
    • you have become needy due to drastic changes in your personal circumstances. As a result, you were unable to complete a vocational training course eligible for BAföG funding.

Internship:
You will receive BAföG for your studies and the internship if this is prescribed by the training regulations and lasts at least 12 weeks for internships outside the EU. Shorter compulsory internships can also be funded for stays abroad within the EU.

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If you would like to apply for BAföG for your studies online:

• First activate the online ID function of your ID card, electronic residence permit or your European eID. You will need to register for this.
• The procedure depends on the federal state in which you are studying.

If you do not have an eID, you can still submit your application data electronically. However, in order to submit a legally valid application, you must print out the application, sign it and send it by post or upload it to the relevant education funding office.

If you would like to submit the application in paper form:

• Go to the BAföG website and download the application forms that apply to you. Alternatively, you can also collect the applications from your Studierendenwerk.
• You can fill in the forms on the computer and print them out or print them out and fill them in by hand.
• The application must be signed.
• Attach the necessary supporting documents.
• Send the completed application forms with the supporting documents directly to the Office for Educational Support responsible for you.
• The Office for Educational Support will check the documents for completeness. If documents are missing, they will be requested from you. If the application is complete, it will be checked and you will be notified of the decision by letter.

Up to 6 weeks if the complete documents are available (if no final decision can be made within this time, the offices are legally obliged to pay within 10 weeks subject to reservation).

None, but BAföG is only granted from the start of training, but at the earliest from the month in which you submit your application. If you submit your application as completely as possible, a decision on your application can usually be made quickly.

• Education funding approval for students
• Financial support for studies under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG)
• Possible if
  • parents do not have a high income or the requirements for parent-independent BAföG are met,
  • the student has little or no income and assets and
  • studies are full-time
• Half of the monthly funding is granted to students as a grant and half as an interest-free loan
• Repayment after completion of the course
• Repayment does not begin until 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which usually corresponds to your standard period of study.
• You must repay a maximum of EUR 10,010, which corresponds to 77 monthly installments of EUR 130.00 each from the start of repayment. Under certain conditions, the remaining debt can be waived after 20 years.
• Internships are only funded if
  • it is a compulsory internship within the curriculum and
  • the studies are already supported by BAföG.
• The amount for students depends on
  • 1. according to the fixed monthly requirement for
    • living costs and accommodation,
    • Costs for health insurance, if applicable,
    • children, if applicable,
  • 2. according to the income of the student and, if applicable, of the parents and/or spouse/life partner, which are deducted from the need:
    • Parents' income above the allowance of
    • EUR 2,000 if parents live together,
    • EUR 1,330 per parent if parents live separately,
    • if applicable, income of a spouse/life partner above the allowance of EUR 1,330 and
    • own assets, if applicable, if they exceed EUR 8,200.
• BAföG for students is granted independently of parents if
  • the applicant has been employed for at least 5 years or
  • the applicant has been gainfully employed for at least 3 years after a three-year course (in the case of a shorter course, a correspondingly longer period of gainful employment) or
  • in certain exceptional cases, if the student has reached the age of 30 at the start of their studies
• In the case of a stay abroad, supplements are granted towards travel costs, tuition fees and health insurance abroad; in the case of stays abroad outside the EU/Switzerland, a purchasing power adjustment is also granted.
• Funding is possible until the end of the standard period of study, thereafter only in exceptional cases
• Responsible: Offices for educational support, usually student services of the university attended

The BAföG hotline can help you by calling0800-223 63 41 can help you. It is free of charge from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Student support under the BAföG in Germany is the responsibility of the student services of the universities at which the student is or will be enrolled.

Forms: Form 01 - Application for educational support and other forms depending on the case

Online procedure possible: yes

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no