BAföG für ein Studium beantragen

Bundesausbildungsförderungsegsetz (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 the 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 fulfil further requirements in addition to financial need. The most important are

• You are studying full-time.
• Age limit: 45 years. 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 or 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 generally only have to pay back half of the money after your studies. You do not have to pay any interest on the loan ("interest-free loan"). The maximum repayment amount is generally EUR 10,010, regardless of the total amount of funding. This corresponds to 77 monthly instalments of EUR 130 each from the start of repayment. The Federal Office of Administration (BVA) is responsible for collecting the loan. Repayment will not begin until 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which is usually the 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.

If you are studying, your monthly requirements are made up of different parts:

• Basic needs:
  • eUR 475 if you are studying at a higher technical college, academy or university, for example.
• Accommodation requirements:
  • eUR 59 if you live with your parents or
  • 380 EUR if you do not live with your parents.
• If you do not have health and long-term care insurance through your parents, you will receive an additional EUR 102 or EUR 35 respectively.
• If you have a child under the age of 14 living in your household, you will also receive a childcare allowance ofEUR 160 for each child.

Within the European Union (EU) and Switzerland, your studies can be funded from the start until you obtain your foreign educational qualification. For stays abroad outside the EU, BAföG is available for up to one year; in special exceptional cases for up to 2.5 years. Your stay abroad must be completed within a continuous period of time and in one country, unless attending training centres in several countries is of particular importance for your training.

Your compulsory internship abroad can also be subsidised with BAföG. For this, your internship must last at least 12 weeks if it is completed outside the EU.

For a semester or year abroad or an internship abroad, you can apply for supplements to travel expenses, tuition fees and international health insurance. For stays abroad outside the EU or Switzerland, you will also receive a purchasing power equalisation allowance. You do not have to pay back supplements for verifiably necessary tuition fees abroad.

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

• The income of your parents and your spouse or partner in the penultimate year before the start of the grant period, if it is above the tax-free amount. The tax-free amount is:
  • 2.eUR 540 if your parents live together,
  • 1.eUR 690 per parent if your parents live separately and
  • 1.eUR 690 for your spouse or cohabiting partner
• Your own income if it is more than EUR 556 per month. There may also be additional allowances if you pay maintenance to other people.
• Your own assets if they exceed EUR 15,000 up to the age of 30 or EUR 45,000 after the age of 30.

Note: If your parents or your spouse or partner are currently earning significantly less than in the year before last before approval, you can submit an update application. There may also be other additional allowances, for example for other children or other dependants of your parents or your partner under civil law.

Parent-independent BAföG:

Your parents' income is not taken into account if you

• have been gainfully employed for 5 years after reaching the age of 18 or
• have completed three years of vocational training and have been gainfully employed for at least 3 years afterwards. If your training was shorter, you must have been gainfully employed for a correspondingly longer period.
• are older than 30 at the start of their training.

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

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

Child benefit that your parents receive for you is not taken into account.

You must inform the Office for Education immediately in writing of any changes in your financial situation and your family and educational circumstances. This includes, for example, if your income changes, if you change, drop out or end your education or if your siblings do the same.

There is a maximum funding period. You can receive BAföG until the end of the standard period of study or a comparable period. Your BAföG can then be extended by one semester without giving reasons, i.e. in the Bachelor's or Master's programme. This is known as the flexible semester. There are also other extension options. For example, if you have exceeded the maximum funding period because 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 were 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 in their home environment who are categorised in care grade 3 or higher.

An extension for the above reasons is possible before or after a flexible semester. If you have already been granted an extension due to failing your final examination, you will no longer be able to receive a flexibility semester.

Please note: If you are entitled to an extension due to a disability, pregnancy or the care and upbringing of a child up to the age of 14, you will receive full grant funding without a loan component during the extension period deemed appropriate in this respect. It may therefore make sense to use this extension option first instead of or before taking advantage of a flexible semester. If necessary, seek advice from your BAföG office.

If you give up one degree programme and start another ("change of degree programme"), your new degree programme can only be funded if

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

The change for an unavoidable reason will still be recognised after the 4th semester.

Interns and trainees:

BAföG can only be used to fund internships that you complete while you are enrolled in a degree programme that is eligible for funding under BAföG.

Only compulsory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships that are prescribed by your degree programme regulations and that you must complete in order to graduate. 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.

• completed application form
• Certificate of enrolment with the note "according to § 9 BAföG" in the original or certificate from the training centre (Form 02).
• If applicable, copy of the
  • current residence permit.
• if you do not live with your parents:
  • Copy of the registration certificate or
  • Copy of the tenancy agreement, if requested by the Office for Educational Support
• 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 own income during the authorisation period, for example
  • Payslip from a part-time job or a copy of the 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 the value of the assets of trainees does not exceed the amount of EUR 10,000, the form "Simplified assessment of assets" can be attached
• if you have a car:
  • Estimate of the value, for example, printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • Vehicle licence.
• from the 5th semester onwards: Proof of performance in the form of
  • a certificate of an intermediate examination or
  • a certificate from the university confirming that the usual level of performance has been achieved or
  • proof of the usual number of ECTS credit points
• 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.

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-recognised;
• You are studying full-time and
• You either
  • German or German nationality or
  • You are from abroad and, for example
    • have a permanent right of residence or a settlement permit,
    • Are a citizen of the EU and are entitled to freedom of movement under EU law as an employee or self-employed person or are entitled to freedom of movement as a family member of a citizen of the EU,
    • 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 starting their training and have worked during this time.
  • Please note: As the legal regulations are very complex, you should contact your local training assistance office in good time.
• You are younger than
  • 45 years
  • Exceptions:
    • You have acquired your higher education entrance qualification through the second-chance route,
    • You have enrolled at a university solely on the basis of your professional qualification,
    • For personal or family reasons, in particular due to the uninterrupted upbringing of a child under the age of 14, you were prevented from starting the training phase on time and did not work more than 30 hours per week during this time, or
    • You have become needy due to drastic changes in your personal circumstances. You were therefore unable to complete a vocational training programme eligible for BAföG funding.

Internship:

You will receive BAföG for the internship, provided it 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:

• Open the BAföG Digital website and create a BundID user account.
• Fill in the form data fields online using the application wizard and send your data electronically to the relevant office.

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

• Go to the BAföG Digital website and download the application forms (Formblätter) that apply to you. Alternatively, you can also collect the applications from your student services organisation.
• You can fill in the forms on the computer and print them out or print them out and fill them in by hand. You must enter your name at the end of the application form.
• Attach the necessary supporting documents.
• Send the completed application forms with the supporting documents directly to the Office for Educational Assistance responsible for you.

The Office for Educational Support will check the documents for completeness. If documents are missing, they will be requested. If the application is complete, it will be checked and the decision will be notified by post.

There is no deadline. BAföG is only granted from the start of your training, but at the earliest from the beginning of 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.

You must notify us immediately in writing of any change in your or your family's financial situation.

Please note the following:

• False or incomplete information or the omission of change notifications can be prosecuted or punished as an administrative offence with a fine. Unjustly paid amounts can be reclaimed.
• If the requirements are met, the information provided on income or assets can be checked by comparing data with the relevant authorities.

• objection
• Action before the administrative court