Studying with State Support

BAföG

The Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) gives students who do not have enough money to live on and fund their education the legal entitlement to individual support for an education that fits their interests, aptitude and skills. The amount of this funding is determined based on the needs, income and assets of the student, their parents and, if relevant, their spouse.

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.
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Advice and application

Amt für Ausbildungsförderung des Studierendenwerkes Bonn AöR is responsible for handling BAföG applications. It can give you information on whether it would be worthwhile applying for educational assistance based on your income or that of your parents or spouse and, if so, what amount you would roughly be likely to receive. Staff at the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung will need details of your family’s financial situation (e.g. income, number of children in education) before they can give you any advice.

Good to know....

01.

Documents required

The best thing to do is to take the relevant documents along with you to your consultation at the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung, such as your parents’ income tax assessment from the calendar year before last. Various exempt amounts can be deducted from their monthly income. After all such deductions have been made, an “offset amount” may remain that your parents will be able to put towards funding your education in accordance with the law. Your entitlement and individual BAföG amount will then be calculated based on this amount.

02.

When should I apply?

You should apply as soon as possible (two to three months before the beginning of the semester) so that payments can start as soon as you commence your studies. The financial assistance is initially granted for 12 months. The best time to apply for an extension to your support is two to three months before the start of the following semester to prevent your payments being interrupted.

03.

Amount of funding

From WiSe 2022/23, the maximum funding available for students up to the age of 24 who do not live at home and are covered by their family’s health insurance without having to make their own contributions is EUR 812  per month. The maximum amount for students upt to the age of 45 who do not live at home and who pay for their own health and long-term care insurance at student rates is EUR 934. BAföG recipients with children under 10 get an additional childcare supplement of EUR 160 per child as an extra benefit.

04.

Duration of funding

The maximum period of time for which assistance can be provided depends on your chosen academic discipline and its standard period of study. If the state Higher Education Act and/or the Study and Examination Regulations as the applicable legal regulations stipulate an extension to the standard period of study in order to acquire language skills, this extended standard period of study shall determine the maximum funding period. However, this does not apply to German, English, French or Latin. Educational assistance will be granted for a reasonable period of time after the end of this maximum period if it has been exceeded for a good reason (e.g. illness), to care for close family, for involvement in university bodies, following a failure to pass the final examination at the first attempt, as a result of a disability or pregnancy or to care for a child (up to the age of 14).

05.

Repayment

Repayment of the interest-free loan (50 percent of the educational assistance granted) does not need to begin until after the career entry phase, which is five years after the end of the maximum funding period. The loan amount is capped at EUR 10,010 (regardless of the total funding amount) and must be repaid in monthly installments of at least EUR 130. However, repayment can be suspended if the student is not earning enough money.

467,595

students receive BAföG

€2.3 billion

total student funding

€579

average funding per month

BAföG-Statistics 2021, Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis, 2022)

More information

Funding under BAföG
Students who have not been able to complete their degree within the maximum BAföG funding period can apply for financial support for up to 12 months after the end of this period. They will only be granted this additional assistance if they are admitted to an examination within four semesters of the end of the maximum funding period and the university confirms that they will be able to complete their studies within the time covered by the extra funding for the final stages of their degree. This support is provided as a full interest-free loan and will have to be repaid. 

Continued support will be provided for a master’s degree program if completing the previous bachelor’s degree is a requirement for proceeding to the master’s and it is a self-contained program continuing in the same (or a related) discipline (consecutive master’s degree program). 

Students can continue to receive BAföG funding for a second degree if completing a second degree program is absolutely essential in order to enter their chosen profession (e.g. oral and maxillofacial surgeons will need degrees in dentistry and human medicine). 

An internship outside the university can be funded by BAföG if it is a mandatory requirement in accordance with the examination regulations for the relevant degree program.
A student spending time abroad in a member state of the European Union (EU) or in Switzerland can obtain full funding at German rates from the start of their period abroad until they obtain their foreign university degree.
Studies forming part of cross-border cooperation between a German and one or more foreign universities can be funded for the relevant period of time spent abroad.
Time spent at a university outside the EU or Switzerland will be funded for one year if the course in question is beneficial for the student’s education and at least some of the work that they complete abroad can be credited toward their program in Germany. 


Online BAföG applications

This video provides a brief explanation of how the online application for BAföG works. 

BAföG Digital - So funktioniert der schnelle Online-Antrag

Deutschlandstipendium

The Deutschlandstipendium scholarship is another way to finance your studies. It is aimed at all students who are enrolled at the University of Bonn and all high school students and prospective students who are looking to start a degree program at the University in the near future. As well as outstanding achievements at school or university, the selection process also takes account of social engagement outside school or university. 


Contact information

Avatar Bonn

Studierendenwerk Bonn

Lennéstraße 3

53113 Bonn

See also

Scholarships

Besides BAföG, scholarships are a key component of student finance. They are particularly attractive as they are a form of study support that does not usually need to be paid back.

Working while studying

Earn money and gain real-life experience – a part-time job is a welcome help for many students.

Education Loans

Monthly payments during or in the final stages of a degree can be financed via student and education loans granted on favorable terms.

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