Questions & answers about BAföG

The amount of BAföG support as a social benefit depends on the amount of your own income and assets. The income of your parents and/or spouse is also taken into account. The maximum monthly funding amounts are as follows:

The health and long-term care insurance costs for students over the age of 30 may differ from the above amounts. Students who live in a household with at least one child of their own receive a monthly care allowance of € 160/child who has not yet reached the age of fourteen.

The maximum duration of support is based on the standard period of study stipulated in the study and examination regulations of the respective subject area. The maximum duration of support exists regardless of whether you have actually received BAföG benefits throughout your studies.

From the fifth semester onwards, BAföG grants are only paid if the student has submitted proof of academic achievement(form 5). However, BAföG benefits may also be granted beyond the maximum period of support, namely

• for serious reasons, e.g. illness,
• care of a close relative in need of care under certain conditions
• as a result of participation in statutory bodies and statutory organs of the universities and the Studierendenwerk,
• as a result of failing the final examination for the first time,
• as a result of a disability, pregnancy or the care and upbringing of a child under the age of fourteen.

After reaching the maximum funding period, BAföG can be granted for one year in the form of a fully interest-bearing bank loan as assistance towards the completion of studies. The prerequisite for this is that the student has been admitted to the final examination and can complete his/her studies within one year.

If your parents' income changes, for example because one of them retires or becomes unemployed, you have the possibility to apply for an update of your BAföG calculation with form 7.

In the form, you have to provide information on the (expected) income for the years of the grant period. Here is an example:

Approval period: October 2019 - September 2020
Period for the income to be verified: 2019 and 2020
Current pay slips, unemployment benefit certificate, etc. serve as proof, for example.

Submit the form to your case officer. Your monthly BAföG amount will then initially be paid out subject to reclaim. A final calculation will be made when you subsequently submit your parents' income tax assessment notices for the respective years.

Students are allowed to earn €5,600 (from 01.01.2022) gross from non-self-employed work in a grant period of twelve months without having to fear deductions from BAföG. A different income calculation applies when completing a compulsory internship. Child benefit is not taken into account as income. The tax-free amounts are higher for married persons and/or students with children.

If the parents refuse to complete/submit the relevant declarations and proofs contrary to their legal obligation or refuse to pay maintenance in whole or in part, you should inform us immediately.

In these cases, it is possible to submit an application for advance payment according to § 36 BAföG(Form 08). In cases where one parent or both parents do not want to complete the documents, you should set a short deadline (2-3 weeks) and ask the parent to submit the documents.

You are eligible for "parent-independent BAföG" if

• you have reached the age of 30 by the time you start your studies and there are reasons according to § 10 BAföG (e.g. time delay due to bringing up children) or
• after reaching the age of 18 until the start of studies, five years of gainful employment (without training) can be proven, or
• at the time of commencement of studies, there are periods of completed training and subsequent gainful employment totalling six years, whereby a maximum of 36 months of training is taken into account.

The student must have been able to support himself/herself from the earnings during the years of his/her gainful employment.

When changing your field of study, it primarily depends on how many semesters you have already studied or how many semesters you cannot have credited to your new degree programme (so-called "lost semesters").

• Change after 1-2 "lost semesters"
  There is a "presumption of conformity", i.e. it is generally assumed without further examination that there were important reasons for the change. Submit a new certificate of study according to § 9 BAföG and, if applicable, a semester recognition certificate.
• Change after 3 "lost semesters "
  There must be an important reason for the change of subject area to be granted. (Evidence: Reason for the change of subject, new certificate of study according to § 9 BAföG, if applicable a semester recognition certificate).
• Change after 4 "lost semesters"
  There must be an irrefutable reason for granting the change of subject. (Evidence: Reason for the change of subject with suitable evidence, new certificate of study according to § 9 BAföG, if applicable a semester recognition confirmation).

Due to the threat of losing their BAföG entitlement, students should definitely seek advice at the Service Centre for Student Financing/BAföG before taking this step. The question of whether it is really a change of subject or merely a change of focus, which usually has no effect on BAföG payments, can best be clarified in a personal conversation.

If you change your university, the responsibility of the "BAföG-Amt" will also change. The best way to find out which office is responsible for you is to go to www.bafög.de. Inform the new office of your change and send them your new address, rent and bank details. The new office will then take over the current payments, which the previous office will continue to make until then.

Stays abroad (studies or compulsory internships) can be funded upon separate application. However, it is not possible to simply take the BAföG funding you receive in Germany with you abroad. Depending on the federal state, various offices for educational support throughout Germany are responsible for BAföG funding abroad. You can find more information on the responsibilities at www.bafög.de. Applications for BAföG support abroad should be submitted as early as six months before the start of the stay abroad.

Stays abroad (studies or compulsory internships) can be funded upon separate application. However, it is not possible to simply take the BAföG funding you receive in Germany with you abroad. Depending on the federal state, various offices for educational support throughout Germany are responsible for BAföG funding abroad. You can find more information on the responsibilities at www.bafög.de. Applications for BAföG support abroad should be submitted as early as six months before the start of the stay abroad.

The following special BAföG regulations apply to pregnant women and students with children:

• Students who live in a household with their children under the age of fourteen can receive an allowance of 160 euros for each child.
• A further allowance of 730 euros is granted from the student's income for each child. Income of the child, such as maintenance payments, is offset against this allowance. An allowance is also granted on the spouse's income tax return.
• The age limit of 45 years for an entitlement to BAföG does not apply if the student was unable to start his or her studies on time due to bringing up a child under the age of fourteen.
• Additional benefits can be applied for beyond the funding period if the completion of studies is delayed due to pregnancy or the upbringing of a child under the age of fourteen.
• If there are delays in the course of studies during the first four semesters due to pregnancy or the upbringing of a child under the age of fourteen, a later submission of the transcript of records (from the 5th semester onwards) can be approved in accordance with Section 48, Paragraph 2 BAföG.

While one half of the BAföG funding is a "gift", the other half - a maximum of 10,010 euros - must be paid back. For this purpose, you will receive a notice from the Federal Office of Administration in Cologne about five years after the end of the maximum funding period - and half a year before the repayment obligation begins. This decision specifies the amount of the loan and the start of repayment.

The loan must be paid back in a maximum of 77 monthly instalments of 130 euros each. Repayment is income-dependent, i.e. low-income earners can be exempted from repayment. It is also possible to reduce the loan amount by paying a total instalment. The Federal Office of Administration also provides information on this.

If you need financial support during your studies, a Daka loan can help! The Daka is a non-profit association of the twelve North Rhine-Westphalian student unions that has been supporting students with interest-free loans for over 50 years. Daka applications can be submitted at any time via the Special Subsidies Advice Centre in our InfoPoint.

As a rule, the monthly budget for students is made up of several sources. The most important source of funds - apart from the classic BAföG funding - is still the parental home and the part-time job. In addition, however, there are other offers and benefits that help to create the financial basis for studying. We have compiled a small overview here.

Housing allowance for students
There are exceptions in which students receive housing allowance, for example, if the age limit for BAföG funding has been exceeded, a change of subject area took place without "good cause" after the start of the 4th semester, or BAföG is only paid out as a bank loan. Further information is available from the relevant authorities:

City of Dortmund
Amt für Wohnen und Stadterneuerung, Wohngeldstelle
Südwall 2-4
44122 Dortmund

City of Hagen
Department of Youth and Social Affairs - Housing Benefit
Berliner Platz 22
58089 Hagen

City of Iserlohn
Department of Housing Benefit and Housing Placement
Rathaus II, Werner-Jacobi-Platz 12
(for navigation devices: Rathausstraße)
58636 Iserlohn

City of Soest
AG Soziales
Propst-Nübel-Straße 5
59494 Soest
 

Please note: The Studierendenwerk does not issue certificates stating that you do not receive any benefits under BAföG. Whether you are not entitled to BAföG "on the merits" must first be checked by the housing allowance authority TZ. 20.23 of the general administrative regulation WoGG).

The Studierendenwerk Dortmund helps students at the TU Dortmund, FH Dortmund and FH Südwestfalen who have unexpectedly fallen into financial difficulties through no fault of their own within the framework of emergency assistance.