BAföG is the abbreviation for the Federal Training Assistance Act. In everyday language, BAföG refers to the financial aid you can receive under this law. You receive this aid to help finance

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

To receive the monthly financial aid, you must meet additional requirements in addition to demonstrating financial need. The most important ones are:

• You are a full-time student.
• Age limit: 45 years. Exceptions are possible.

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

While you are studying, half of the financial aid is provided as a loan and half as a grant. This means that, as a rule, you only have to repay half of the money after you finish your studies. You generally do not have to pay any interest on the loan (“interest-free loan”). The maximum repayment amount is generally 10,010 EUR, regardless of the total amount of financial aid received. This corresponds to 77 monthly installments of 130 EUR each, starting from the beginning of the repayment period. The Federal Administrative Office (BVA) is responsible for collecting the loan repayments. You do not begin repayment until 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which generally corresponds to the standard period of study. If you do not earn enough to begin repaying your loan, you can apply to the Federal Administrative Office for a deferment of payment.

If you are a student, your monthly needs consist of various components:

• Basic needs:
  • 475 EUR if you are pursuing your education at a higher vocational school, academy, or institution of higher education, such as a university.
• Housing allowance:
  • 59 EUR if you live with your parents, or
  • 380 EUR if you do not live with your parents.
• If you cannot obtain health and long-term care insurance through your parents, you will receive an additional 102 EUR or 35 EUR, respectively.
• If you have a child under the age of 14 living in your household, you will also receive a child care supplement of 160 EUR for each child.

Within the European Union (EU) and in Switzerland, your studies can be funded from the start until you earn your foreign degree. 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 take place during a continuous period and in a single country, unless attending educational institutions in multiple countries is of particular importance to your studies.

Your mandatory internship abroad may also be funded by 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 additional funding to cover travel expenses, tuition fees, and international health insurance. For stays abroad outside the EU or Switzerland, you will also receive a purchasing power adjustment. You do not have to repay supplements for verifiably necessary tuition fees abroad.

The following amounts are taken into account—that is, they reduce your BAföG eligibility:

• The income of your parents and your spouse or partner in the year before last prior to the start of the grant period, if it exceeds the exemption amount. The exemption amount is:
  • 2,540 EUR if your parents live together,
  • 1,690 EUR per parent if your parents live apart, and
  • 1,690 EUR for your spouse or partner
• Your own income, to the extent that it exceeds 556 EUR per month. In addition, there may be further additional allowances if you pay alimony to other persons.
• Your own assets, to the extent that they exceed 15,000 EUR before you turn 30 or 45,000 EUR after you turn 30.

Note: If your parents or your spouse or partner currently earn significantly less than they did in the year before last prior to the approval of your application, you can submit a request for an update. In addition, there may be further additional allowances, for example for additional children or other dependents of your parents or your partner as defined by civil law.

Parent-Independent BAföG:

Your parents’ income is not taken into account if you

• have been employed for 5 years after turning 18, or
• have completed a three-year vocational training program and were employed for at least 3 years afterward. If your training was shorter, a correspondingly longer period of employment is required.
• are older than 30 at the start of your training.

Note: The starting point for calculating income is generally the total of positive earnings. Under student aid law, for employees this is gross income minus

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

Child benefit that your parents receive on your behalf is not taken into account.

You must immediately notify the Office for Education in writing of any change in your financial situation or in your family or educational circumstances. This includes, for example, if your income changes, if you switch, interrupt, or complete your program of study, or if your siblings do so.

There is a maximum funding period. You can receive BAföG until the end of the standard period of study or a comparable timeframe. After that, your BAföG can be extended once—either during your bachelor’s or master’s program—by one semester without requiring a reason. This is known as the “flexibility semester.” There are also other options for extension. For example, if you have exceeded the maximum funding period because you

• failed your final exam on your first attempt,
• have a disability,
• are or were pregnant,
• have been raising a child up to the age of 14,
• are or were active in committees and bodies of the university, student self-government, student services, or the federal states as provided for by law or by bylaws, or
• have provided home care for close relatives classified as at least care level 3.

An extension based on the reasons listed above is possible either before or after a flexibility semester. If you have previously received an extension due to failing your final exam, you are no longer eligible for a flexibility semester afterward.

Note: If you are eligible for an extension due to a disability, pregnancy, or the care and upbringing of a child up to 14 years of age, you will receive full grant funding without a loan component during the extension period deemed appropriate in this regard. Therefore, it may make sense to first take advantage of this extension option instead of or before taking a flexibility semester. If necessary, seek advice from your BAföG office.

If you discontinue one program of study and begin another (“change of program”), your new program of study is eligible for funding only if

• the change took place no later than the 3rd academic semester, or
• the change took place during the fourth academic semester and there is a compelling reason for the change, or
• there was an unavoidable reason for the change, for example:
  • a disability that arose after you began your studies, or
  • an allergy to certain substances that developed after you began your studies and makes it impossible to continue your studies or pursue the career you had previously intended.

A change of major for an irrefutable reason is still recognized even after the fourth semester.

Interns:

BAföG funding is available only for internships that you complete while enrolled in a degree program eligible for BAföG funding.

Only mandatory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships required by your program’s regulations—in other words, you must complete them to graduate. Mandatory internships completed outside the EU are eligible for funding only if they last at least 12 weeks. Mandatory internships within EU member states may also be funded even if they are shorter than 12 weeks.

You are eligible for BAföG if

• you are attending a university, an academy, or a higher vocational school. If the institution is private, it must be state-recognized;
• you are studying full-time and
• you are either
  • are a German citizen or
  • you are from abroad and, for example:
    • hold a permanent residence permit or a settlement permit,
    • are a citizen of the European Union and, as an employee or self-employed person, are entitled to freedom of movement under EU law, or, as a family member of a citizen of the European Union, are yourself entitled to freedom of movement,
    • have prospects of remaining in Germany—for example, by holding a corresponding residence permit for family, humanitarian, or political reasons—or
    • have already resided in Germany for 5 years or longer prior to the start of the training program and have worked during that time.
  • Note: Since the legal framework is very complex, you should contact your local student financial aid office as early as possible.
• You are younger than
  • 45 years old
  • Exceptions:
    • You obtained your university entrance qualification through adult education,
    • You enrolled in a college solely on the basis of your professional qualifications,
    • You were prevented, for personal or family reasons—in particular due to the continuous care of a child under 14 years of age—from beginning the educational program on time and did not work more than 30 hours per week during that time, or
    • You have become in need due to significant changes in your personal circumstances. As a result, you were unable to complete a training program eligible for BAföG funding that leads to a professional qualification.

Internship:

You will receive BAföG for the internship provided that it is required by the training regulations and, for internships outside the EU, lasts at least 12 weeks. For stays abroad within the EU, shorter mandatory internships may also be eligible for funding.

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

• Go to the BAföG Digital website and create a BundID user account.
• Use the application wizard to fill out the form fields online and submit your information electronically to the appropriate office.

If you would like to submit a paper application:

• Go to the BAföG Digital website and download the application forms that apply to you. Alternatively, you can pick up the forms at your student services office.
• You can fill out the forms on a computer and print them, or print them and fill them out by hand. You must enter your name at the end of the application form.
• Attach the required supporting documents.
• Send the completed application forms along with the supporting documents directly to the Office for Student Financial Aid responsible for your case.

The Office for Student Financial Aid will check the documents for completeness. If any documents are missing, you will be asked to submit them. If the application is complete, it will be reviewed, and the decision will be communicated to you by mail.

Please note the following:                

• Incorrect or incomplete information, or failure to report changes, may result in criminal prosecution or be treated as an administrative offense punishable by a fine. Amounts paid in error may be reclaimed.
• If the conditions are met, the information provided regarding income or assets may be verified by cross-checking data with the relevant authorities.

Please note the following:     

• Providing false or incomplete information, or failing to report changes, may result in criminal prosecution or be treated as an administrative offense punishable by a fine. Amounts paid in error may be reclaimed.
• You must immediately notify the Office of Education in writing of any changes in your financial situation, family circumstances, or educational status. This includes, for example, changes in your income, or if you switch, suspend, or complete your education, or if your siblings do so. 
• If the conditions are met, the information provided regarding your income or assets may be verified through data cross-checks with the relevant authorities.

There is no deadline. BAföG is granted only from the start of your program of study, but no earlier than the beginning of the month in which you submit your application. If you submit a complete application, a decision on your application can usually be made quickly.

You must immediately report any changes in your or your family’s financial situation in writing.

None, but BAföG is granted only from the start of your training, but no earlier than the month in which you submit your application. If you submit your application as complete as possible, a decision on your application can usually be made quickly.

• Completed application
• Original certificate of enrollment marked “pursuant to § 9 BAföG” or a certificate from the educational institution (Form 02).
• If applicable, a copy of the
  • current residence permit.
• If you do not live with your parents:
  • A copy of your registration certificate or
  • a copy of the lease agreement, if requested by the Office for Student Financial Aid
• If you are not covered by family health insurance: Proof of health and long-term care insurance with
  • legal basis and
  • premium amount.
• if applicable, proof of your own income during the approval period, for example
  • a pay stub from a part-time job or a copy of the contract for services,
  • notice of orphan’s pension,
  • scholarship award letter,
  • Riester pension certificate.
• Proof of assets or debts as of the date of application, for example, a bank statement.
  • If the value of the trainee’s assets does not exceed 10,000 EUR, the “Simplified Asset Assessment” form may be attached
• If you own a car:
  • An estimate of the value, such as a printout from a website showing a comparable listing, and
  • vehicle registration certificate.
• Starting in the 5th semester: Proof of academic performance in the form of
  • a transcript of an intermediate exam or
  • a certificate from the university confirming that you have achieved the standard level of performance, or
  • proof of the standard number of ECTS credits
• Depending on your situation, additional documents may be required. Please follow the instructions in the application forms. The BAföG office responsible for your case will request any missing documents.