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

• your studies,
• a mandatory internship as part of your studies, subject to certain conditions.

In order to receive the monthly funding, you must meet certain requirements in addition to being financially needy. The most important ones 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, half of the funding is provided as a loan and half as a grant. This means that you usually only have to repay half of the money after you finish your studies. You do not have to pay any interest on the loan ("interest-free loan"). Regardless of the total amount of funding, the maximum repayment amount is usually EUR 10,010. This corresponds to 77 monthly installments of EUR 130 each from the start of repayment. The Federal Administrative Office (BVA) is responsible for collecting the loan. You only start repaying the loan 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which usually corresponds to the standard period of study. If you do not earn enough to start repaying your loan, you can apply to the Federal Administrative Office for a deferral of payment.

If you are studying, your monthly needs are made up of various components:

• Basic needs:
  • EUR 475 if you are studying at a technical college, academy, or university.
• Accommodation costs:
  • EUR 59 if you live with your parents or
  • EUR 380 if you do not live with your parents.
• If you are not covered by your parents' health and nursing care insurance, you will receive an additional EUR 102 or EUR 35.
• If you have a child under the age of 14 living in your household, you will receive an additional childcare allowance of EUR 160 for each child.

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

Your mandatory internship abroad can also be funded by BAföG. If your internship is completed outside the EU, it must last at least 12 weeks.

For a semester or year abroad or an internship abroad, you can apply for supplements 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, i.e., they reduce your BAföG requirement:

• The income of your parents and your spouse or partner in the year before last before the start of the approval period, if it exceeds the allowance. The allowance is:
  • EUR 2,540 if your parents live together,
  • EUR 1,690 per parent if your parents live separately, and
  • $1,690 for your spouse or partner
• Your own income, if it exceeds EUR 556 per month. In addition, there may be further additional allowances if you pay maintenance to other persons.
• Your own assets, if they exceed EUR 15,000 until you reach the age of 30 or EUR 45,000 after you reach the age of 30.

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

Parent-independent BAföG:

Your parents' income is not taken into account if you

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

Note: The starting point for calculating income is always the total positive income. In education funding law, for employed persons this is the gross income minus

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

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

You must notify the education authority in writing immediately of any change in your financial situation or in your family or educational circumstances. This includes, for example, if your income changes, you change, interrupt, or terminate your education, 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 period. Your BAföG can then be extended once, i.e., in your bachelor's or master's degree, by one semester without giving reasons. 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

• you failed your final exam 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 statutory or constitutional committees and bodies of the university, student self-government, student services, or the federal states, or
• have cared for close relatives classified as at least care level 3 in a domestic environment.

An extension for the reasons mentioned above is possible before or after a flexibility semester. If you have already received an extension due to failing the final exam, you cannot receive a flexibility semester afterwards.

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 a full grant without a loan component during the extension period deemed appropriate in this respect. It may therefore be advisable to make use of this extension option first instead of or before taking a flexibility semester. If necessary, seek advice from your BAföG office.

If you give up one course of study and start another (″change of course″), your new course can only be funded if

• the change takes place no later than the 3rd semester, or
• the change took place in the 4th semester and there is an important reason for the change, or
• there was an unavoidable reason for the change, for example:
  • a disability that occurred after the start of the degree program, or
  • an allergy to certain substances that developed after you started your studies and makes it impossible for you to continue your studies or pursue your intended career.

The change for compelling reasons is also recognized after the fourth semester.

Interns:

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

Only compulsory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships that are required by your study regulations, i.e., 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.

You can receive BAföG if

• you attend a university, academy, or higher technical college. If it is a private educational institution, it must be state-recognized;
• you are studying full-time and
• you are either
  • you are German or
  • you are from abroad and, for example:
    • have a permanent residence permit or a settlement permit,
    • are a citizen of the European Union and, as an employee or self-employed person, have the right of free movement under EU law, or as a family member of a citizen of the European Union, you yourself have the right of free movement,
    • 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 your training and have worked during this time.
  • Note: As the legal regulations are very complex, you should contact your local office for educational assistance at an early stage.
• you are younger than
  • 45
  • Exceptions:
    • You obtained your university entrance qualification through adult education.
    • You enrolled at a university solely on the basis of your professional qualifications.
    • you were prevented from starting your studies on time for personal or family reasons, in particular because you were continuously raising a child under the age of 14, and you did not work more than 30 hours per week during this time, or
    • you have become in need due to drastic changes in your personal circumstances. As a result, you were unable to complete a BAföG-eligible training program that would qualify you for a profession.

Internship:

You will receive BAföG for the internship if it is required by the training regulations and lasts at least 12 weeks for internships outside the EU. Shorter compulsory internships may also be eligible for funding for stays abroad within the EU.

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 fields online using the application wizard and send your data electronically to the relevant office.

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

• Go to the BAföG Digital website and download the application forms (forms) that apply to you. Alternatively, you can also pick up the applications from your student services organization.
• You can fill out the forms on your computer and print them out, or print them out and fill them out 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 responsible for educational assistance.

The Office for Educational Assistance will check the documents for completeness. If any documents are missing, they will be requested. If the application is complete, it will be reviewed and the decision will be communicated by mail.

The following information is provided:                

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

There is no deadline. BAföG is only granted from the start of your education, but at the earliest from the beginning of the month in which you submit your application. Submit your application as complete as possible so that a decision can usually be made quickly.

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

• Completed application
• Original certificate of enrollment with the note "according to § 9 BAföG" or certificate from the educational institution (Form 02).
• If applicable, a copy of your
  • current residence permit.
• If you do not live with your parents:
  • Copy of your registration certificate or
  • copy of the rental agreement, if requested by the Office for Educational Assistance
• If you are not covered by family health 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 from your part-time job or a copy of your work contract,
  • orphan's pension notice,
  • scholarship notice,
  • Riester pension certificate.
• Proof of assets or debts on the date of application, for example bank statement.
  • If the value of the apprentice's assets does not exceed EUR 10,000, the "Simplified Asset Assessment" form can be attached
• If you have a car:
  • Estimate of its value, for example, a printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • vehicle registration certificate.
• 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 performance has been achieved, or
  • proof of the usual number of ECTS credits
• Depending on the case, additional documents may be required. Please follow the instructions in the application forms. The BAföG office responsible for you will request any missing documents.