On this page, you’ll find a concise summary of the key information about BAföG.
Financial support for your studies will be provided for as long as you are undertaking a course of study that is eligible for funding. If you withdraw from your studies early, this will generally immediately terminate your entitlement to financial support, even if the period of approval stated in your notification is still ongoing. You must therefore notify the relevant authorities in writing without delay that you are discontinuing your studies in order to avoid having to repay large sums. You must submit your certificate of de-registration.
The duration and amount of the grant depend on many factors. In your application, you set out the basic eligibility criteria and the basis for calculating your grant amount. On this basis, a decision will then be made by means of a notification regarding your entitlement, usually for the next academic year. If, during the approved funding period, there are any changes to the circumstances set out in your application, this may have a direct impact on your entitlement to funding.
All changes (e.g. change of address, change of bank details, changes in family circumstances or regarding siblings, changes to your course of study (sabbatical semester, change of subject, discontinuation of studies, etc.) must therefore be reported in writing without delay. This ensures that your funding can be adjusted promptly to reflect the changed circumstances, which may result in you receiving additional funding in the short term or help you avoid having to repay large sums later on.
As a general rule, we calculate the amount of your grant based on the income of your parents and spouse from the calendar year before last. If their income increases each year, this is always to your advantage.
However, if your parents or spouse currently have a lower income than they did two years ago, you may be able to submit an application for an update (Form 7) to have your grant amount recalculated, which could result in you receiving a higher grant amount. You can submit the application at any time during your grant period. However, please do make sure to seek our advice on this!
Please note that the grant is subject to recovery! This means that if, following the assessment of your parents’ or parent’s actual income (after a few years), it transpires that their income is higher than forecast in the update application, this may result in a (partial) recovery of the BAföG for the relevant grant period.
As a general rule, anyone who has not reached the age of 45 by the start of their degree course is eligible for funding.
Submit your application for student finance as early as possible, and in any case no later than the end of the month in which your course began.
This is because you will receive BAföG from the month in which you submitted your application at the earliest – but not before the start of your course or retroactively.
You should submit a renewal application as early as possible – ideally around three months before the end of your current funding period – to avoid any annoying gaps in your payments. To secure your entitlement for the following period, the application must be submitted by the end of the month following the last month of the previous grant period at the latest.
Example:
Your current approval period runs from October 2025 to September 2026. You should submit a renewal application in good time by 30 October 2026; ideally, we should have received a nearly complete application by 31 July 2026.
For a renewal application, it is usually sufficient to submit Form 9 and a certificate of enrolment. In addition, your parents must provide Form 3 and proof of income for the penultimate calendar year.
Form 9 may be submitted in place of Form 1 if there have been no changes to your marital status, health insurance, income or assets since the previous grant period and there is no gap in funding.
BAföG also provides support if you are planning a semester abroad or wish to study entirely abroad. Funding is also available for school pupils and for work placements abroad.
You should submit your application for BAföG for study abroad to the relevant BAföG office for study abroad well in advance (at least 6 months beforehand!).
We are responsible for processing applications if you are planning to study in the following countries:
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bulgaria
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Poland
Romania
Russian Federation
Slovakia
Tajikistan
Czech Republic
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Hungary
Uzbekistan
Belarus
If you wish to undertake your period of study abroad in another country, you must submit your application to the student finance office responsible for that country. You can easily find the relevant office via www.bafög.de.
If you use the BAföG-Digital online application platform, your application will be automatically assigned to the relevant office.
The maximum amount you can claim each month depends on whether you still live with your parents or not, and whether you already have your own health and long-term care insurance.
The amount of financial support you receive generally depends primarily on your parents’ (or, where applicable, your spouse’s) income. It also depends on the level of your own income and assets.
You can find further information on the BAföG website
The specific calculation of BAföG for each individual case is complex and, in some instances, rather complicated. Furthermore, there are a large number of (special) provisions that cannot be covered in a summary such as this. This makes it all the more important to seek sound, personalised advice.
You can find the relevant contact persons here.
BAföG is generally granted for one year – that is, two semesters or 12 months – by means of a formal decision. Should a shorter or longer grant period (up to a maximum of 15 months) be set in individual cases, there are always legal or administrative reasons for this, such as the expiry of the standard period of study, the deadline for submitting proof of academic achievement, or simply the date on which the application was submitted.
In all cases, a decision will be issued regarding whether the application is approved or rejected. Any funding amounts will then be paid monthly in advance.
BAföG funding consists of 50 per cent grant (a gift from the state!) and 50 per cent interest-free government loan. Furthermore, the maximum repayment amount is capped at €10,010. So you won’t have to repay more than this amount, regardless of how much BAföG you received or for how long. For example, someone who has received the maximum BAföG rate for 5 years will have received around €60,000 in funding and will still pay back no more than €10,010 – just over a sixth of that amount. This makes BAföG undoubtedly the most affordable way to finance your studies.
Repayment usually begins five years after you complete your first degree and is made in convenient monthly instalments of €130 each.
Please note: You must notify the BVA of any change of address without delay.
You can find further information on repayment at www.bundesverwaltungsamt.de
You can find all the downloads on our downloads page under the ‘BAföG’ section.
Spouses and both biological parents (step-parents are not taken into account for the purposes of the calculation) must declare their income from the penultimate calendar year on Form 3 and provide supporting evidence (income tax assessment, pension statements, etc.).
Example:
You are submitting an application for the period from October 2026 to September 2027 → therefore, your parents’ and spouse’s income for the year 2024 must be declared and substantiated.
If your parents’ current income is significantly lower, you can also submit an application for an update (see point 3).
Within a period of 12 calendar months, you can earn up to €7,236.00 (up to €603 per month) gross on the side without any deductions being made from your BAföG.
If your income changes during the grant period compared with the details you provided on Form 1, please let us know immediately.
At the end of the grant period, please submit all earnings certificates and other supporting documents for this period to us so that we can review your actual income once again.
The usual supporting documents are:
complete notices from the tax office regarding income tax, the solidarity surcharge and church tax
electronic payslip, salary statement (certificate of earnings)
pension assessment notices, pension payment certificates
benefit certificates from the Jobcentre and health insurance fund, stating the benefit period and the amount of the benefit
You are eligible for BAföG independent of your parents’ means if you
start your degree after reaching the age of 30 OR
have been in gainful employment for at least a further three years following an apprenticeship of at least three years’ duration and have been able to support yourself from this employment. If the apprenticeship lasted less than three years, the period of gainful employment must have been correspondingly longer. In total, therefore, you must provide evidence of at least 72 months OR
you were in paid employment for a total of at least five years after reaching the age of 18 and were able to support yourself from this employment.
Note:
Periods of gainful employment also include periods of military, civilian or alternative service, as well as periods spent running a household whilst simultaneously caring for and bringing up at least one child under the age of 14.
In the case of gainful employment, this may also have involved several different jobs. These do not need to be jobs subject to social security contributions or full-time positions. What is decisive here is rather that the average gross monthly wage amounts to at least €1,026.00 (= the needs of a student who is not self-insured and does not live with their parents, plus 20 per cent).
As a rule, you can change your specialisation for the first time by the end of the third semester without having to give a reason.
If the change is made by the end of the fourth semester, you will need what are known as ‘valid reasons’, i.e. reasons relating, for example, to a lack of aptitude or a change in interests with regard to the originally chosen field of study.
If you change your specialisation later than the end of the fourth semester, the law requires so-called ‘compelling reasons’ – that is, reasons which make it objectively and subjectively impossible to continue with your originally chosen course of study – in order to be eligible for funding for the new programme.
If you are considering changing your specialisation, you should definitely seek advice from us at an early stage.
Please note: It is generally not possible to change your specialisation at Master’s level.
In principle, funding is available until the end of the standard duration of your degree programme (see certificate of enrolment). If you do end up taking longer to complete your degree, there are still various options for continuing to receive funding.
(A) The simplest option is the so-called ‘flexi-semester’. This allows you to apply for funding for an additional semester without having to give a reason. However, this is only possible once during your entire course of study, i.e. either during your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.
(B) In the event of special circumstances, such as illness, involvement in student bodies or bringing up children, financial support may also be granted upon application for a reasonable period beyond the standard duration of study.
(C) For the last two semesters before the expected completion of your degree, should none of the above options apply, the so-called ‘graduation grant’ is also available. This is calculated in the same way as standard BAföG, but is a full loan (interest-free).
You can apply for all three of the options mentioned using the same Form 10.
Please always notify us of any changes without delay (e.g. start and end dates of training).
It is not necessary to make an entry on Form 3 if siblings are able to cover their living expenses entirely themselves.
Depending on individual circumstances, there may be additional allowances applied to the parents’ income, for example in the case of a recognised degree of disability or when caring for grandparents. This usually requires a separate application, which must be submitted before the end of the approval period.
If you change universities, you must inform us immediately and submit a new application to the relevant BAföG office.
If you are already looking after your own children under the age of 14, BAföG will provide you with a monthly needs-based supplement of €160 per child. The childcare supplement is paid in addition to the standard BAföG and is a non-repayable grant, so it does not need to be repaid. The condition is that the child lives in your household and that you look after them yourself. You can apply by providing the relevant details during the application process on BAföG-Digital or by submitting Form 4.
If you have to pay for your health and long-term care insurance yourself – in other words, if you are no longer covered under a family policy – you will receive a health and long-term care insurance supplement as part of your BAföG. The key requirement is that you are covered by statutory or private insurance for which you pay contributions.
The requirements are that you are not covered under a family policy (family cover is usually available up to the age of 25) and that you pay your own contributions towards statutory health insurance (GKV). In most cases, these are students who are compulsorily insured (Section 5(1) Nos. 9/10 of SGB V) or those who are voluntarily insured under the statutory scheme. In both cases, your BAföG entitlement is increased by fixed lump sums for health and long-term care insurance. Currently, the health insurance allowance is €102 and the long-term care insurance allowance is €35.
Even those with private insurance receive a supplement if their policy meets certain minimum coverage requirements. The amount is based on the statutory flat-rate amounts or on the actual contributions (subject to a cap).
You can find the relevant certificate, which your health insurance provider completes, in the downloads section.
In order to continue receiving BAföG funding from the 5th semester onwards, you must provide one-off evidence that you have achieved the standard academic performance expected for your degree programme up to that point.
There are two possible dates:
Certificate confirming your academic performance in the 4th semester (achieved by the end of the 4th semester) or
a certificate confirming your academic performance in the 3rd academic semester (achievements made up to the end of the 3rd academic semester).
Submitting this evidence during the 4th academic semester has the advantage that you can submit the certificate along with the rest of your application documents in good time before the end of the grant period, thereby avoiding any interruption to your funding where possible.
In order for us to pay you the higher accommodation allowance, we need proof that you no longer live in your parents’ household. To this end, we require a copy of your tenancy agreement or a certificate of residence.
However, you do not need to copy every page of the tenancy agreement; just the most important ones (parties to the tenancy, address, start date of the tenancy, signatures).
As a general rule, you must inform us of any secondary employment and income. Please also see ‘Students’ income’. Please also see point 13.
For a compulsory work placement, you are generally entitled to financial support, as it forms an integral part of your course.
If, on the other hand, it is a voluntary work placement undertaken whilst studying, your entitlement depends on whether it takes place during term time or not. Anyone who gains professional experience voluntarily during the semester breaks and further their education through a work placement retains their entitlement to BAföG. However, if the voluntary work placement falls within the term, you may lose your entitlement to funding. To be on the safe side, check with your case officer beforehand.
If you are eligible for funding, the remuneration received for the work placement will generally reduce the amount of funding you are entitled to. Whether the work placement is voluntary or compulsory, you must notify the relevant department and submit a copy of the corresponding contract.
Anyone who receives BAföG and does not live with their parents can apply for exemption from the broadcasting licence fee. You will automatically receive the certificate required for this with your notification.
Germans within the meaning of the Basic Law are entitled to support provided that the other conditions laid down in the Act are met.
However, many foreign nationals may also be eligible for financial support under certain conditions. This is the case, for example, where EU nationals are in employment in Germany, hold a right of permanent residence under the Freedom of Movement Act, or where the right to freedom of movement within the EU is derived from close family members. Other international students may also receive benefits under the BAföG scheme under certain conditions, particularly if they hold residence permits that indicate a reasonable prospect of remaining in the country. You may also be entitled to financial support if you, or at least one of your parents, lived and worked in Germany for several years prior to commencing your studies. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
Unfortunately, students who hold a residence permit solely on the basis that they are studying in Germany (usually under Section 16 of the Residence Act) are generally not entitled to BAföG.
The tax identification number is used to identify the taxpayer in the tax assessment process. It ensures that tax returns, notifications and correspondence can always be clearly attributed to the relevant taxpayer.
You only need to provide this number during the application process if you are personally liable for contributions under health or long-term care insurance (as is also the case when studying abroad).
The Federal Central Tax Office (BZSt) issues the number automatically – if you lose it, you can request a new ID online from them.
If you receive a scholarship from one of the organisations that support gifted students (e.g. the German National Academic Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation or similar), you will not be eligible for BAföG funding.
As soon as the scholarship has been awarded, you must notify us of this by submitting the award letter.
Other scholarships are counted as income, either in full or in part. You must submit the relevant supporting documentation.
… this is a one-off payment of €1,000 for first-year students under the age of 25 who are enrolling for the first time at a higher education institution in Germany (in an EU Member State or in Switzerland) and who were receiving social security benefits up until the start of their studies, i.e. were part of a household for benefit purposes.
Applications must be submitted exclusively via bafoeg-digital.de. Details of the eligibility criteria can be found under ‘Studienstarthilfe’.
If you are planning to take a semester off, you must notify the BAföG office immediately, as you are not entitled to financial support whilst on leave. If you fail to inform the office, the money paid for that semester will be reclaimed within a four-week payment period, and you also risk facing administrative proceedings.
However, it is possible to receive BAföG during a semester abroad for which you have taken a leave of absence from your home university, provided that the other eligibility criteria are met. During this period of study, you are usually enrolled at a foreign university. Please note, however, the information under point 6 ‘Study Abroad’, in particular the need to submit a separate application to the relevant funding office.
The amount of BAföG funding you receive depends, amongst other things, on the value of your assets. An allowance of €15,000 is deducted from your assets. Once you reach the age of 30, this allowance rises to €45,000. For married students or those with children, this allowance is increased further.
If your assets exceed these amounts, your entitlement to BAföG is not immediately forfeited. However, the amounts in excess will be deducted from your BAföG grant.
If the total value of your assets is less than €10,000 at the time of application, you may submit the declaration for simplified asset assessment or make the relevant declaration on Form 1. In this case, you do not need to submit any further proof of assets, such as bank statements, investment account balances, etc.
If you are required to provide evidence of your assets, please also ensure that your supporting documents are up to date. An application for BAföG funding is only considered complete if the proof of assets you submit, such as bank or securities account statements, are no more than 14 days old from the date of application.
On proof of assets and evidence of digital assets/wallets, the account/wallet holder and the date must always be clearly identifiable. Screenshots are not acceptable as proof!
For data protection reasons, information may only be disclosed to you personally. Furthermore, only you may submit applications or lodge objections. If you wish for a trusted individual to act on your behalf, you must issue a written power of attorney and submit it to us.
You can find the relevant form in our downloads section
By submitting a request for a preliminary ruling, you can find out whether you are eligible for financial support. You could, for example, submit an application for a preliminary ruling before starting your degree if you intend to change your field of study but wish to make this change conditional on whether you will continue to receive student finance, or if you wish to find out whether you are eligible for funding for further training, after you have already completed a previous eligible course of study leading to a vocational qualification.
Under Section 11(2) of the BAföG, the trainee’s income and assets, as well as the income of their spouse or registered civil partner and their parents, in that order, are to be taken into account when determining the trainee’s needs for living expenses and training. The difference between the trainee’s needs and the income to be taken into account is paid out as a training grant.
If the parents or one parent do not contribute the calculated amount, or do not contribute the full amount, Section 36(1) of the BAföG provides for the option to apply for advance payments. In this context, an advance payment means that you receive the amount attributed to the parents but not paid by them from the BAföG office. Subsequently, however, this amount will be reclaimed from the parents, provided that a corresponding maintenance obligation can be established.
This also applies if your parents do not provide the necessary information and their contribution amount cannot therefore be determined (Section 36(2) of the BAföG). Before doing so, however, you should have informed your parents about your studies and asked them to cooperate.
You should definitely seek our advice on this matter.
If you believe your BAföG decision is incorrect, you can lodge an appeal against it. The appeal must be in writing, bear your handwritten signature and be received by us within one month of the decision being issued (a simple email is not sufficient). You must also state the reasons for your appeal.
Before you lodge an appeal, we recommend that you get in touch with us. This will allow us to clear up any misunderstandings and explain the decision to you again. In most cases, this leads to a quicker resolution of your problem. ;o)
You can apply for domestic BAföG at the Studierendenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau if you are studying at one of the following higher education institutions:
Chemnitz University of Technology
West Saxon University of Applied Sciences, Zwickau
Saxony Cooperative University (all campuses)
You can apply for BAföG for study abroad at the Studierendenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau if you are planning a period of study abroad in one of the countries listed under point 6.
You can find the BAföG office responsible for other study locations at studierendenwerke.de.
You can find your designated case officer here under ‘Contact details’.
