Student Financial Aid

You can find current part-time job listings, for example, on the job boards of the Career Service at Chemnitz University of Technology and Zwickau University of Applied Sciences. In general, the Career Service is the best place to go for finding part-time work and for advice on starting your career.

Students generally have “working student” status. This means that employment involving up to 20 hours of work per week (regardless of income) is exempt from contributions to unemployment, health, and long-term care insurance. Only pension insurance contributions must be paid. This weekly working time limit may be exceeded during semester breaks when classes are not in session without students losing their working student status—but only for a maximum of 26 weeks per calendar year. Working student status does not apply during a leave of absence semester.

For marginal employment, no social security contributions are due, except for pension insurance. You can apply to be exempted from paying pension insurance.

"Short-term employment" limited from the outset to a maximum of 3 months or 70 working days, which is not carried out on a professional basis, does not require the employee to pay social security contributions.

Students are subject to income tax. If their income remains below the basic exemption amount, they can receive a refund of the income tax paid via their income tax return the following year.

BAföG recipients may not exceed the currently applicable income limit (2026: €603) during the respective BAföG approval period (12 months). Doing so would result in a reduction of the monthly BAföG amount. If you have any questions about this, please contact your BAföG case worker.

Please note that your health insurance status may change as a result of your employment. It is recommended that you consult your health insurance provider before starting a new job.

You can find detailed information about working while studying on the websites of the German Student Union (Deutsches Studentenwerk), in the accompanying flyer “Jobben,” and on the DGB Youth website.

Here are a few general tips for a successful job search:

- Take care when preparing your application materials. These make an important first impression on your potential new employer.

- An application should generally consist of a cover letter, a resume in table format, and relevant certificates or proof of internships (and, if applicable, a cover sheet or work samples).

- Read the job posting carefully and pay attention to the application deadlines.

- For electronic applications, combine all documents into a single PDF file and pay attention to the file size.

- A professional cover letter should be no longer than one A4 page and explain your motivation for taking this part-time job. Under no circumstances should you cite financial concerns or beg for the job.

- Under the General Equal Treatment Act, including a photo with your application is now entirely voluntary. However, many HR departments still prefer it (especially for customer-facing roles).

- Be sure to verify the legitimacy of job postings! Unfortunately, there are increasingly dubious job offers these days that advertise non-existent, fraudulent, and potentially criminal “jobs.” Please note that so-called financial, goods, or package agents do not represent real employment opportunities! You can find more information on this, for example, on the Berlin Police Department’s website.

Scholarships are an ideal way to finance your studies because they do not have to be repaid. It’s worth applying even if you don’t have a perfect GPA, as many foundations award scholarships based on criteria such as community involvement, field of study, place of birth, background, or parents’ occupation.

A wide range of organizations in Germany support students through scholarships, including organizations for the promotion of gifted students—such as party-affiliated foundations or the German National Academic Foundation—as well as church-affiliated and private foundations, business associations, and individual companies. The selection criteria vary among the different foundations, as do the type and amount of funding.

Opportunities at Chemnitz University of Technology:

• Germany Scholarship at Chemnitz University of Technology

• Funding Agencies and Foundations at Chemnitz University of Technology

• Current calls for applications at Chemnitz University of Technology

Opportunities at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences:

• Germany Scholarship at Zwickau University of Applied Sciences

• Zwickau University of Applied Sciences provides information on the largest scholarship programs and the WHZ corporate scholarships.

Recommended search engines:

German Economy Foundation Scholarship Compass and its Scholarship O-Mat
database of the Federal Association of German Foundations
Organization e-fellows.net
Stifterverband der deutschen Wissenschaft
Career Advancement Scholarship for Experienced Professionals
Search engine MyStipendium

Information for international students is available from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the International University Center at Chemnitz University of Technology, and the International Office at WH Zwickau.

Many banks in Germany offer student loans. There are significant differences in terms of costs, risk mitigation, loan amounts, funding for semesters abroad, and overall flexibility.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to which offer is ultimately the best. Everyone must find the optimal solution for themselves based on their individual life and study circumstances.

The annual comparison tests published by the CHE (Center for Higher Education Development) can help with this. The CHE Student Loan Test offers concrete guidance in deciding whether a loan is necessary to finance living expenses and/or tuition fees, and if so, which one might be suitable.

Before you sign a loan agreement, we recommend that you seek comprehensive advice. Our social counselors are happy to provide guidance.

A child is entitled to support whenever they are unable to support themselves financially. This means that, in principle, unmarried children are entitled to support from their parents under the German Civil Code (BGB) even after reaching the age of majority, to cover the costs of an initial appropriate education up to the first professional qualification (including a consecutive master’s degree). Students must generally study diligently and purposefully to keep costs for their parents as low and predictable as possible.

A student’s needs are determined by the standard rate in the Düsseldorf Table established by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf. Parents may also provide support in the form of housing and food. This may be modified by a court upon the child’s request. Additionally, students are entitled to coverage of the costs for health and long-term care insurance. The student’s own income from employment, savings, or inheritance reduces the parents’ obligation to provide support.

If parents are unable to pay due to their financial situation, the state steps in to help finance the student’s education through BAföG benefits.

If the parents do not pay support and this jeopardizes the student’s education, an application for advance payments can be submitted to the BAföG office.

Students at Chemnitz University of Technology, Zwickau University of Applied Sciences, and the Duale Hochschule (Breitenbrunn, Glauchau, and Plauen) may apply for a loan from the Chemnitz-Zwickau Student Services Organization if they find themselves in financial distress through no fault of their own, have no other means of financing their studies, and their ability to continue or complete their studies is at risk due to their financial situation.

The loan is interest-free and limited to a maximum of 500 euros per month. For short-term loans (max. 3 months), a maximum total amount of 1,500 euros applies; medium-term loans (max. 6 months) are granted up to a total of 3,000 euros. In addition, there is the tuition fee loan, which can be used to cover the cost of tuition fees.

The loan must generally be secured by collateral, i.e., either the borrower must be eligible for student financial aid (BAföG) or a guarantor must be provided for the repayment of the loan.

Further information can be found in the Social Benefits Regulations of the Chemnitz-Zwickau Student Services. For a personal consultation, please contact the Student Financing Department or the Social Counseling Office of the Student Services.

Loan applications must be submitted in person to the Student Financing Department. Please schedule an appointment with the Chemnitz office at 0371 5628-450 or the Zwickau office at 0375 2710-116 (also for DHSN).

Enrolled students are generally not eligible for the citizen’s income. This also applies if BAföG has been discontinued, for example, due to a change of major, exceeding the age limit, or exceeding the maximum funding period.

Under certain circumstances, citizens’ income may be available for:

• Children of students

• Hardship cases or transitional periods as a loan (until the first BAföG payment or between the end of the bachelor’s program and the start of the master’s program)

• Semesters of leave without taking exams

• part-time studies

• Students living in their parents’ household

• Additional needs, e.g., due to illness/disability, pregnancy, and for single parents

• or one-time benefits for pregnant students or students with children

You can find more detailed information about the citizen’s income in the following brochure.

Students who are not generally eligible for BAföG or who receive BAföG benefits exclusively in the form of loans may be eligible for a subsidy toward their rent costs (= "housing allowance") from their city's housing allowance office.

This is the case, for example, if:

• the age limit or the maximum funding period for BAföG has been exceeded

• the required academic performance records for BAföG have not been submitted

• a leave of absence semester has been taken

• studies are pursued only on a part-time basis

• it is a second degree

• students with children, if applicable

• This does not include: the rejection of a BAföG application due to excessive income or assets.

The conditions for eligibility for housing assistance are that the student has his or her primary or secondary residence in the respective city and maintains his or her own household there, which constitutes the center of his or her life. In addition, there must be sufficient income to cover living expenses. A notice of rejection of the BAföG application must be attached to the housing allowance application. Therefore, it is advisable to always seek advice from the BAföG office first.

Only a small percentage of international students are eligible to apply for housing allowance. International students who hold a residence permit for study purposes pursuant to §16b of the Residence Act (AufenthG) should not apply for housing allowance without prior consultation, as this could jeopardize their residence permit (proof of secure means of support).

You can find further information on housing allowance in the brochure from the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development, and Construction. Additionally, the housing allowance calculator provides an initial overview of whether you may be eligible for housing allowance. Please note, however, that only the competent housing allowance authority can provide a binding calculation of your entitlement to housing allowance.

You can also find useful information about applying for housing allowance, application forms, and a housing allowance calculator on the websites of the cities of Chemnitz and Zwickau.

Anyone who is a resident or has their habitual residence in Germany can claim child benefit from the relevant family benefits office until the child turns 18. The child benefit amounts to 259 euros per month per child (as of 2026).

Once the child reaches the age of majority, a written application for child benefit must be submitted, citing education or studies as the basis for eligibility. The family benefits office must be notified of the start and end dates of the education, and a current enrollment certificate must be submitted each semester. Please note that semesters taken as leave of absence may affect the approval of child benefit.

Entitlement to child benefit for children in education ends when they turn 25 (except in exceptional cases).

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Student Services social counseling office or your local family benefits office.

Under certain conditions, distance learning or continuing education students, as well as students who are on a leave of absence or who withdraw before the start of the semester, may be eligible for a partial waiver of their semester fees from the Studentenwerk. The specific conditions for this are set forth in the fee regulations of the Studentenwerk Chemnitz-Zwickau. To apply for a fee refund or waiver in accordance with our fee regulations, please use the appropriate form based on your university affiliation:

Semester Fee Refund TUC
Semester Fee/Semester Ticket Refund WHZ
Semester Fee Refund Dual Universities Saxony

Your contacts:

TU Chemnitz and DHSN (Plauen, Breitenbrunn, and Glauchau)

Ms. Littmann
Thüringer Weg 3, Room 216
09126 Chemnitz
Tel.: 0371 5628-719
Email: beitrag-chemnitz@swcz.de

Office hours:
Tuesday and Thursday: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM

WH Zwickau
Ms. Immenroth
Äußere Schneeberger Straße 35, 2nd Floor, Room 11
08056 Zwickau
Tel.: 0375 2710-519
Email: beitrag-zwickau@swcz.de

Office hours:
Tuesday and Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.