BAföG

Federal Training Assistance Act. The term "BAföG" is commonly used to refer to the financial aid you can receive under this law. You receive this aid to help finance:

• your schooling or
• under certain conditions, a required internship as part of your schooling. 

To receive the monthly financial aid, you must meet a number of requirements. The most important ones are:

• Your parents and/or your spouse or partner earn relatively little,
• you yourself have no or very little income,
• Your assets are below the exemption threshold of EUR 8,200,
• You are attending school full-time.
• Age limit: 30 years (exceptions are possible) 

As a student, you receive this financial support as a grant. You do not have to repay anything.

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

In general, you are eligible for BAföG if you wish to earn a vocational qualification or a high school diploma. However, if you attend a general education school, this applies only starting in 10th grade and only if you cannot live at home (for example, because you cannot earn the desired degree nearby).

The monthly need consists of two parts:

Basic allowance: 

• EUR 391.00 if you attend an evening high school or a “Kolleg”
• EUR 247.00 if you attend a vocational school or a technical school that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
• EUR 448.00 if you attend an evening secondary school, a vocational extension school, an evening secondary school, or a technical high school class that you can only attend after completing vocational training 

If you do not live with your parents, you will receive an additional allowance for housing: 

• A total of EUR 585.00 if you attend a vocational school or a technical school that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
• A total of EUR 681.00 if you are attending an evening high school, a vocational extension school, an evening secondary school, or a technical high school class that you can only attend if you have completed vocational training 

Even if you spend a year abroad during your schooling, you can still receive BAföG. In that case, you will also receive a travel allowance for both the trip there and the return trip: 

• EUR 250.00 within Europe or
• EUR 500.00 outside Europe 

If you are pursuing your high school diploma through adult education, you will receive BAföG that is independent of your parents’ income. This means your parents’ income is not taken into account in the calculation.

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

• As a student or apprentice, you attend one of the following types of schools:
  • a secondary general education school or a vocational school starting in 10th grade, if you are unable to live with your parents due to your training
  • Technical high school or technical upper secondary school classes (without completed vocational training), if you do not live with your parents
  • vocational school or technical school (without completed vocational training), if the program leads to a vocational qualification in a course of study lasting at least two years
  • Technical and technical upper secondary school classes (with completed vocational training),
  • evening secondary school, vocational extension school, evening secondary school, evening high school, and college, or
  • higher technical college or academy
• You are a German citizen
• You or one of your parents was employed in Germany for a certain period of time prior to the start of the training
• You yourself must have been employed in Germany for at least 5 years prior to this
• Your parents must have been employed in Germany for at least 3 of the last 6 years
• or you hold certain residence permits granted on grounds of international law, humanitarian reasons, or political reasons, and have met any required waiting period or period of gainful employment 

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

Only mandatory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships required by your training program—in other words, you must complete them in order to finish or carry out your training. Mandatory internships completed abroad are only eligible for funding if they last at least 12 weeks.

Requirements 

You are eligible for BAföG for your schooling, your vocational training, and the internship, provided that the internship is required under the training regulations and, in the case of internships abroad, lasts at least 12 weeks.

Students enrolled in evening high schools, vocational colleges, higher technical schools, and academies: Officefor Educational Assistance of the city or county administration where the educational institution is located

Students:The Office for Educational Assistance of the city or county administration where the parents reside; in exceptional cases, at the student’s place of residence

Jurisdiction Finder on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

You can receive the BAföG student grant to help finance

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

To receive the monthly grant, you must meet a number of requirements. The most important ones are:

• Your parents and/or your spouse have a relatively low income
• You yourself have no income or only a small amount of income
• Your assets are below the exemption threshold of EUR 8,200
• You are a full-time student
• Age limit: 30 years old; 35 years old for master’s programs (exceptions are possible) 

If you are a student, half of the financial aid is provided as a loan and half as a grant. This means you only have to repay half of the money after you graduate. The loan is interest-free; you generally do not have to pay any interest (“interest-free loan”). Repayment does not begin until 5 years after the end of the maximum funding period, which usually corresponds to your standard period of study. You must repay a maximum of EUR 10,010, which corresponds to 77 monthly installments of EUR 130 each, starting from the beginning of the repayment period. If you do not earn enough to begin repaying your loan, you can apply to the Federal Administrative Office for a deferral of payments.

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

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

Basic needs: 

• EUR 398.00 if you are attending a technical school program that requires you to have completed vocational training, an evening high school, or a college preparatory program; or
• EUR 427.00 if you are pursuing your education at a higher technical college, academy, or institution of higher education (such as a university) 

Housing allowance: 

• EUR 56.00 if you live with your parents, or
• EUR 325.00 if you do not live with your parents
• If you cannot obtain health or long-term care insurance through your parents, you will receive an additional EUR 84.00 or EUR 25.00, respectively
• If you have a child under the age of 10 living in your household, you will also receive a child care supplement: EUR 150.00 for each child 

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

Your parents’ and/or your partner’s income from the year before last prior to the start of the grant period, if it exceeds the exemption amount. The exemption amount is: 

• EUR 1,890 if your parents live together (combined household income)
• EUR 1,260 per parent if your parents live apart, and
• EUR 1,260 for a spouse or partner 

Note:If your parents or your spouse or domestic partner currently earn significantly less than they did in the year before last prior to the grant approval, you can submit an application for an update. 

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 3-year training program and were employed for at least 3 years afterward
• In certain exceptional cases, if you are over 30 years old at the start of your training
• Your own income, if you earn more than EUR 450.00 per month on your own
• Your own assets, if you have more than EUR 8,200 

So, for example, if your basic needs amount to EUR 649.00 and 

• you do not live with your parents
• Your parents are separated, and your father earned EUR 29,470 and your mother earned EUR 21,740 gross in the year before last
• you earn EUR 400.00 per month from your part-time job and
• you have no assets 

then EUR 87.11 will be deducted from your needs due to your father’s excess income and EUR 8.14 due to your mother’s excess income. Your 400-EUR part-time job has no effect on your BAföG award. You will then receive a total of EUR 554.00 in BAföG. 

Note:The starting point for calculating income is generally the sum of all positive income. In tax law, 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 

You can use a BAföG calculator to figure out how much BAföG you will receive.  

You can receive BAföG until the end of the standard period of study. Only in exceptional cases can your BAföG be extended beyond that, for example, if you  

• have failed your final exam
• have a disability
• are or were pregnant
• have raised a child up to age 14
• are or were active in student self-government, university committees or bodies, the Studentenwerk, or in student self-government, or
• have cared for a close relative 

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

• the change took place no later than the second academic semester, or
• the change took place during the third academic semester and there is a compelling reason for the change, or 
• the change occurs starting in the fourth semester and there was a compelling reason for the change, for example:
  • a disability that arose after you began your studies, or
  • an allergy to certain substances that makes it impossible to continue the program or pursue the profession you had previously intended to enter 

You are eligible for BAföG if you meet the following requirements:  

• You are attending a university, an academy, or a higher vocational school (if the institution is private, it must be state-recognized).
• You are a full-time student.
• You are a German citizen.
• You are from abroad and meet the following criteria:
  • You have a permanent residence permit or a settlement permit.
  • You 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 child or spouse of such a citizen, are yourself entitled to freedom of movement.
  • You have prospects for remaining in Germany; for example, you hold a residence permit for family, humanitarian, or political reasons.
  • You have already resided in Germany for 5 years or longer prior to the start of your program and have worked during that time.
• You are under 30 years of age (for a bachelor’s program) or under 35 years of age (for a master’s program) at the start of your studies. 

Exceptions include:  

• You obtained your college entrance qualification through adult education.
• You enrolled at a university solely on the basis of your professional qualifications.
• You were prevented from starting the program on time for personal or family reasons—in particular, due to the continuous care of a child under 14 years of age (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 program eligible for BAföG funding that leads to a professional qualification. 

Internship:

• You will receive BAföG for your studies and the internship, provided that it is required by the program’s regulations and, in the case of internships abroad, lasts at least 12 weeks. For stays abroad within the EU, no minimum duration is required. 

Note: Since the legal regulations are very complex, you should contact your local student financial aid office as soon as possible.

If you are spending a semester or a year studying abroad, you can apply for subsidies to cover travel expenses, tuition, and international health insurance.  

For study abroad programs in other EU countries, even shorter stays are eligible for funding, and for stays outside the EU or Switzerland, a purchasing power adjustment is also granted. So, for example, if you are studying at a university in Germany, do not live with your parents but are insured through them, and do not have a child of your own, your financial need is EUR 752.00 (basic need of EUR 427.00 plus EUR 325.00 for housing). 

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

Only mandatory internships are eligible for funding. These are internships required by your program’s academic regulations or training plan—in other words, ones you must complete in order to finish or carry out your studies or training. Mandatory internships completed abroad are only eligible for funding if they last at least 12 weeks. Mandatory internships within EU member states are funded regardless of the minimum duration of stay. 

You can also receive BAföG if you complete your entire degree program in another EU country.

The student services office or the financial aid office at the college where you are enrolled. 

General requirements for applying for BAföG: 

• German citizenship
• or European citizenship with a permanent residence permit
• or other foreign nationals or children of foreign nationals with a permanent residence permit
• If you are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, you must be under 30 years of age
• If you are pursuing a master’s degree, you must be under 35 years of age
• You do not have sufficient income or assets to cover your living expenses during your training or studies
• This is your first eligible educational program, or
• This is your second eligible educational program, which builds upon your first program and represents an academic advancement 

Depending on the type of program, additional requirements may apply. 

You will need the following documents to submit your application:

• Application (Form 01)
• Resume
• Proof of your income and assets during the approval period
• For parent-dependent financial aid: Form 03 and proof of your parents’ and spouse’s income from the penultimate calendar year
• If applicable, proof of your rental agreement
• If applicable, proof of health and long-term care insurance

You should submit your application no later than the month before your training or studies begin.

It takes 4 to 8 weeks to process your application.

If you are a student, you generally receive only half of your BAföG as a grant. The other half is paid as an interest-free loan that you must repay. You will receive a notice from the Federal Administrative Office regarding this approximately 4.5 years after the standard period of study has ended.

As a rule, you must repay no more than EUR 10,000, regardless of the amount of your BAföG loan. An exception applies to those who first received BAföG funding on or after August 1, 2019. You’ll have to repay a maximum of EUR 10,010. This corresponds to 77 monthly installments of EUR 130 each. With income-based repayment, the monthly installments may also be lower.

If you want to pay at least EUR 500 before the repayment period begins, you can receive a discount and will owe less. You’ll receive the maximum possible discount if you pay the full amount in a single lump sum before the repayment period begins.

You generally do not have to pay any interest on the BAföG loan and have up to 20 years to repay it.

The monthly repayment amount is 

• until March 31, 2020: EUR 105, and
• as of April 1, 2020: EUR 130 

Installments are due every 3 months. This amounts to a payment of 390 euros. If you have a low income, you can apply for a deferral of your BAföG loan repayment obligation or to pay lower installments (“income-based repayment”). If you are more than 45 days late in paying an installment, late fees and interest will apply. 

At the end of the 20-year repayment period, the Federal Office of Administration automatically reviews whether the remaining loan debt can be forgiven. You may be exempted from the remaining debt if you

• first received BAföG funding on or after August 1, 2019
• were financially unable to repay the BAföG loan in full, and
• have fulfilled your payment and cooperation obligations throughout the entire repayment period 

Note:The so-called “Graduation Assistance” (also known as a graduation loan), which you can apply for, for example, if you exceed the standard period of study, must be repaid in full. Since August 1, 2019, it has been granted as an interest-free full loan. You can obtain information about this from your local BAföG office. 

Students do not have to repay BAföG. 

If you are a student, you can make repayments in writing or through the online process. 

Written procedure: 

1. About 4.5 years after the end of the standard period of study for your first degree program funded by BAföG, you will receive a letter from the Federal Office of Administration, known as the “Assessment and Repayment Notice.”
2. The letter will inform you of the amount, timing, and exact method for repaying the BAföG.
3. It also includes an offer for early repayment of the BAföG loan and details the maximum possible reduction you can receive.
4. Please fill out the direct debit authorization form and return it to the Federal Administrative Office. The installments will then be deducted from your account every 3 months via a SEPA direct debit mandate.
5. If you miss a payment deadline by more than 45 days, interest will accrue. From that point on, 6 percent interest per year will be charged on your remaining balance. This interest applies until the outstanding amount is fully repaid.
6. Please remember to notify us immediately of any changes to your name or address. This will help you avoid the cost of tracing your address (EUR 25). 

Online Procedure: 

1. Go to the Federal Office of Administration’s BAföG Online Portal and register there.
2. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Follow the steps in the email to complete the registration.
3. Once you have successfully registered, you can log in with your email address and password. On the portal, you will find all the essential forms related to the repayment of your BAföG loan.
4. If you log in with your electronic ID card, you’ll have access to additional features.
5. For example, you can view your current outstanding loan balance and your current repayment schedule.

Repayment Deadlines

Payment must be received in the account at the Bundeskasse Halle: 

• no later than 15 days after the payment due date to avoid late fees 

Note:If your payment has not been received in the account at the Bundeskasse Halle after 45 days, you will be required to pay late payment interest. 

Yes. You will receive a reduction on your BAföG loan if, before repayment begins, you have a 

• a partial payment of more than EUR 500 or 
• the entire loan balance 

Discount before the repayment period: 

You’ll receive the maximum possible discount if you repay the entire loan balance in a single lump sum before the repayment period begins. The Federal Administrative Office will inform you of your total loan balance and how much money you will save by making a one-time early repayment in the Assessment and Repayment Notice (FRS). You will receive this notice approximately 4.5 years after the standard period of study has ended.

Early Repayment Period: 

• From the day you receive the FRS until one day before the first scheduled installment payment date
• The discount amount does not increase the sooner you make the repayment before the repayment period begins 

You are free to accept the offer of early repayment or to begin making installment payments. 

You can still receive a discount even if you are only able to repay a partial amount early, rather than the full amount. The partial amount must be at least EUR 500 for you to receive a discount. In this case, the actual payment amount will generally be less than EUR 500, since the discount is deducted beforehand.

Discount for Repayment During the Repayment Period: 

If you initially repay your loan in installments and later decide to make an early full or partial repayment, you may still be eligible for a discount. However, the discount decreases as the remaining loan balance decreases. In this case, please submit an informal request for a discount to the Federal Administrative Office. You will then receive a corresponding offer that you can accept by the specified payment date.

Note: A partial early repayment does not allow you to “buy” a deferral of payment; rather, it shortens the repayment period. You remain obligated to pay the regular installments according to the existing repayment schedule.

Repayment Process 

You can apply for early repayment in writing or online with the Federal Administrative Office (BVA). There are two scenarios for repayment:

Case 1: You have not yet begun repaying your BAföG loan: 

• About 4.5 years after the end of the standard period of study, you will receive the so-called “Assessment and Repayment Notice” from the Federal Administrative Office.
• The notice contains an offer for early repayment of the BAföG loan with the maximum possible discount.
• You are free to decide whether to accept this offer or to begin making installment payments according to the existing repayment schedule.
• Alternatively, you can also decide at this point whether you want to make an early one-time partial repayment (at least EUR 500) to receive a discount on the loan.
• In this case, you must submit an informal application to the Federal Administrative Office (BVA), either by mail or through the BAföG online portal. In the application, you must specify when and how much you wish to repay early.
• After the Federal Administrative Office (BVA) reviews your application, you will receive a notice specifying the amount to be repaid early and the discount.
• In both cases, the following applies: If you wish to accept the offer, you must transfer the amount specified in the notice to the account of the Federal Cash Office in Halle (BUKA) by the deadline.

Case 2: You have already begun repaying your BAföG loan: 

• Submit an informal application to the BVA online or in writing. In it, you must specify when and how much you wish to repay early.
• After the BVA reviews your application, you will receive a notice specifying the amount you must repay early and the discount applied.
• You are free to decide whether to accept this offer.
• If you accept the offer, transfer the payment amount within the deadline specified in the notice. 

Note:With the increase in installments effective April 1, 2020, the discount schedule will also be adjusted accordingly. Exemption periods will no longer be taken into account in the future, meaning that no discount will be granted on these installments. 

Yes. If you are pursuing a degree, vocational training, or an internship abroad, you can also apply for BAföG.

Financial aid for studies within the EU is available until you graduate. If you are studying outside the EU, you are generally eligible for financial aid for 1 year. In exceptional cases, financial aid may be available for up to 2.5 years.

Your tuition and travel expenses are also taken into account in the calculation.