Leistungen A-Z

Forms: yes

Online procedure possible: yes, with eID or De-Mail

Written form required: yes

Personal appearance required: no

• All application forms on the BAföG website
• Application assistant to find out the necessary forms on the BAföG website
• Links to the electronic application of the individual federal states on the BAföG website

BAföG is the abbreviation for Federal Training Assistance Act. BAföG is the colloquial term used to describe the funding that you can receive under this law. You will receive the funding to finance

• your school attendance or
• under certain conditions of a mandatory internship as part of your school attendance.

To receive the monthly subsidy, you must meet a number of requirements. The main ones are:

• Your parents and/or partner earn comparatively little.
• They themselves have little or no income.
• Your assets are below the tax-free allowance of EUR 7,500.
• They aim for them to graduate from school full-time.
• Age limit: 30 years (exceptions are possible)

As a pupil, you will receive financial support as a subsidy. You don't have to pay anything back.

The amount of your BAföG depends on a fixed monthly requirement. Money is deducted from this need if your parents, your partner or you earn a comparatively large amount.

In principle, if you want to obtain a vocational qualification or a secondary school leaving certificate, you can receive BAföG. However, if you attend a general school, this only applies from grade 10 onwards and only if you cannot live at home (for example, because you cannot obtain the desired degree nearby).

The monthly requirement consists of 2 parts:

• Basic Needs:
  • EUR 391.00 if you attend an evening grammar school or college,
  • EUR 243.00 if you attend a vocational school or a technical school that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
  • EUR 439.00 if you attend an evening secondary school, vocational training school, evening secondary school or technical secondary school class, which you can only attend if you have completed vocational training.
• If you do not live with your parents, you will receive additional accommodation needs:
  • A total of EUR 580.00 if you attend a vocational school or a technical school that you can attend without having completed vocational training, or
  • A total of EUR 675.00 if you attend an evening secondary school, vocational development school, evening secondary school or technical secondary school class, which you can only attend if you have completed vocational training.
• Even if you spend a year abroad during your school years, you can still receive BAföG. You will then also receive a travel allowance for both the outward journey and the return journey:
  • EUR 250.00 within Europe or
  • EUR 500.00 outside Europe.

If you are aiming for your school-leaving certificate in the 2nd chance of education, you will receive BAföG independent of your parents. That is, your parents' income is not taken into account in the calculation.

Notes: Child benefit that your parents receive for you will not be taken into account.

Interns:

BAföG can only be used to fund internships that you complete while you are in an apprenticeship that is eligible for BAföG funding.

Only compulsory internships are funded. These are internships that your training plan prescribes, so you have to do them in order to complete or carry out the training. Compulsory internships completed abroad are only eligible if they last at least 12 weeks.

• As a pupil or trainee, you attend one of the following types of school:
  • secondary school of general education and vocational school (including classes of all forms of basic vocational education and training) from grade 10 onwards, if you are unable to live with your parents because of your education,
  • Vocational and technical secondary school class (without completed vocational training), if you do not live with your parents,
  • vocational school class or technical school class (without completed vocational training), if it provides a vocational qualification in a course of study lasting at least two years,
  • Technical and technical secondary school class (with completed vocational training),
  • Evening Secondary School, Vocational Training School, Evening Secondary School, Evening Grammar School and College or
  • college or academy.
• You are a German citizen,
• You or one of your parents was employed in Germany for a certain period of time before the start of your training,
  • You yourself would have to have been employed in Germany for at least 5 years beforehand.
  • Your parents would have to have worked in Germany for at least three years during the last 6 years.
• or you have certain residence permits for reasons of international law, humanitarian or political law and the qualifying period or gainful employment that may be required.

Internship:

• You will receive BAföG for your school attendance, your training and the internship, provided that this is prescribed by the training regulations and lasts at least 12 weeks in the case of internships abroad.

• Certificate from the school or training centre
• Copy of the
  • Id
  • Passports or
  • current residence permit
• If you don't live with your parents: copy
  • of the rental agreement, or
  • of the registration certificate
• If you do not have family insurance: Proof of health and long-term care insurance with legal basis and amount of contributions
• If applicable, proof of your own income during the approval period, for example
  • Payroll, part-time job, work contract,
  • Orphan's pension notice,
  • Scholarship notification or
  • Riester Pension Certificate
• Proof of assets or debts on the day of application, such as bank statement
• If you have a car:
  • estimation of the value, e.g. printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • Motor vehicle registration document.

Depending on the case, further documents may be required. Please follow the instructions in the application forms. The BAföG office responsible for you will request missing documents.

none

If you would like to apply for BAföG for your school education online,

• First, either activate the online ID function of your identity card (eID) or open a De-Mail account. You will need to register for both.
• The procedure depends on the state in which you are completing your education or where your parents reside.

If you wish to submit the application in paper form,

• go to the BAföG website and download the application forms that concern you. Alternatively, you can also pick up the applications from your Studierendenwerk.
• If you do not know which forms apply to you, you can use the application assistant on the BAföG website: you will answer a few questions and the assistant will tell you which forms you need to submit.
• You can fill in and print the forms on the computer or print them out and fill them in by hand. The application must be signed.
• Add the necessary supporting documents.
• Send the completed application forms directly to the Office for Educational Assistance responsible for you.
• The Office for Educational Support checks the documents for completeness. If documents are missing, they will be requested. If the application is complete, it will be examined and the decision will be notified by notice.

None, but BAföG is only granted from the start of your training, but at the earliest from the month in which you submit the application. If you submit your application as completely as possible, then a decision on your application can usually be made quickly.

Federal Ministry of Education and Research

The offices for educational support established by the districts and independent cities and the student unions of the state of Brandenburg are responsible for the subject matter. They carry out the tasks in accordance with the Federal Training Assistance Act on behalf of the Federal Government.

Territorial jurisdiction is governed by Section 45 (1) and (2) of the Federal Training Assistance Act.

• Territorial jurisdiction

Trainees at evening grammar schools, colleges, colleges and academies: Office for Educational Support of the city or district administration at the location of the training institution

Pupils: Office for Educational Support of the city or district administration at the place of residence of the parents, in exceptional cases at the place of residence of the trainee

• Responsibility finder on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research

• Federal Act on Individual Support for Education (BAföG)

• Website of BAföG
• Brochure on BAföG on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• Website of BAföG
• Brochure on BAföG for pupils on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
• Publications on the BAföG website

Federal Ministry of Education and Research