Only Pay 50% Back!
Half of the BAföG financial support is usually a grant, the remaining half an interest-free loan.
Calculability:
A ceiling guarantees that students only need to repay a maximum of €10,000.
The Rest Is an Interest-Free Loan!
The repayment period starts 5 years after the standard finishing time of your study program. The loan is repaid in installments, the height of which depends on your income and other factors. If your parents’ financial means are limited and you are unsure how to finance your studies, then this is the financing option for you!
Based on your documents we can calculate if and how much BAföG you are eligible for. If you are unsure, why not just try?
BAföG is usually granted in accordance with the income of the parents during the second last calendar year. In special cases, the application may also be assessed on the basis of the parents’ current income.
There are no rigid income thresholds.
How much BAföG you get always depends on your personal circumstances. The funding amount is based on your needs (Are you living with your parents or not? Do you pay for your own health and long-term care insurances or are you included in your parents’ insurances), the creditable income and financial assets of the student as well as the income of spouse/partner and parents. Even siblings may be taken into consideration – do they get financial support from the parents or do they earn their own income? Are they still completing their training?
BAföG is generally a support system for German students. However, international students may also be eligible for funding.
BAföG is usually only granted for one training, which must commence before the age of 30. Exemptions may be made in cases where exceeding the age limit is justified (e.g. pregnancy or rearing children of up to 10 years).
A subsequent master’s program is also eligible for funding if it is commenced before the age of 35.
For students who worked for five years after their 18th birthday or completed a 3-year apprenticeship and subsequently worked for 3 years before beginning their academic studies can apply for parents-independent assistance.
Half of the BAföG financial support is usually a grant, the remaining half an interest-free loan. A ceiling guarantees that students only need to repay a maximum of €10,000.
Repayment of the loan starts five years after the end of the maximum BAföG funding period in the form of reasonable installments. These installments are collected centrally by the Federal Office of Administration (BVA) in 50728 Cologne. Partial waiving of the debt owed is possible in the case of
loan repayment ahead of schedule
| LIVING EXTERNALLY | LIVING WITH PARENTS | |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL ALLOWANCE | ||
| Basic Needs Allowance | 399 € | 399 € |
| Rent Allowance | + 250 € | + 52 € |
| Standard Allowance | = 649 € | = 451 € |
| SUPPLEMENTARY ALLOWANCE FOR SELF INSURANCE | ||
| Supplementary Allowance for Health Insurance | + 71 € | + 71 € |
| Supplementary Allowance for Long Term Care Insurance | + 15 € | + 15 € |
| MAXIMUM ALLOWANCE | = 735 € | + 537 € |
Responsibility
The student finance department of the Studierendenwerk Ulm provides services to Ulm University, the Universities of Applied Sciences in Ulm, Aalen and Biberach, the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Heidenheim, the PH and HfG in Schwäbisch Gmünd, the HfK+G in Ulm as well as the Mobile University Riedlingen.
Forms
Application forms can be obtained from the student finance department directly at the universities, on our website or online.
Start of the Funding Period
BAföG is paid from the beginning of the month in which the training commenced, with the earliest start being the month in which the application was submitted. Submission of an initial informal, written application is sufficient to adhere to the deadline. Official forms, however, need to be submitted for the further processing of the application. Filling out the official forms diligently and completely helps speed up the processing time of the application immensely.
Submission
The application can be submitted and discussed in person with the responsible administrative officer during office hours. The Studierendenwerk Ulm also offers personal consultations directly at the universities. The dates are announced through the secretariats and on notice boards. Students who already receive BAföG should submit an application for the continuation of the funding (“Weiterförderungsantrag”) at least two months before their BAföG ends.
Working
Students may earn 5,416 Euros (gross salary in dependent activity, i.e. 451.32 Euros per month) without having to pay any deductions. Different free allowances apply during practical semesters.
Child Benefit
The "Steueränderungsgesetz 2007" (Tax Amendment Act) reduced the age limit for the granting of child benefit ("Kindergeld") from 27 to 25 years. This revision applies to all age groups starting from 1983.
The calculation of the BAföG amount also considers the applicant’s financial assets at the time of application (receipt stamp). These include checking accounts, savings accounts, building society savings accounts, investment funds as well as securities, stocks and bonds, among others. The assets exemption threshold is €7,500. Any financial assets above the total of €7,500 are prorated over the funding period. Example: financial assets €10,000 - €7,500 = €2,500
Funding period March 2017 till February 2018. The financial assets above the exemption limit – in this example €2,500 – are prorated over 12 months (funding period). As a result, the monthly BAföG amount is reduced by €208.33.
Warning: Data Reconciliation
Financial assets must not be concealed! The student finance department is obliged to ascertain existing financial assets due to the nationwide data reconciliation with the Federal Central Tax Office (“Bundeszentralamt für Steuern“). The Federal Central Tax Office has records of all exemption orders for capital gains. Applicants are advised to answer questions about their financial means honestly and diligently.
From the fifth semester in the study program, funding is only granted if the student has provided a certificate of achievement.
It is usually possible to change your study program after the first or second semester. If you wish to change to another program at a later time, you need to have an important (until the end of the third semester in the program) or irrefutable (after the start of the fourth semester in the program) reason. To avoid the risk of losing your eligibility for BAföG, we recommend that you contact the Studierendenwerk Ulm for further details. Lost semesters due to a change of study program can be funded with a bank loan until the end of the program.
The maximum BAföG funding period depends on the standard period of study, which is stated in the study and examination regulations of the respective study program.
Under certain conditions, the Studienabschlussförderung (graduation grant) offers the opportunity to receive funding beyond the maximum funding period.
Exemptions are:
• serious reasons
• contribution to legally stipulated committees and statutory organs of the university and the Studierendenwerk
• first-time failing of the final exam
• a disability, pregnancy or rearing a child of up to ten years
Should the parents refuse to contribute the amount that was calculated on the basis of the BAföG regulations or to provide details on their income situation, the student can apply for advance payments. Please contact Mr Oberdorfer at +49 731 50-25254 for more information.
Applications for BAföG for training abroad (“Auslands-BAföG”) must be submitted to the international office (“Auslandsamt”) that processes training assistance for the country you want to go to. These international offices are spread throughout Germany. Applications should be submitted six months before the beginning of the training abroad.
