BAföG FAQ

BAföG funding is available to all students studying at a state university or academy for their first professional qualification if they do not have sufficient funds of their own to cover their living expenses during their education.

Students at private universities and academies receive BAföG benefits if the university is recognized for this purpose. Many training centers for psychotherapists have the same status as universities.

Under certain conditions, if there are not enough funds of one's own, second courses, training abroad and students are also supported.

Important: You have to apply for the funding!

The Studentenwerk SH is responsible for the following institutions:

• Kiel: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kiel University of Applied Sciences, Muthesius University of Art, Duale Hochschule Schleswig-Holstein
• Flensburg: European University Flensburg, Flensburg University of Applied Sciences
• Lübeck: University of Lübeck, Lübeck University of Technology, Lübeck University of Music
• Heide: West Coast University of Applied Sciences
• Wedel: University of Applied Sciences Wedel
• Elmshorn: North Academy

Abroad we are responsible for the promotion of study and school stays in:
Denmark, Iceland, Norway

Yes, under certain conditions. In particular, EU citizens (and citizens from the European Economic Area) are eligible for funding if they have

• have lived in Germany for 5 years
• work or have worked in Germany themselves
• accompany parents or spouses who work in Germany.

Non-EU citizens may also be eligible for BAföG. This is usually the case if they themselves have lived or worked in Germany for five years or if their parents have worked in Germany for at least three years.

In all other cases, a case-by-case examination is required.

At any office for educational grants (student services, district administrations, city administrations) and on the Internet at: www.bafög.de

Before applying: If you are planning to study at a university or are currently studying, you can contact our Office for Education Funding or our Student Life Advisory Service with basic questions about BAföG or student financing. There is also a BAföG information line from the Federal Ministry: 0800-223 63 41.

For studies abroad, the respective foreign BAföG office is responsible. If you have questions about the student BAföG, please contact the respective district or city administration.

Studies are supported with student BAföG from the moment of enrollment at a university (full-time). This also applies after completion of vocational training until graduation.

However, the training remuneration - after deduction of training-related income-related expenses - is fully counted towards the BAföG support. This does not apply if it is paid for a precisely defined purpose, such as compensation for tuition fees.

Support with vocational training allowance (BAB) may also be considered if a significant part of the training takes place before enrollment. Student BAföG is available for certain types of training, such as geriatric nurse or physiotherapist.

Information on the student BAföG is available from the municipal BAföG offices and on the vocational training allowance from the Federal Employment Agency.

This depends on the respective life situation. With parent-independent BAföG, the parents' income no longer plays a role. However, BAföG also offers solutions in the event that parents are unable - or unwilling - to make maintenance payments, even if their income is taken into account.

BAföG independent of parents (always checked by the office)

Benefits are granted without taking the parents' income into account if certain conditions are met. The office checks this on the basis of the information in the application (school and professional career) and the submitted documents. The parents' income is then not taken into account and the parents' forms do not have to be submitted in the future.

There are only three cases in which a study program is supported independent of parents:

• At least five years of employment between the age of 18 and the start of studies.
• at least six years of training followed by employment, of which three years of vocational training followed by three years of employment - both before the start of studies. Shorter education can be compensated by longer gainful employment.

In individual cases, however, detailed questions often have to be clarified (e.g. the exact duration of employment, sufficiently high income from employment). Therefore, it is usually not obvious that the subsidy is actually to be granted independent of parents. Therefore, the forms and the supporting documents of the parents have to be submitted as a rule. If you believe that the decision of the office is wrong, you can file an appeal and thus have the decision reviewed again. In the meantime, the parents should submit the forms and receipts to be on the safe side - otherwise it may take longer to pay your support and we may have to initiate compulsory proceedings against the parents.

Checking your entitlement to support (application for "advance payment")

If you do not receive any parent-independent support and your parents cannot or do not want to pay the amount calculated in the decision, the application for advance payment, which you can submit via BAföG Digital (alternative: Form 08), will help. Then the claim for maintenance according to civil law is checked and, if necessary, asserted against the parents.

The application for advance payment can also be made if your parents refuse to cooperate, i.e. do not submit the forms or supporting documents.

Attention: As a rule, the parents are obliged to submit the documents - otherwise there is the threat of a penalty payment! You cannot simply assume that a parent-independent grant will be approved or that the maintenance claim is fulfilled. This also applies if an education has already been completed. The BAföG office checks anyway whether a parent-independent support can be granted. However, the income documents are requested in any case in order to accelerate the procedure if it is not immediately apparent that a parent-independent grant is possible.

If something is unclear on the subject of advance payments, the BAföG office is the place to go for advice.

Advantages: The authorities take over the entire maintenance procedure. You do not have to take care of it and only have to cooperate. Maintenance is not a loan and does not have to be paid back later. The financing of your studies is ensured by the advance payment. The risk for the parents is limited to the amount credited.

Disadvantages: Maintenance payments from others and child support are deducted (if passed on to the student). Interest accrues at 6 percent on child support arrears - if child support is claimed by the state. The child support check may have a negative impact on the relationship with the parents, especially if a child support claim is filed. However, this only happens after a thorough examination and if there is actually a claim for maintenance. The application is valid only from the month in which it is received (within two months from receipt of the decision, the application is still valid retroactively). The maintenance proceedings are limited to the amount of the imputed income of the parents.

Calculation with the current income of the parents - (request for "updating").

The parents' income is normally imputed with the values of the calendar year before last. If the parents' income is lower in the meantime (e.g. at the start of retirement), an update application is recommended (BAföG Digital or Form 07). The current income is then used as the basis for calculation. For this purpose, the parents must estimate their income in the grant period.

Advantages: This can also be done retroactively if the application is still received in the current period. Child support proceedings can be avoided if the parents are able and willing to pay the recalculated, lower amount.

Disadvantages: The decision is subject to reclaim and a return to the original values is not possible. If the parents have overestimated - which happens quite often! - or made false statements, it can therefore come to a reclaim in the final calculation. The trainees must then normally settle this themselves. In the case of false statements by the parents, claims for damages against the parents can also arise. This also applies if increases in income are not reported.

You must not have reached the age of 45 at the start of your studies. An age limit of 45 years also applies to the start of a master's degree program.

Exceptions:

• Graduates of the second educational pathway.
• Enrollment based on professional qualification (without university entrance qualification)
• Second education
• earlier enrollment was not possible for family reasons*
• Necessity due to drastic change in personal circumstances (only without completed first eligible education)

However, the education must then be taken up as soon as this is possible (except in the case of enrollment due to professional qualification).

* For example, if you raised your own children up to the age of 14 without interruption until you reached the age of 45 and were unable to work more than 30 hours per week (exception possible for single parents).

In addition to BAföG, there are a large number of scholarships. Information on this can be obtained from the Student Life Advisory Service of the Studentenwerk, from the scholarship department of your university or at www.stipendienlotse.de.

If you are not sure which financing options are suitable for you, please contact the BAföG counseling service.

This is a loan for up to 24 months as an additional federal funding tool. For details, visit www.bildungskredit.de.

The Deutschland-Stipendium is a performance-based scholarship that is awarded through the universities. More information is available from the Student Life Advisory Service of the Studentenwerk and here: www.deutschland-stipendium.de.

Up to 300 euros of your scholarship will not be taken into account for BAföG.

Yes, please contact the contribution service with the certificate that you receive with your BAföG notification. The exemption is only granted upon application. You can find more information on the website about the broadcasting fee.

Yes, semesters count in principle, but:

An amendment to the Corona Higher Education Law Supplement Ordinance increased the standard period of study by up to four semesters for anyone who was enrolled from summer term 20 through winter term 21/22.

This special regulation does not apply to semesters in which you were on leave of absence.

This also means that funding with a full loan does not start until later (in the case of a self-inflicted delay in graduation) or a reason for longer funding - such as an illness - does not have to be claimed until later. The new law also pushes back deadlines and university deadlines that depend on certain semesters by up to four semesters.

The transcript can be submitted correspondingly later if it would have been due during the pandemic period. However, it can be submitted at any time if the benefits are achieved.

If you are studying and have not yet applied for BAföG, please do so. We will check whether you are eligible for BAföG and whether your parents have to make payments. It may be that with your current income you have to pay less or no maintenance. If your parents do not have to make any payments - or if they have to pay less than they are entitled to - an advance payment procedure via the BAföG office can be considered.

Please let us advise you on these issues.

In individual cases, BAföG funding is also provided independently of parents. Please read the section "Parent-independent support".

Normally, it depends on the income of the parents in the calendar year before last. If their income decreases - for example due to unemployment, loss of profit or short-time work allowance - a BAföG application may make sense, even if the income in the year before last would have precluded support. Then the additional application for updating(form 07) is advisable. For details, you can contact our team at the Office for Educational Support for advice. Updating can lead to a later claim for repayment if the income is unexpectedly high.

For the BAföG application, fill out form 01 - or the quick application to meet the deadline. Please only use the PDF version if you do not have access to the online application.

BAföG benefits can be paid at the earliest from the month of receipt of the application. You have to expect a processing time of several weeks - with an additional payment from the beginning of the funding.

Postponement of exams concerns two situations:

• The performance record cannot be presented.
• The course of study cannot be completed within the standard period of study.
• (Note in this regard: The standard period of study was extended in Schleswig-Holstein because of the pandemic, see: Counting semesters
• Summer 2020 to Winter 2021/22 count for BAföG?)

Important: You must submit a new BAföG application when your grant period expires. Your previous period will normally not be extended by us. Always read your notification for the duration of the grant. The education grant can be approved for the month of receipt of the application at the earliest.

Please contact the Federal Office of Administration. This is responsible for loan repayment.

The office responsible for the respective country will continue to grant international funding if you are unable to start or continue an already planned education abroad. The Studentenwerk SH is responsible for Denmark, Iceland and Norway. Please inform us if you are not able to start your stay abroad or if you have to cancel it later than planned.

ATTENTION: You are required to participate in online courses offered by the university. If you do not take advantage of such courses, you will not be eligible for funding.

Your grant will be paid from the month of application (at the earliest from the start of training).

The calculation is always made in whole months. This means, for example, that if the lectures start on October 15, the full amount for October will be paid if the application was submitted in October or earlier. If the notification is not completed until later, there will be an additional payment.

At universities, the maximum funding period corresponds to the standard period of study. It is indicated on the certificate of enrollment.

For the semesters summer 2020 up to and including winter 2021/22, an individual standard period of study is extended by one semester (max. 4 semesters) in each case (except in the case of leave of absence).

The university determines the standard period of study in the respective study and examination regulations.

Funding ends at the end of the month in which the overall result of the successfully completed training section is announced (at the latest, however, at the end of the second month after the month in which the last examination section was taken).

The approval period comprises the months for which educational support is approved in a notice. It is indicated on each notice and usually covers twelve months (two semesters). After the approval period has expired, you will only receive funding if you apply again. There is no automatic renewal. Therefore, remember to submit a new application in good time (at the latest two months before the end of the validity period).

In case of announced semesters of leave, due date of the performance record, reaching the standard period of study or continuation of the education abroad, the approval period may be set shorter than twelve months. Pay attention to the information in your notification.

Yes, if there are reasons recognized by law - for example, delay due to illness, disability, caring for close relatives, pregnancy, raising children (until the age of 14), or participation in student government. There must be an understandable connection between the reason cited and the delay in studies. A lump sum extension will be granted in the case of pregnancy and child rearing.

Important: In the case of chronic or long-lasting illnesses, we require proof of medical treatment. For example, it is not sufficient for a doctor to certify that someone has probably been limited by an illness in the last two years. Retroactive certificates (without a medical examination or treatment having taken place) are generally not recognized.

After the maximum funding period (and any extended funding), up to twelve months can still be funded by an interest-free full loan. However, the "assistance for the completion of studies" is only available from the month of admission to the final examination or the existence of the prerequisites for this. If no formal final examination is scheduled, only the duration until the expected graduation is relevant.

The university must certify that the prerequisites have been met.

You can contact our student life advisor for more options.

Get advice from us on this topic before you change.

In the bachelor's program or diploma program, there must be an important or unavoidable reason, depending on the time of the change. In the Master's program, there must always be an irrefutable reason.

In the case of a change before the fourth semester of the bachelor's program, the other program can be supported if there is an important reason. An important reason is in particular a lack of aptitude or a fundamental change of inclination. An important reason is not an assessment of career prospects after graduation. The reason must be stated in writing if you change during or after the third semester. If the first change takes place immediately after the second semester, no written reason is required.

In the case of a change from the beginning of the fourth semester of the Bachelor's program and generally in the Master's program, only "unavoidable reasons" can be recognized (for example, allergy in the case of chemistry studies, paraplegia in the case of sports studies). A definitive failure in the intermediate or final examination is not an irrefutable reason.

If semesters are credited in the new study program, they do not count in your favor when determining how long you pursued the previous study program.

If all previous semesters are fully credited in the new study program, this is not a change of specialization, but a "shift of emphasis", for which no justification must be given. However, the crediting must be documented, for example by the certificate of enrollment, which shows the classification in a corresponding higher semester.

The previous field of study may not continue to be taken as a bridging measure. Otherwise, it will be assumed that there was no important or irrefutable reason (the change/dropout must be made immediately).

Yes, if no degree other than a bachelor's degree was previously obtained. In individual cases, funding may be considered as "further education" ("second degree").

A single additional training course is subsidized (Section 7 (2) BAföG),

• if it supplements a university education to the extent that this is legally required for taking up the desired profession,
• if access to it has been opened up in connection with the preceding training, it is independent in itself and continues in the same direction in terms of subject matter,
• if the access requirements for the further training to be supported were acquired at a specialized secondary school (attendance of which requires completed vocational training), an evening secondary school, a vocational upgrading school, an evening secondary school, an evening grammar school or a college, by means of a non-student examination or by means of an entrance examination to a higher education institution or to comparable academies, or
• if the first vocational training course completed was a course of at least three years' duration at a vocational college or a technical college, attendance at which does not require completion of vocational training.

Otherwise, training assistance for a single further training course is only provided if the special circumstances of the individual case, in particular the training objective pursued, so require.

The best way is to use the online application, as it offers many advantages. The entries are already checked for errors and are directly available in digital form. 

You can also upload supporting documents if you use the online application. This saves you having to go to the copier and mailbox.

You can find the details of the application on the page with tips for your first application.

If you prefer to fill out the forms by hand, you can get them at the Office of Student Financial Aid or on the applicationpage.

If you need to apply quickly to meet the deadline, we have prepared a quick application. However, the normal application must then be submitted in a timely manner for processing.

There are no deadlines for submitting applications. However, processing can take several weeks.

Very important: There are no back payments for months prior to the application.

For first-year students:

It is advisable to submit the first application as early as possible, at the latest in the first month of training/studies.

ATTENTION: The upload date or the date of receipt at the office counts. To meet the deadline, it is sufficient to submit an informal application with your name on it, even by fax (quick application). Without forms, however, it always takes longer until the grant is finally paid out.

For further applications:

The second or third application should be submitted as early as possible, at least two months before the end of the funding period.

This means 30 June for universities of applied sciences and 31 July for universities at the latest.

Then the so-called uninterrupted continuation of funding is possible. In this case, the money continues to flow without interruption, even if the notification for the period has not yet been completed. However, the application must be essentially complete.

It's best to submit your next application four to five months before the end of your funding period. This will keep your head clear during the exam period!

The application for further funding is the same as the first application, and the same forms apply.

When you fill out the application online, you will be notified of any errors. You will find out which documents we still need. The data you enter can be retrieved directly and our employees don't have to type it out. This saves you time, which you can then use to process your application.

If you have a smartphone, you can submit the application immediately - even on Sunday. A letter to the BAföG office is no longer necessary.

The Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein is responsible for all universities in Schleswig-Holstein.

Special responsibilities apply when studying abroad.

For the student BAföG, please contact the district and city administration.

Yes, an informal application is sufficient to meet the deadline for initial and renewal applications.

The date of receipt by the office is decisive. You will then also receive payments for that month. 

We need the following information for a clear allocation:

• Name and first name
• Date of birth
• Address
• Field of study
• University

The letter must also state that you wish to apply for BAföG benefits. You can use our quick application form for this purpose.

However, the informal application also has a decisive disadvantage: In the winter semester, several thousand applications have to be processed. If you simply write us a letter, our processing department must first request the forms from you. This delays processing for everyone.

If you want to speed up your application, it is better to use the online application.

The application can be submitted easily online or by mail. However, if there are any doubts about filling out forms despite the explanations, a visit to the Office for Educational Support is a good idea.

Due to the Corona pandemic, we currently only provide advice on the phone.

No, the benefits are approved for twelve months (in exceptions up to 15 months). If the proof of performance is missing or if a vacation or semester abroad is already planned, it can also be less months.

A new application must therefore be submitted ingood time before the end of the approval period, otherwise you will no longer receive payments.

The application can be withdrawn at any time as long as no decision has been made. Of course, a new application can be submitted afterwards.

However, assets may still not be "put aside". When a new application is submitted, it will therefore be checked whether the reasons for a reduction in assets can be recognized. Expenses for living and studying within normal limits are allowed.

Remember that no educational support may be paid retroactively! The next application is only valid from the month in which it is received.

It may be useful to withdraw the application in order to postpone the start of the grant period if the parents' income is then considerably lower in the relevant period (i.e. application only in January). In the case of the parents' income, it is the penultimate year before the application that counts.

If the parents' income during the grant period is certainly lower than in the year before last before the application, please consult us!

Once a notice of grant has been issued, the application can no longer be withdrawn. A final decision has then been made on the funding entitlement for the specified period. However, if you wish, payments can be stopped for the future. Then the BAföG loan debt does not increase any further and higher reclaims can be avoided, if necessary, if the entitlement ceases from a certain month onwards (then the period will be shortened after your notification has been checked).

This is the application after your initial application, with which you apply for further BAföG funding. It is very important!

You can easily submit your application for further funding via BAföG Digital. The forms are the same as for the first application. If there are no changes in your income and assets, you can use the simplified Form 09.

The bottom line: Continuing support without interruption is only possible if the application is submitted no later than two months before the end of the previous approval period. The application must also be substantially complete!

Example: If you were last approved for 10/2020 through 09/2021 (you receive your last payment in September), the application for the next period must be received by the Office of Student Financial Aid no later than July 31, 2021. If the substantially complete application is received later, you will lose your right to seamless continued funding and will have to wait for your turn to apply.

Substantially complete means (completed in full):

• Form 01 (Trainee Income and Asset Declaration) or.
• Form 09 - if your income and asset statement remains the same.
• form 03 (income declaration of the parents - with the exception of parent-independent support - and, if applicable, of the spouse or registered partner)
• possibly form 05 (certificate of achievement: from reaching the fifth semester) - or valid alternative

Please enclose all proofs requested in the forms in order to speed up the procedure! The Office always requires copies of all pages of the supporting documents - especially in the case of the tax assessment. This is also necessary when using the upload function, if you scan or photograph the forms. 

The certificate of enrollment for the coming semester can be submitted later.

The application can only be finalized when all documents relevant for the approval have been submitted. You will be contacted by us if we still need proof.

The following are required for approval in any case:

• Form 01 (or Form 09 for the second application, if there have been no changes)
• Form 03 for each parent, each with proof of income (exception: parent-independent support)
• Certificate of enrollment
• Proof of assets (for the day of receipt of the application, maximum 14 days old)

Remember that no benefits can be paid for the past. Therefore, you should not delay with the application. You can submit missing documents later. However, a complete application can be processed much faster.

After submitting your application or during the grant period, it is essential that you notify us of any changes relevant to the calculation. You can use the form Change Notification for this purpose. In any case, everything that is asked for in the forms is relevant. Otherwise, you will not only face a claim for reimbursement, but possibly also a fine.

For example, changes to the following points must be reported promptly. Some affect parents or spouses and partners.

• Termination, discontinuation or interruption of studies (semester off, longer illness, exmatriculation)
• change of field of study (also in minor subject)
• new address (notification with signature)
• moving in with parents or into an apartment owned by them
• new bank account (notification with signature)
• higher income than stated in the application
• if updated (Form 07): higher income of parents, spouse, domestic partner
  This applies from the increase in income.
• Changes in income of other children (of parents, spouse, domestic partner)
  Start or end of education of other children (of parents, spouse, domestic partner).
• Sponsorship by a scholarship organization for gifted students
• Continuation of studies abroad (also practical semester)
• Changes in health and nursing care insurance
• after graduation: Please inform the BVA of any change of address or name. Otherwise it will cost 25 Euro.

If you simply change universities, the BAföG office will continue to count the semesters. This means that after a total of four semesters, you must submit your transcript of records, even if your studies have been delayed by the change of university. At the end of your studies, there is no extension, even if you cannot finish within the standard period of study. This also applies if the study program at the new university is structured differently. However, it may be possible to receive financial aid for the completion of your studies (full loan, without interest). This can also be applied for using form 01.

If you change your field of study, the support ends, unless there is an "important reason". You do not have to give a reason until the end of the second semester. However, this only applies to the first change.

The same applies to the discontinuation of an earlier course of study that could have been funded under BAföG. You must also give an important reason for this, even if you have never applied for BAföG benefits before.

Important reasons for a change of specialization or discontinuation of education are:

• a serious and profound change of inclination
• a lack of aptitude - recognized in the course of the studies
• admission to the desired course of study was not possible for capacity reasons ("park studies")

Attention: In the last case strict rules apply. Before changing, be sure to check with the BAföG office.

In general, you are not allowed to continue studying for one or two semesters before changing to the new course of study, just because this seems more practical. As a rule, a leave of absence or exmatriculation must be granted if a seamless transfer to the new field of study is not possible after the "important reason" has arisen.

After reaching the fourth semester, only an unavoidable reason applies. In simplified terms, this means that it must be simply impossible to continue the previous studies. A compulsory exmatriculation due to poor performance or not having passed exams does not count towards this.

Scholarships up to 300 euros on a monthly average do not count towards income if they are dependent on talent and performance. In the case of benefits from organizations for the promotion of gifted students, BAföG eligibility does not apply at all (see list of organizations for the promotion of gifted students).

For an approval period of twelve months, 6,240 euros gross remain free of charge. This corresponds to a continuous 520-euro job. However, the total amount is decisive, not the payment for a single month. This means that more can be earned in individual months if this is offset by lower payments in other months. It depends on the specific months of the approval period, not on the calendar year. The receipt of the payments does not count, but for which month the payment was made.

Please note: Stricter rules apply in the case of remuneration for a compulsory internship, maintenance payments from divorced or permanently separated spouses, scholarships and orphan's pensions/orphan's allowances. These types of income are therefore usually offset.

In the case of a mandatory internship, the income-related expenses* are deducted. If any remainder is left over, it will be credited in full.

A *voluntary internship is treated like a part-time job. The limit of 520 euros gross monthly average (for all internships/secondary jobs together) then applies. However, if a voluntary internship is attached to a compulsory internship, the deduction of income-related expenses** is used up to that extent.

*Voluntary full-time internships during the lecture period result in the loss of the subsidy for these months, as the education is interrupted!

**amounts to 1,200€ in 12 months, but may be more under certain circumstances.

In principle, the same applies as for the parents: relevant is the positive income in terms of tax law (income from: Agriculture and forestry, trade, self-employment, non-self-employment, capital assets, renting and leasing and other income within the meaning of § 22 EStG). Income from a part-time job is typically income from non-independent work.

In addition, orphan's pension/orphan's allowance, education allowances and other income for living expenses according to the income regulation are included.

Unlike in the case of parents, the current income in the grant period is always decisive. It must therefore be estimated in advance when the application is submitted. If the income situation changes, this must be reported to the Office for Educational Support. If the estimate is too low, a claim for repayment may be made under certain circumstances.

Please also read our information on BAföG and maintenance.

If your parents do not cooperate with the application, you can apply for an advance payment(Form 08). You can make an appointment for advice on advance payments by calling 0431-8816-400 (only students in the area of responsibility of the Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein).

Your parents are legally obligated to cooperate. At the very least, they must send the necessary documents to the Office of Student Financial Aid. If they refuse, administrative enforcement proceedings can be initiated or a fine can be imposed.

Whether there is actually a maintenance obligation can only be checked with this application. In some cases, the parents no longer have to pay maintenance.

Important: You must first contact your parents, as you also have a duty to cooperate. When you submit the application for advance payment, you must confirm that you meet the requirements. This also includes that you have asked your parents to cooperate or to pay maintenance in the first place.

Your statements will be checked at the hearing of your parents.

This question cannot be answered in a generally valid way with a concrete figure. The amount of the parents' income depends primarily on the number of siblings in education. But other factors also play a role, for example whether the parents are married to each other.

You can find calculation examples at www.bafög.de.

The decisive factor is the positive income as defined by the Income Tax Act (i.e. "losses" are omitted). As a rule, these are derived from the tax assessment notice. In the case of parents, the income in the penultimate calendar year before the year in which the application is submitted is decisive. Something different only applies if an update application is submitted.

In particular, taxes paid and social security contributions (or private insurance) are deducted - the latter only at a flat rate.

In addition, there are exceptions as to what is additionally counted as income (Section 21 (3) BAföG, see also BAföG Income Ordinance ) and what is not taken into account, even if it actually counts as income under the Income Tax Act (Section 21 (4) BAföG). More details at www.bafög.de.

Yes, the income of both parents must always be declared and taken into account. This also applies if you have no contact with one parent. Only if the whereabouts of one of the parents cannot be definitively determined will their income not be taken into account.

No. Something else only applies in the case of a possible advance performance procedure.

Yes. Marriage does not extinguish the obligation to pay parental support. However, the income of the spouse or registered partner is given priority.

First of all: There is no "application for BAföG independent of parents". Instead, it is checked ex officio whether your curriculum vitae allows you to receive support without having to take your parents' income into account.

Parental income is not taken into account if you

1. you have already reached the age of 30 at the start of the training period (but see "Age limit")
2. you have been gainfully employed for five years at the start of the training period after reaching the age of 18, or
3. have been employed for three years (or longer in the case of shorter training) at the start of the training period after completing a previous (at least three-year) training program leading to a vocational qualification.

Important: Points 2 and 3 only apply if you were able to support yourself from the earnings during the years of gainful employment. To do so, you must have earned an average of at least 120 percent of the respective BAföG requirement rate per month. Certain periods are recognized as a substitute for gainful employment (for example, military service).

Important:

1. You must first apply to your parents yourself. When you apply for advance benefits, you have to confirm that you meet the requirements. This also includes that you have asked your parents to pay the amount stated in the decision (see "Determination of the monthly grant amount" there).
2. Your statements will be verified by a hearing with your parents.
3. Advance payments are made from the beginning of the month in which the application for advance payments is submitted. Advance payments will only be made retroactively if you notify the Office for Educational Support of your refusal to make maintenance payments no later than two months after receiving the BAföG decision and submit the application for advance payments within the approval period.

If the parents do not pay the amount stated in the decision - for whatever reason - you can apply for advance payment(form 08). A procedure will then be initiated to examine the obligation to pay maintenance.

Don't worry: A maintenance claim will not be filed immediately. The obligation to pay maintenance will first be examined in detail. Please contact us if you have any questions on this subject. You can make an appointment for a consultation specifically about advance payments by calling 0431-8816-400 (only students within the area of responsibility of the Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein).

Further information on BAföG and maintenance.

No, not even with parent-dependent funding.

First of all, in the event of illness, funding will continue for up to three months if you are unable to pursue your studies because of it. After that, the entitlement to funding ceases. If you do not take a leave of absence, the semester will still count towards the total duration of the grant. In this case, an extension of the grant is possible if the illness has caused an (unavoidable) delay in the studies.

Attention: Even in the case of a retroactive leave of absence, the funding entitlement for the complete semester is cancelled. In the case of illness within a semester, you must therefore weigh up whether you want to keep up to three months of funding and the semester should basically count (with the possibility of an extended funding of the studies and a postponement of the proof of achievement) or whether you want to take a leave of absence for the semester and forego the funding (possibly there is an entitlement to ALG II. Get advice from the responsible job centers). If you take a leave of absence, the semester does not count towards BAföG funding.

If you do not take a leave of absence, the office will check whether there is a reason for delay, which can be recognized, when the performance record is due and at the end of the studies.

This means that the submission of the performance record can be postponed if the delay in performance is due to the illness. The same applies to an extension of funding beyond the standard period of study. However, postponement or extended funding is not possible if there is a (prolonged) inability to study. In this case, a leave of absence or exmatriculation is unavoidable.

If your studies are delayed for a longer period of time, always seek advice from the Office for Educational Support!

Yes, studies in EU countries and Switzerland are supported from the 1st semester until graduation. This also applies to a stay abroad within the framework of cross-border cooperation between educational institutions. Studies in non-EU countries can be funded under certain conditions.

See www.bafög.de for details.

The Studentenwerk Schleswig-Holstein is responsible for education in Denmark, Norway and Iceland. If you are planning a stay in another country, please contact the responsible BAföG office.

If the maximum funding period is approaching its end and it is foreseeable that you will not be able to complete your studies within the standard period of study, it should first be clarified whether there are reasons that legally justify the usual funding - half grant, half loan - beyond the maximum funding period.

If an extension of the regular funding is out of the question, the study completion assistance remains to secure your livelihood in the completion phase of your studies. Graduation assistance is granted as an interest-free state loan for a maximum of twelve months beyond the maximum funding period or the funding period extended in accordance with Section 15 (3) BAföG. It is paid to trainees who are in an independent course of study at universities and who are (still) eligible for funding on the merits. Even if no BAföG was applied for during the course of study, the graduation assistance can still apply.

Students who would like to be supported by study completion assistance must

• within the maximum period of support
• or the extended time
• or within four semesters
• 
  be admitted to the final examination. The examining body must certify that the studies can be completed within the final aid period.(§ 15 para. 3a BAföG)

There is no entitlement to graduation assistance for an additional or postgraduate course of study within the meaning of § 7 para. 2 nos. 1 and 2 BAföG.

From winter semester 2022/23: For attending a university, up to 511 (living with parents) or 812 euros (not living with parents) per month will be paid, with your own health insurance up to a maximum of 934 euros (1018 from age 30).

In addition, you will receive a supplement of 160 euros for each of your own children up to the age of 14 who live in the same household.

The actual amount of the subsidy depends on the living conditions, the type of health insurance, the income and assets of the trainee, the income of the parents as well as the circumstances of the siblings and other dependants.

Without an application, it is usually not possible to make a reliable statement about the amount of funding that can be expected.

There are several privately organized online BAföG calculators. For example, you can use the site www.bafoeg-rechner.de or the calculator of MyStipendium. Please note that in many cases the exact legal classification, for example of income, is crucial. Therefore, it is possible that you do not actually receive any funding, although the online calculator shows a positive result, or that you are entitled to benefits, although nothing shows up in the internet calculator.

The exact check can only be carried out by the responsible office for educational grants - and only if you submit an application.

You can find calculation examples at www.bafög.de.

During the normal funding period, BAföG is paid half as a grant and half as an interest-free loan. Thus, only half - without interest - has to be repaid. In addition, further remission of the loan is possible in the case of early repayment. The Federal Office of Administration will provide information on this.

Only in certain cases is the subsidy limited to an interest-free loan without a subsidy: in the case of a delay in graduation for no reason under subsidy law or after a second or further change of subject.

The childcare supplement is always paid in full as a grant. The same applies in the event of an extension of studies due to disability, pregnancy and child rearing (up to the age of 14).

Repayment of the loan begins five years after reaching the maximum funding period (standard period of study) of the last funded course of study of the first stage of education (usually Bachelor's degree). You will receive the repayment notice with the amount of the loan and the amount of the repayment installment about half a year before this date. The Federal Office of Administration is centrally responsible for the collection of the state loan.

The Office for the Promotion of Education cannot provide more detailed information on the status of the procedure at the Federal Office of Administration.

Yes, the maximum loan limit is currently 10,010 euros for all stages of education in total (i.e. Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, for example).

Yes, in the case of early repayment. You can find more information on the website of the Federal Office of Administration.

You must submit your transcript of records for funding beginning in your fifth semester. You can submit it within four months from the beginning of the fifth semester for a retroactive payment. However, there will then be an interruption in payment.

Until the fourth month of the fourth semester, it is sufficient to confirm the performance level of the third semester. The date of receipt in the office is decisive for the date. We recommend submitting the proof of performance in good time in the fourth semester, together with the application for further funding for the 5th semester, in order to ensure uninterrupted funding.

All semesters completed in the same subject area are counted, even if you have changed universities and have been placed in a lower semester.

The transcript of records only needs to be submitted once during the course of study. If a BAföG application is submitted for the first time after the fifth semester (or if funding was interrupted and no suitable proof of performance is available yet), the performance for the corresponding higher semester must be proven. Even then, the rule applies that the status of the last completed semester up to the fourth month of the current semester is sufficient.

The performance record is available in three variants:

1. Form 05
2. Certificate of a formal intermediate examination (of the third or fourth semester)
3. Account statement of the ECTS credit points achieved

The certificate of achievement on form 05 is issued by the university. The BAföG officer designated by the university for the respective department is responsible. Make sure that the form is filled out correctly. The date on which the status of the named semester was reached must not be after the end of this semester.

The proof with ECTS performance points (credit points) is only possible if the university has determined the required performance points at the end of the fourth semester.

You must be able to prove the usual achievements of the respective semester reached. This depends on the regulations of the study and examination regulations, not on the course of studies of an average student (cf. ruling of the BVerwG of 25.08.2016).

The standard for the usual performance is thus set by the university and the Office for Educational Funding is bound by its findings.

For the exact timing, please read: When do I need the proof of performance?

If you cannot avoid a delay in your studies for reasons for which you are not responsible, you may submit your transcript of records at a later date. It is imperative that you clarify this with the Office for Educational Support as early as possible. You must explain the reasons for the delay in writing.

The following reasons, for example, may be taken into account:

• Illness
• Disability
• Pregnancy
• Raising children (up to their 14th birthday)
• domestic care of close relatives from care degree 3 onwards
• Activity in committees and bodies of the university, the student self-administration, the student unions and the federal states
• Failure for the first time to pass an intermediate examination with "advancement character" (i.e., according to the study regulations, no achievements can be made from a higher semester)

In your justification, you must show the connection between the reason given and the duration of the delay. In case of illness on an examination date, we need the sick note. In the case of a prolonged illness, we require a medical certificate stating the extent of the delay. The connection between illness and studies must be comprehensible.

If an extension is not reasonable in the sense of the law, no further funding can be granted at all. An extension is reasonable if the delay in studies could not be avoided by reasonable efforts and if there was no incapacity to study. In this case, exmatriculation or leave of absence is required - if necessary by exhausting all possibilities, also retroactively - until the studies can be resumed. In addition, deficiencies in performance or study organization must not have played a significant role in causing the delay.

Attention: In the case of a retroactive leave of absence, the entitlement to educational support for this semester is forfeited. If necessary, let us advise you.

In the case of chronic or mental illnesses, we also require a certificate from the attending physician or psychotherapist stating the onset of the illness and the extent to which the studies are impaired. General statements that the illness has presumably been present for some time are not sufficient to prove that the studies were impaired in the past.

To establish the onset of a mental illness, it may also be sufficient to seek appropriate counseling if an appropriate diagnosis was later made or treatment was received and the doctor or therapist confirms the stated time course and extent.

If you have psychological problems, you can contact our psychological counseling . You can also contact the counseling service without this becoming known to the Office for Educational Support. Information from the counseling session will not be passed on. However, you can get a confirmation from the counseling center to submit it to the Office for Educational Support.

The law stipulates that if you are provisionally enrolled in a Master's program at the same time, you will receive funding for this program. The semester will then already be counted towards the maximum funding period for the master's program.

The funding is subject to the proviso that you actually complete the bachelor's program successfully.

In this case, funding is also possible for the month without training in accordance with Section 15 b (2) BAföG.

Assets of more than 15,000 euros are fully counted (until the age of 30) or 45,000 euros (after the age of 30).

Attention: The information on assets can be checked.

What counts are the assets on the day of application (i.e.: receipt of the application by the Office). The supporting documents may not deviate from the cut-off date by more than 14 days.

Attention: Debts may not be netted under any circumstances. Assets and debts must be stated separately.

Yes, according to the case law of the Federal Administrative Court, a car or motorcycle is to be imputed. In particular, it is not a (credit-free) "household item". The current value must be stated as of the date of application.

Land is recognized at fair value. The standard value is irrelevant.

What matters is the ownership share of the person making the application. The value must be stated by the applicant in the application and must be supported by appropriate documentation.

In the case of owner-occupied real estate and in some other cases, an exemption may be granted by means of a hardship allowance. Please ask us about this.

Changes in assets after the application is filed are not taken into account in the current grant period. Only in rare exceptional cases can a hardship allowance be considered (total loss through no fault of the applicant).

We use the data reported to us by the BZSt to check the information you provided in your application and the evidence we have. If you have provided information in your BAföG application, if we have sufficient evidence and if this is plausible when compared with the data reported by the BZSt, we will generally not write to you. In such a case, we will only check on the basis of the files. If such a check is not possible, or if it shows that your information is not plausible, we will contact you and ask you to explain your financial circumstances and to provide evidence.

BAföG is only paid in the amount to which you are legally entitled. To ensure that BAföG payments are lawful and to avoid misuse of benefits, we therefore have 10 years to review your BAföG payments and within these 10 years we can revoke our BAföG approvals and reclaim BAföG that has been wrongly paid (Section 45 (3) sentence 4 of the Tenth Book of the German Social Code).

No. The initiation or the mere execution of an asset audit is not associated with any disadvantages for you. Only after the completion of the assets audit will it become clear whether you have received BAföG in whole or in part wrongly and have to pay it back. It is therefore also possible that the original BAföG grant was lawful.

No. Before we write to you, we check whether we have all the information and proof of your financial circumstances and whether these are plausible when compared with the data reported by the BZSt. We will only write to you if your financial circumstances are unclear and we actually need documents.

You were already obliged to fully declare your financial situation and submit documents when you submitted your BAföG application. You were informed about this obligation in the application and expressly confirmed that you were aware of this obligation by signing or naming your name. You have also assured us that the information you provided in your application is correct and complete. Our preliminary examination has shown that this may not be the case. Within the scope of the asset verification, you have the opportunity to fully comply with your obligations. These obligations to cooperate result from Section 60 (1) of the First Book of the Social Code.

In principle, we require a declaration of assets for each BAföG application you submit. For this purpose, you will submit a list of assets with the required evidence for each application. The date of the application is always decisive for the declaration of assets. The exact evidence required is determined by the information you provide in the statement of assets and liabilities. You can find more detailed information under Documents for the Assets Check (Documents for the Assets Check). Please also refer to the information in the List of Assets form. If evidence is required for an entry, you will find the corresponding note in the List of Assets form.

The deadline for submitting your documents can be found in our request letter. If you are unable to meet the deadline, please inform us in writing or by e-mail within the time limit set for you and state the reason. We will usually be happy to extend the deadline. In individual cases, however, an extension is not possible for legal reasons. We will inform you about extensions in any case.

Provided that you have informed us of your financial circumstances and submitted all the required documents, we will check the asset imputation. Under certain circumstances, this check may take some time. We will inform you of the result in writing, regardless of the outcome.

No. We can only tell you whether you have to repay BAföG and, if so, how much you have to repay after the asset check has been completed.

You were already obliged to disclose your financial circumstances and to submit documents when you applied for BAföG, as you have to prove your entitlement to BAföG. The obligation to cooperate pursuant to Section 60 (1) of the First Book of the German Social Code (SGB I) continues to apply even after you have received BAföG.

If you do not comply with our request and make it difficult or impossible for us to check your assets, we can revoke all decisions regarding the granting of BAföG and reclaim the BAföG in full. This is associated with considerable disadvantages for you.

In addition, according to § 58 Para. 1 No. 1 BAföG, you will be committing an administrative offense if, contrary to § 60 Para. 1 SGB I, you intentionally or negligently fail to provide information, or provide it incorrectly, incompletely or late, or if you fail to provide a document of proof, or provide it incorrectly, incompletely or late. The administrative offense can be punished with a fine of up to 2,500 euros (Section 58 (2) BAföG).

The date of submission of your BAföG application is decisive for the declaration of your financial circumstances (Section 28 (2) BAföG). This is the day on which your BAföG application is received by the Office for the Promotion of Education. We will always inform you of the date of application in the request letter.

As a rule, the assets check is carried out for your entire BAföG entitlement. Since BAföG can usually be granted for a maximum of one year, you will usually have submitted several applications and must therefore submit a list of assets and supporting documents for each application - in each case at the time of application.

The forms are intended to support you in declaring your financial circumstances and thus help you to provide the required information and obtain evidence. In general, if forms are provided, they should be used (Section 60 (2) SGB I). If you do not use the forms, the declaration of your financial circumstances and the associated evidence must contain at least all the information that is requested or must be provided in the respective form.

No. The data reconciliation only provides us with the names of the institutions where investment income was generated. We are not provided with details of individual accounts.

Please contact your asset management institute and ask for the relevant proofs. The easiest way is to have the corresponding forms (see above) filled out there.

Even after the end of BAföG receipt, the submission of documents and evidence is one of your duties to cooperate according to § 60 para. 1 of the German Social Code (SGB I). Expenses (costs) for the procurement of documents can only be reimbursed in cases provided for by law. According to § 65a SGB I, cooperation in the form of submitting documents is not included. Therefore, you will not be reimbursed for the costs of obtaining new documents.

Please get in touch with us. Please tell us which certificates you can no longer obtain and why it is no longer possible to obtain them. We also require confirmation from the institution managing the assets (e.g. your bank) that it is no longer possible to subsequently issue a certificate of the amount of assets at the time of application. We will then let you know how we can proceed in such a case.

The data comparison is carried out automatically by the BZSt on the basis of Section 45d (2) of the German Income Tax Act (EStG). The Office for the Promotion of Education has no influence on the performance, execution and timing of the data reconciliation.

As part of the data reconciliation process, the Office for Educational Support is informed of the number of exemption orders you have used, the exemption amount, and thus the amount of investment income generated per year after comparing your personal data (last name, first name, date of birth, postal code). The investment income generated is assigned to the respective institute.

Your data will only be transmitted to us by the BZSt if the sum of your investment income in a year has exceeded a test limit set by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The test limit set by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as the sum of the investment income earned per year is:

for the years 2008 to 2013 respectively: 100 euros
from the year 2014 respectively: 75 euros

No. The data reconciliation only provides us with the names of the institutions where investment income was generated. We are not provided with details of individual accounts.

No. As a rule, we no longer initiate administrative offence proceedings in the case of asset audits dating back several years. However, we may be obliged to hand over the proceedings to the public prosecutor's office and file criminal charges for fraud.

However, if you fail to respond to our request for asset verification documents, we may initiate misdemeanor proceedings. Please note: According to Section 58, Paragraph 1, No. 1 of the BAföG, it is a regulatory offense to intentionally or negligently fail to provide information, or to provide information correctly, completely or in a timely manner, or to provide a document of proof incorrectly, incompletely or in a timely manner, in violation of Section 60, Paragraph 1 of the First Book of the German Social Security Code (SGB I). The administrative offense can be punished with a fine of up to 2,500 euros (Section 58 (2) BAföG).

No. If the asset check shows that you have received BAföG wrongly in whole or in part, we will claim back the BAföG wrongly received and then check individually for each case whether we will file a criminal complaint with the public prosecutor's office. Decisive for this are, among other things, the amount to be reclaimed and the number of incorrect statements in the BAföG application. We will also take into account whether and how you assisted in the verification of assets.

Provided that you support our financial audit within the scope of your possibilities by cooperating quickly and completely, i.e. by fully explaining and proving your financial circumstances, we will take this into account when deciding whether to file a criminal complaint. If we file a criminal complaint, we will inform the public prosecutor's office of your positive and negative behavior. The public prosecutor's office will also take your behavior into account in the further proceedings as part of the asset investigation.

You will receive a new decision from us in which we have recalculated your BAföG entitlement and at the same time inform you of the amount you have to repay. In this notification, we will also inform you of all the main reasons for the withdrawal of the original approval and the calculation of your new BAföG entitlement. The decision will contain instructions on how to appeal, which will inform you about your rights.

The reclaim amount is generally due in full after expiration of the objection period of one month. If you are not able to pay back the full amount immediately, please contact us. In such a case, you usually have the possibility to apply for a deferral (change of the repayment period or payment in installments). In this case, however, deferral interest may be charged.

Training assistance under the BAföG is generally granted in equal parts as a grant and a non-interest-bearing state loan (loan portion). The Federal Office of Administration is exclusively responsible for loan collection and processing (§ 18 BAföG).

If we come to the conclusion in the course of the asset check that you are not entitled to BAföG or not entitled to it in the amount originally paid, we will reclaim the BAföG granted to you including the loan portion. This procedure is prescribed by law (§ 50 SGB X).

If you have already repaid the BAföG loan in full or in part, your loan repayment will be reversed by the Federal Office of Administration. For this purpose, we will send an automated report to the Federal Office of Administration once a year (usually in the second quarter of each year). Reporting during the year is not possible.

Please note:
The reversal of the BAföG loan is carried out exclusively by the Federal Office of Administration. It can take up to one year. For legal reasons, it is not possible to offset the recovery amount directly against the BAföG loan.