Educational support

As a trainee (pupil or student), you can receive benefits under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) under certain conditions.

As a trainee (pupil or student), you can receive benefits under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) if your training is eligible for funding and if the funds required for your livelihood and training are not otherwise available to you.

Objective of educational support

The aim is to give all young people the opportunity to undertake the training that matches their abilities and interests, regardless of their social and economic situation.

Examination by the Office for Educational Support

After you have submitted a BAföG application, the responsible office for educational support checks whether the desired training can be funded. It often makes sense for you to seek advice from the Office for Educational Support before applying.

Calculation of individual support

When calculating your individual support, lump sums for the monthly requirement are assumed. The amount of your funding depends on whether you are completing or studying at school as well as on your place of residence and training. Both your own income and assets as well as the income of your parents are counted towards the needs.
If you are married, your husband or wife's income will be taken into account. This also applies to registered civil partnerships. If at least one child under the age of ten lives in your household, you can receive a childcare supplement of 130 euros for each child in addition to the benefits calculated for you under BAföG.

In exceptional cases, you will also receive educational support regardless of your parents' income.

For pupils:

The offices for educational support of the districts or independent cities are responsible for the promotion of pupils according to the BAföG in Germany. For trainees at evening grammar schools, colleges, colleges, colleges and academies, the Office for Educational Support, in whose district the training centre is located, is responsible. For all other pupils, responsibility lies with the Office for Educational Support of the city/district administration at the place of residence of the parents.

For students:

The Studentenwerke of the universities at which enrolment has taken place or will take place are responsible for student support according to BAföG in Germany.

For training abroad:

Central international offices in Germany, both for students and pupils, are responsible for international funding under BAföG, which vary depending on the target country. You can find the right international office under www.bafög.de.

On the www.bafög.de website, you can search for the Office for Educational Support responsible for your support.

The BAföG hotline can help you under the telephone number 0800-223 63 41. It can be reached free of charge from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The documents required for the application can be found at:

The forms required for an application for benefits under BAföG can be found under www.bafög.de.

The BAföG forms are also available from the offices for educational support.

Funding is only possible if you have reached the age of 30 at the beginning of your training or have not yet reached the age of 35 in the case of Master's degree programmes. Only in the cases expressly mentioned in the law (§10 Abs. 3) can you be supported beyond this age limit.

Further information on the requirements for BAföG funding can be found on the Internet at:

Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG)

If you have submitted the application together with all the necessary documents to the competent Office for Educational Support or submitted it electronically, the Office will decide on the amount of funding and you will receive a written notification.

The benefits according to the BAföG are granted to you from the month of application, but at the earliest from the beginning of the training.

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Information on other possibilities of financial support for studying can also be found under www.bafög.de.