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Books can be filled with questions about student loans
Photo: Alena Zharava / iStockphoto / Getty Images
Since 1971 there has been state aid for students with the Bafög, which is intended to cover part of their running costs during their studies. The rules that apply to this have changed several times over the past 50 years. Representatives from politics, trade unions and the student body have been calling for further reform for some time. Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek (CDU) has now spoken out in favor of revising the student loan - but only in the next legislative period.
It will probably take a while before the student loan is actually reformed.
We explain which rules apply until then.
What amounts are paid and when?
Who is entitled to student loans and who is not?
And why is there any criticism of the current system at all?
There are tips on this from Birte Aye, Head of the Student Financing Advisory Center (BeSt) at the Hamburg Student Union.
1. What does »Bafög« actually stand for?
The abbreviation stands for "Federal Training Assistance Act".
This is now classified by the legislator as a special part of the social security code.
Bafög is thus a social benefit that you can claim.
More than four million people have received the support since it was introduced in 1971 - sometimes under very different conditions.
In the past 50 years, the law has been reformed frequently: Under Chancellor Willy Brandt, the entire funding amount was waived and therefore did not have to be repaid.
Under Helmut Kohl it was sometimes the other way around.
According to the current legal situation, a maximum of half must be repaid, often even less (see question 9).
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2. Student: inside student loan, master: inside student loan, normal student loan - what's the difference?
Funding for schoolchildren as well as for students is based on the Federal Training Funding Act, but the applications are processed by different authorities.
Schoolchildren usually apply for Bafög at the responsible office for educational grants at their parents' place of residence, students at the Studentenwerk or Studierendenwerk at the location of their university.
With the Schüler :innen-Bafög, up to 675 euros are granted as a full grant, which does not have to be repaid.
As a student: you can currently receive up to 861 euros per month (see question 3).
After completing your studies, however, you have to repay part of it (see question 9).
The support of craftsmen in training, known colloquially as Meister :innen-Bafög or Aufstiegs-Bafög, is based on the Advancement Training Promotion Act (AFBG).
The money, currently up to 892 euros per month, does not have to be repaid later.
If you want to take additional grants for examination costs or paid courses, you have to repay 50 percent of this.
The application forms can be downloaded here.
3. How is the student loan amount calculated?
»First of all, the Bafög offices set a basic requirement of 427 euros per month.
In addition, there is 56 euros for those who still live with their parents, or 325 euros flat-rate housing allowance for those who no longer live with their parents, ”explains Birte Aye from the Student Services Advisory Center for Student Services in Hamburg.
"Age is also factored in: if the applicants are over 25 years old and therefore have to pay into health and long-term care insurance, the student loan can increase by a further 109 euros."
It looks like this, for example:
Anyone
under 25
who
no longer lives with their parents receives a maximum of 752 euros.
For those
over 25
who no longer live with their parents and pay a health and long-term care insurance contribution, the maximum rate is 861 euros.
What you actually get, however, can be lower - for example, if the applicants or their parents exceed a certain income limit, or if the applicants have assets.
The Bafög office then assumes that you or your parents can (partially) finance your living expenses.
»As a student: you can earn up to 5400 euros per twelve-month approval period.
For example, you can do a € 450 job without reducing your student loan entitlement.
If you are self-employed, you can earn an additional 4,400 euros within these twelve months without any deductions, ”says expert Aye.
The amount for the self-employed is lower because they can claim income-related expenses through their tax return and thus get money back from the state.
The parents' income includes, for example, whether the applicants still have siblings in training.
This ensures that the funding can be higher despite a good income.
Cases of hardship such as chronic illnesses also have an impact.
If students are already married, the income of their partner also plays a role - even before the parents.
If the applicants have children, they can receive supplements for these.
Here you can calculate online how much student loans you can get.
Some student unions also offer student loan test calculations for prospective students.
4. Who does not get a student loan?
No student loans received:
those who themselves have too high an income, for example through earnings in a dual course of study, or whose parents earn too much.
Anyone who has exceeded the standard period of study (and has no important reasons for doing so, such as illness, pregnancy, raising children or involvement in university politics).
who studies part-time.
who is on vacation semester.
Anyone who starts a second degree that does not follow on from the first degree (e.g. a second bachelor's degree in another subject instead of a master’s degree).
who is older than 29 years at the beginning of a bachelor's degree or older than 34 years at the beginning of a master's degree.
However, there are exceptions to this rule, for example if you were unable to study before reaching this age limit because of raising children.
5. Can I, as a student: also receive student loans independently of parents?
Yes, the criteria for this are regulated in the law.
Flat-rate parent-independent student loans are granted to those who:
has worked for five years after the age of 18 and was thus able to support himself.
has worked for at least six years - up to three years of which in an apprenticeship.
is over 30 and still receives student loans because there are exceptional reasons such as raising children.
In some cases, parents may be obliged to pay maintenance to their children - which can also mean that they receive less or no student loans - but do not want to meet their obligation.
Sometimes they also refuse to give their children any insight into their financial possibilities.
In such cases, students can submit an application for advance payment to the Bafög office.
If this is granted, the student loan office takes over the financial support of the students, which should actually be provided by the parents.
Such requests can, however, also end up in court as maintenance proceedings.
There it will be checked whether the parents can be forced to pay maintenance.
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"If you have a good relationship with your parents, you should think carefully about this step beforehand and speak to your parents if necessary," says Aye.
»The Bafög offices advise students on the advance payment procedure.
Legal advice, for example at the AStA of the respective university or the public legal information, also advise on the subject of maintenance law. "
6. What if I no longer have contact with my parents?
The Bafög office is first of all obliged to find the parents and relies on the help of the applicants.
Anyone who no longer has contact with their parents, for example because they have fled their home country, must therefore send a letter to the last known address or the last known employer.
If the parents can still not be found or there is no last known address, they can be removed from the calculations on special request.
7. How long will I receive student loans?
That depends on the course of study.
Funding is usually granted for as long as the standard period of study according to the study and examination regulations.
In many cases this is six semesters for the Bachelor and four semesters for the Master.
By participating in university committees, illness, pregnancy, bringing up children or, currently, the corona pandemic, the maximum funding period can be extended upon application.
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After the fourth semester, the Bafög office generally requests proof of academic achievements. Most of the time, the definition of what is “enough” also depends on the department. This determines how many ECTS points students should have accumulated by the fourth semester - the Bafög office then refers to these requirements. Anyone who has done too little by then will no longer receive student loans - unless he or she can give a serious reason.
Important:
Bafög is only granted for 12 months.
Students must therefore submit an application for further funding every year - ideally two months before the end of the previous approval period.
Anyone who forgets this will not receive any money for the period between the past year of student loans and the renewed application.
It is therefore worthwhile to submit the follow-up application in good time.
8. When do I have to repay my student loan?
The repayments are coordinated by the Federal Office of Administration, which reports to the former Bafög recipients around four and a half years after the maximum funding period has expired (i.e. usually the standard period of study, see question 7) and draws up a repayment plan.
The repayment phase usually begins five years after the end of the maximum funding period.
If the standard period of study is six semesters, you start with the repayment five years after the end of these six semesters.
If the maximum funding period is longer than the standard period of study due to special reasons, it will be correspondingly later.
Important:
Anyone who moves between studies and repayment or changes their name after a wedding, for example, should not only officially re-register, but also inform the Federal Administration Office of the new contact details.
Otherwise there is a risk of fines.
9. How much student loans do I have to pay back after my studies?
When it comes to student loans, the legislator distinguishes between two parts: the loan and the subsidy.
Both parts currently make up 50 percent each.
The grant does not have to be repaid, the loan does.
So you only pay back half of the student loan received - but a maximum of 10,010 euros.
The repayment usually takes place in monthly installments of 130 euros, with the maximum repayment amount of 10,010 euros that is 77 installments, so the repayment takes just under six and a half years.
Anyone who has inherited money or was able to save some in the years after university can also make the repayment in one fell swoop, in which case up to 21 percent of the loan will also be waived.
By the way
: »Even if you have not successfully completed your studies, you only have to repay half of the student loans you have received.
The
fact that
loans
and
grants have to be repaid
in the event of dropping out
is a myth, «says expert Birte Aye.
10. In which cases do I not have to repay the student loan?
Anyone who cannot afford the repayments, for example because of unemployment or starting a family, can apply for an exemption from the repayment obligation.
This is usually granted for one year.
Anyone who does not have the financial means to repay the student loan for more than 20 years - for those receiving funding before September 1, 2019: 25 years - and submits such an application every year will have their debts waived.
From August 2021, the limit for exemption from repayment is for a monthly income of less than 1330 euros, until then it is 1260 euros.
11. How can I object to the student loan notification if I believe that I am entitled to more money?
An informal letter to the Bafög office with a brief explanation of why you would like to contradict the decision is enough.
The file with the case is then sent to the legal department at the Bafög office and the facts are checked and calculated again by another person.
12. Do I have to have all the documents before I can submit my student loan application?
No!
"You should submit the application as early as possible, even if parts of the documents are still missing," advises Birte Aye.
Even if it still takes some time to collect everything, the money will be paid retrospectively from the time of the application in the event of a positive decision.
If you submit the application later, you may be giving away money.
If the time is tight, an informal student loan application is sufficient to secure the payment deadline.
In the meantime, you can also (create) the student loan application online.
Information on this is available on the websites of the Bafög offices.
13. Can I also receive student loans abroad?
Yes, and the application can also be worthwhile for anyone who does not receive student loans in Germany.
»This is due to the fact that the running costs and thus the basic requirements abroad are sometimes set significantly higher.
For example, tuition fees of up to 4600 euros are reimbursed, plus lump sums for travel expenses or even foreign health insurance contributions, ”says Aye.
14. Why is there criticism of student loans?
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The University Rectors' Conference (HRK), the German Student Union (DSW), student representatives, trade unions and politicians have long criticized the current form of student loans and have been calling for a fundamental reform.
Criticism 1:
The requirement rates are too low, the money is not enough to live on.
The youth association of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) recently complained in its "Alternative Bafög report" that a room in a shared apartment costs an average of 403 euros.
The currently valid flat rate for Bafög recipients: inside, however, is only 325 euros.
Dieter Timmermanns, President of the DSW, also called for an increase in the requirement rates in 2017: The Federal Constitutional Court had prescribed the legislature to empirically determine the requirement for all social benefits.
This also applies to student loans.
Criticism 2:
The number of Bafög recipients: inside is far too low.
Figures from the Federal Statistical Office show: Between 2012 and 2019, the number of sponsors fell by more than a quarter, that is almost 182,000 people.
According to the last social survey by the DSW from 2016, just 18 percent of students received student loans.
Today the rate is probably even lower.
Criticism 3:
The rules are too strict.
The HRK, for example, calls for the maximum funding period to be extended to the standard period of study plus two semesters.
In addition, the previous age limit should be dropped.
Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek is now calling for a reform: "We need a further development of the student loan in the new electoral period," the CDU politician recently told the "Augsburger Allgemeine". The age limit for students should be postponed, and funding should no longer automatically end with the standard period of study in the future.
