Apply for BAföG to attend school

Prerequisites

• As a pupil or trainee, you attend one of the following school types:
  • secondary general education school and vocational school (including classes of all types of basic vocational education) from class 10 if you cannot live with your parents because of your education,
  • Technical and technical secondary school class (without completed vocational training) if you cannot live with your parents,
  • Vocational school class or technical school class (without completed vocational training) if it provides a vocational qualification in a course of at least two years,
  • Technical and technical college class (with completed vocational training),
  • Evening secondary school, evening grammar school and college or
  • Higher technical school or academy that awards a degree that is not equivalent to a university degree under state law.
  • Please note: There are vocational schools that have the word "Akademie" or "academy" in their name. In fact, they are vocational schools

• You have German citizenship or
• As an EU citizen, you have a permanent right of residence or
• You have a nationality outside the EU and an eligible residence permit

Internship:
You receive BAföG for your school attendance, your training and the internship, provided this is required by the training regulations (and lasts at least 12 weeks for an internship outside the EU, shorter internships are also possible within the EU).

Documents required

In addition to forms 01 application, 02 school certificate

• copy of
  • identity card,
  • Passes or
  • current residence permit
• If you do not live with your parents: copy
  • of the rental agreement or
  • the registration certificate
• If you do not have family insurance: Proof of health and long-term care insurance with legal basis and contribution amount
• If applicable, proof of your own income during the approval period, for example:
  • Payroll, part-time job, employment contract,
  • orphan's pension notice,
  • scholarship notification or
  • Riester pension certificate
• Proof of assets or debts on the day of application, e.g. bank statement
• If you have a car:
  • Estimation of the value, for example a printout from a website with a comparable offer, and
  • vehicle registration.
• In addition to form 03 (declaration from parents/spouse or spouse/life partner)
  • Proof of income for the penultimate calendar year, for example a copy of the tax assessment

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

Please note

There are no hints or special features.

Deadlines

None, but BAföG is only granted from the start of training, but at the earliest from the month in which you submit the application.

Procedure

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

• Information video , also available at: https://www.bafoeg-digital.de/ams/BAFOEG
• First activate the online identification function of your identity card, electronic residence permit or your European eID. You have to register for this.
• The procedure depends on the federal state in which you complete your training or where your parents live.

If you do not have an eID, you can still submit your application data electronically. For a legally valid application, however, you must print out the application, sign it and send it by post or upload it to the responsible Office for Educational Support.

If you want to submit the application in paper form:

• Go to the BAföG website and download the application forms that apply to you. Alternatively, you can also collect the applications from your responsible municipal office for educational support.
• You can fill out the forms on your computer and print them out, or you can print them out and fill them in by hand.
• The application must be signed

Processing time

Up to 6 weeks if the complete documents are available. (If no final decision can be made during this time for an initial application, the offices are legally obliged to make the payment within 10 weeks subject to reservation).

Fees

There are no fees.

Legal remedies

opposition procedure

Legal basis

Federal law on individual support for training (BAföG)

https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/baf_g/

BAföG is the abbreviation for "Federal Training Assistance Act". BAföG is the colloquial term for the funding that you can receive under this law. You receive the funding for financing

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

In order to receive the monthly grant, you must meet a number of requirements. The most important are:

• Your parents, spouse or partner do not have sufficient income.
• You yourself have little or no income, for example from a "mini job".
• Your assets are below the exempt amount of EUR 8,200 or only slightly above.
• You are aiming to graduate from high school full-time.
• Age limit: 30 years (exceptions are possible)

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

The amount of your BAföG is based on a fixed monthly requirement. Money is deducted from this requirement if the income of you, your parents, your spouse or your partner exceeds the allowances.

In principle, if you want to obtain a vocational qualification or a secondary school qualification, you can receive BAföG. However, if you attend a general school, this only applies from class 10 and only if you cannot live at home (e.g. because you cannot get the degree you want in the area).