Conditions of eligibility
As a student, you have a legal entitlement to individual educational support for a course of study that corresponds to your inclination, aptitude and performance, according to the regulations of the Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (Federal Training Assistance Act / BAföG), if the funds required for living and training are not otherwise available to you.
The basic prerequisites for this are:
Nationality
Students with German citizenship are entitled to financial support according to the BAföG (Federal Training Assistance Act); foreign students can be granted training support if certain conditions are met.
Age (valid from WS 2022/23)
At the beginning of your studies you must not be over the age of 45. If there are special exceptional circumstances, support can also be granted if you have already reached the age of 45 at the start of the training period.
First training / Further training
As a rule, a first training course is eligible for funding, and usually also the second training course and one course that follows on from this. A master's programme is supported if it builds on a bachelor's degree. Changes of field of study up to the beginning of the 4th semester are generally not detrimental to an application for BAföG funding, as long as there is an "important reason" (exception: change of field of study in the master's programme). For funding from the 5th semester onwards, proof of performance must be submitted.
Training support is granted from the beginning of the month in which the training is taken up; however, the month of application at the earliest. Benefits according to BAföG are usually granted for two semesters. A new application for a follow-up grant must be submitted. In order to avoid any interruption in payment, it must be submitted two months before the end of the authorisation period (Bewilligungszeitraum / BWZ).