Department for Grants
Goethestraße 6
04109 Leipzig
Personal office hours on site
Tuesday
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Thursday
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Telephone office hours
Wednesday
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BAföG application: key facts
You want to apply for BAföG? The best way to do this is digitally! We have compiled all the important information for you on this page, and below you will also find useful information on the most common mistakes made when applying.
You can easily apply for BAföG benefits online using the “BAföG Digital“ application assistant. You can easily create, edit and send your BAföG application online with all the necessary documents directly via the application tool. You do not need an online ID for this! A BundID account is enough – and you simply create it with your name and password.
BAföG Digital: Your advantages at a glance
- No paper, no stress
- Create, edit and send your BAföG application conveniently online
- Can also be used without an online ID card (simply create an account with BundID using your name and password)
- Step-by-step instructions with application assistant
- Upload function for documents and certificates
- Temporarily save BAföG application & continue later
- Confirmation of receipt & status updates directly to your mobile phone
How to use BAföG Digital without an online ID card
- Step 1: Create a BundID account (if you do not already have one)
- Go to https://id.bund.de
- Select “Create account”
- Decide on “Username and password” & click on “Create account”, confirm the notice
- Follow the rest of the registration process
- Confirm your account via the email you receive
- Step 2: Call up BAföG-Digital and register
- Go to www.bafoeg-digital.de
- Click on “Log in“
- Select “Continue with BundID” & agree to the data exchange
- Select “Log in” and log in with your BundID account at “Username & password”
- Step 3: Fill out the BAföG application digitally
- Follow the questions in the online assistant step by step
- Upload your supporting documents (e.g. proof of parental income, rental agreement) as a PDF or image while filling out the form.
- Step 4: Submit application electronically
- At the end, the application will be displayed for you to check
- You confirm the accuracy of the information online (an original signature is no longer required)
- The application is sent directly to your responsible BAföG office in digital form
- You will receive a confirmation of receipt
Still have questions about BAföG Digital? Watch the explanatory video (german)
Explanatory video from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
Your BAföG application in paper form
Alternatively, the forms can still be handed in by post, as an e-mail attachment or outside the opening hours in our BAföG letterbox on the ground floor of Goethestr. 6.
You can also download the forms from the BAföG page of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. They are also available to take away on the ground floor of the Studentenwerk.
The most common mistakes when filing an application
- The proof of financial status is older than 14 days at the time the application is received or dated after the application was received.
Make sure that your documents are up to date. An application for BAföG funding is only complete if the submitted proof of financial status (e.g. your bank statements) is not older than 14 days from the date of receipt of the application. Documents dated after receipt of the application are also invalid.
If the total value of assets at the time of application is less than 10,000 Euros, the simplified asset declaration (see German downloads) can be submitted. In this case, no additional proof of assets such as bank statements, portfolio balances, etc., needs to be provided.
- Account/wallet holder and date not recognizable on asset certificates
The account/wallet holder and the date must be recognizable on asset statements and statements of digital assets/wallets (screenshots are not suitable).
If the total value of assets at the time of application is less than 10,000 Euros, the simplified asset declaration (see German downloads) can be submitted. In this case, no additional proof of assets such as bank statements, portfolio balances, etc., needs to be provided.
- Application, forms or other declarations are not signed or the name is missing
A complete application requires either a handwritten signature or the name in block letters at the end of the application or each form or declaration. To ensure that nothing is overlooked, we recommend the use of www.bafög-digital.de.
- Make sure to not submit the same application documents more than once.
If you have sent a scan of your signed application to the Department of Grants via e-mail or via the platform www.bafög-digital.de, it is usually no longer necessary to send the original document via mail. The same applies to other declarations and documents, such as rental contracts or certificates of study.
- The certificate according to § 9 BAföG is missing or only the certificate of enrolment is submitted.
The § 9 BAföG certificate is not the same as the regular certificate of enrolment. Therefore, make sure that you have included the § 9 BAföG certificate in your application. You can download it from your university portal in addition to the certificate of enrolment.
- Alternative answer options are not selected.
For questions with given answer options, an answer choice must be made in every case.
Often, for example, yes/no questions are overlooked. Especially in Form 1 under “Address during training” when the question is asked whether the trainee lives with his/her parents in a domestic community. The yes/no question on the amount of income earned during the BAföG grant period under “Information on the assessment of income” is often overlooked as well.
- Interim times are not indicated correctly.
This refers to Form 1 on the section “Schulischer und beruflicher Werdegang”.
“Zwischenzeit” (interim period) is a period of no more than 3 months, for which no further justification is required. Any period longer than these 3 months must be further justified by you.
- Documents from parents about sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, etc. are missing.
Certificates must be submitted for all payments of this kind.
This includes, for example:
- Parents’ tax assessment notice is incomplete.
Make sure you submit all pages of your parents’ tax assessment notice (including official seal).
- The notice of BAföG rejection is not requested at all or the request is incomplete.
If you are not entitled to BAföG and therefore require a notice of rejection (e.g. to present to the housing allowance office or the Job Centre), you must submit an application for this to the Department of Grants (Form 1). The application must be accompanied by the certificate § 9 BAföG and, if necessary, a short statement explaining your reasons.
Going abroad with BAföG
If you receive BAföG in Germany, you often have a good chance of receiving BAföG funding abroad. Even if students do not receive BAföG in Germany, a BAföG application abroad can be worthwhile.
Students with permanent residence in the Federal Republic of Germany can receive BAföG funding for a subject-related study period abroad. The same applies to internships that are prescribed in the study or examination regulations. However, it is not possible to simply take the BAföG funding you receive at home with you abroad. Instead, separate applications for funding for education abroad must be submitted to separate Departments for Grant. You can find an overview of the relevant Departments for Grant depending on the destination country at bafög.de.
More Information on BAföG
More information at a glance is available on the website of Deutsches Studierendenwerk. Additionally, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research offers comprehensive information about BAföG on this website (German).
