
More BAföG in 2021
BAföG will be increase even further in winter semester 2021/22!
Last year there was a considerable increase in BAföG. This autumn, the amount of exempt from parental income increased even further: students who have not been granted BAföG so far will thus have much better chances of receiving support. Students who are already receiving BAföG or are even entitled to the maximum rate can also expect to profit from this increase.
Staring from winther semester 2021/22:
Detailed information about the new BAföG on the website of Deutsches Studentenwerk (German)
What else changes?
Examples
Example 1: Parents married / worker& regular employee /siblings
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Your parents are married to each other. Your father is a worker with an annual gross salary of 25,000 EUR. Your mother works as an employee and achieves a gross salary of 30,000 EUR.
Together they pay €8,000 in taxes each year. In addition to you, the student, there is another child who attends school and has no income of his/her own.
In the future, 188.66 EUR instead of 260.40 EUR will be credited monthly against the parents' income. You will then receive 555 EUR per month instead of 389 EUR.
Example 2: Parents married / both self-employed / siblings
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Your parents are married to each other. Both are self-employed. Your father has a total income of 60,000 EUR, your mother's total income amounts to 20,000 EUR. Taxes (including business tax) amounting to €15,000 are paid. You also have a school-aged sister with no income.
In the future, 231.00 EUR instead of 321,75 EUR per month are credited against your parent's income. You will receive monthly benefits of 513 EUR instead of 327 EUR up to now.
Example 3: Parents divorced / no siblings
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In this example, both parents are divorced. Your father is self-employed and generates a total income of 25,000 EUR anually. He pays 2,800 EUR in taxes. Your mother is civil servant and has a total income of 33,000 EUR per year of which 4,800 EUR are payed in taxes. You do not have any siblings.
In the future, 349.38 EUR instead of 396.25 EUR are credited against your parent's income. As a result, you will receive 395 EUR instead of 253 EUR.
Example 4: Parents married / both regular employees / no siblings
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Your father is employed and earns 33,300 EUR annually. Your mother is employed as well and earns 28,000 EUR per year. Both are married and pay 9,000 EUR in taxes. You are the only son of your parents but you did not receive any BAföG benefits due to your parent's income.
In the future, you will receive 92.00 EUR and do not have to pay the licence fee (Rundefunkbeitrag) because you receive BAföG benefits.
The financial advantage because of the new BAföG regulation amounts to 1,104 EUR per year!
Example 5: Amortization & Help for graduation
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The person applying receives BAföG benefits amounting to 40,000 EUR during their regular duration of the study program. Subsequently, the applicant receives 10,000 EUR as "Help for graduation" full loan assistance to complete their studies.
Since half of the BAföG benefits received are a loan and the other half does not have to be repaid, the amount for amortization amounts to 20,000 EUR. The "Help for graduation" loan is a full loan. As a result, the person has to amortize 30,000 EUR.
Amortization starts five years after the maximum funding period ends. At first, the BAföG loan has to be repaid in monthly instalments of 130 EUR each. After 77 instalments, a total of 10,010 EUR, the rest of the loan is remitted. In our example, the person receiving the loans does not have to amortize 9,900 EUR.
With the 78th instalment, the amortization of the "Help for graduation" loan starts. Since this is a full loan, the total amount of 10.000 EUR have to be amortized.
Of a total of 50,000 EUR in funding, the applicant only has to pay back 20,010 EUR.
State of the sample calculations: autumn 2019
Questions on how to apply?
For general questions on the application for BAföG, please visit the BAföG service office at the Student Service Center (SSC).
Do not forget, even if the BAföG benefits you receive are low:
Half of it does not have to be paid back and BAföG-supported students are completely exempt from TV licence fees.