How satisfied are you with the BAföG office? We wanted to know and over 1,300 Leipzig students took part in our survey at the end of 2024. Now the results are in.
The most frequently used communication channel was email (79%), followed by the telephone (50%), while personal counselling was used comparatively less frequently at 32%. However, personal counselling at the Department for Grants was rated particularly positively: short waiting times and a high level of expertise were emphasised several times. We therefore recommend that all students make use of the personal office hours if they have any questions. A direct conversation is usually the quickest and most effective way to clarify issues.
Feedback on telephone availability and communication by email was more critical. For data protection reasons, we are only able to provide limited information over the phone. In addition, emails often lead to queries and email Ping-Pong before we can provide concrete help – this delays communication processes.
In response to the survey results, we have now provided a clear overview on our website of which communication channel is best suited to which issue. We are also working on improving our availability by telephone – although our capacities here are limited. Extending our telephone consultation hours would unfortunately be at the expense of application processing.
Many respondents also expressed dissatisfaction with the processing time for applications – especially between July and October, when experience shows that most applications are received. Our tip: submit your application as early and completely as possible to avoid unnecessary delays.
The survey also showed that some students do not submit an application for fear of getting into debt. However, half of BAföG is a gift – and the other half is repaid as an interest-free loan, limited at around 10,000 euros. In many cases, it is therefore still worth applying.
A common mistake concerned the digital application via bafoeg-digital.de (German): Many students assumed that an online ID with eID function was mandatory. This is not the case – registration with BAföG-Digital is also possible with a name and password via the BundID. This means that it is possible to submit the application completely digitally and utilise the benefits (German) of BAföG Digital without having an online ID!
