Less financial support from your parents, part-time job gone? Apply for BAföG now!

We provide tips for students whose financial situation has worsened due to the Corona pandemic.

The current situation poses financial difficulties for many students: part-time jobs get cancelled or there is less parental support due to short-time work. Therefore, the Studentenwerk Leipzig recommends: Apply for BAföG now! Even students who were not previously entitled to BAföG or who were entitled to a small sum now have a better chance of receiving (more) BAföG.

TIP: Students who submit their application in April and are eligible for BAföG will receive the money from April onward.

• Students who already receive BAföG: If parents of students can pay less or no more support due to loss of job or short-time work, an update of your BAföG application is advisable. In this way, instead of the income of the calendar year before last the currently lower income of the parents is taken as a basis. The chances of receiving more BAföG thus increase considerably.
• Working students who have not yet applied for BAföG: If your part-time job is now gone, a BAföG application can be a good alternative. Especially for students who previously preferred to work rather than claim a supposedly small BAföG grant.
• Finding new part-time jobs: In the health care system or in agriculture, students who are willing to help are desperately needed. To ensure that such a job does not affect BAföG entitlement, a specific regulation has been established. BAföG recipients keep their entitlement before and after a paid employment in the fight against the pandemic. This income will only affect BAföG entitlements in the months in which BAföG recipients recieve a salary from their new job.

For examples how to calculate your entitlement, see point 7 in the examples of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).