BAföG - your application
The prospect of receiving BAföG benefits is greater than you think, especially in view of the increase in demand rates resulting from the 26th Law amending the Federal Training Assistance Act (Gesetz zur Änderung des Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföGÄndG).
1. Is it necessary to apply?
Yes. BAföG services are only granted upon application.
2. When should I hand in my application?
As early as possible.
First application:
As a matter of principle, educational support is provided from the beginning of the month in which the training is actually commenced, but at the earliest from the beginning of the application month.
Please note the special provisions governing the pandemic semesters (2020 Spring Term, 2020/2021 Fall Term and 2021 Spring Term)! Under certain conditions, these provisions may allow for an extension of the standard program duration (Regelstudienzeit) and hence of the maximum duration of BAföG funding.
1. When printing out the application, please sign it in your own hand and send it by mail; the date of your application's receipt (incoming mail stamp) by the BAföG office will count as the date of application.
2. It will be quicker to submit your application as a photo or scan via the upload portal on the website specified herein (https://www.bafoeg-digital.de/ams/BAFOEG). However, please be sure to print out your copy beforehand and to sign it in your own hand. In this case, the date of upload will count as the date of receipt.
3. You may also use Bayernportal and your eID for paperless upload. If you have a new German ID card and an NFC-enabled Smartphone or a suitable card reader, you may submit your application directly online. In this case your application will be deemed to have been received immediately on upload.
Second application and further applications:
Please note that an application for further support must be submitted two months before the end of the last/running approval period. This means that, after the last notice of granting has been issued, educational support can, subject to reclaiming, continue to be paid until the notice on the new application is issued, and there are no unpleasant interruptions in payment (deadline for summer semesters: 31 January | deadline for winter semesters: 31 July).
Applications that are submitted after the deadlines or that are incomplete may be subject to payment interruptions!
3. Do I need to apply once for my entire degree?
No. You need to reapply every year, as each appropriation period lasts for two semesters. For further support you need to hand in a new application.
4. Where do I apply?
The application needs to be handed in at the responsible BAföG office, which is usually either the student union at your university (https://www.studentenwerke.de/en/content/here-you-will-find-your-studentenwerk) or the communal BAföG office at your place of residence.
5. How do I make the application?
Benefits according to the Federal Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföG) require a written application (application forms).
If due to the stress of your first year of study you are unable to complete an application form, it is sufficient to send a simple letter to the Office for Education and Training Assistance stating that you are seeking support (informal application, for observance of deadlines). Then, you must, however, submit the completed (official) forms and documents without delay. Forms are mandatory.
Online application/upload portal/eID
Since the winter semester 2009/2010, students of the universities supervised by the Studentenwerk Niederbayern/Oberpfalz also have the possibility to apply online.
The effective date of the application depends on how you submit it:
- When printing out the application, please sign it in your own hand and send it by mail; the date of your application's receipt (incoming mail stamp) by the BAföG office will count as the date of application.
- It is quicker if you submit the application as a photo or scan via the upload portal on the specified website. For this purpose, you must, however, print it out and sign it beforehand. The day of the upload is then the day of the receipt.
- You may also use the "Bayernportal" and your eID for paperless upload. If you have a new German ID card and an NFC-enabled Smartphone or a suitable card reader, you may submit your application directly online. In this case your application will be deemed to have been received immediately on upload.
If you do not wish to use the online option, you can download the forms from the internet. Further information is available on the internet at: www.bafög.de
Our forms have been completely revised since the 2020/2021 Fall Term.
To make completion easier for applicants, the forms now contain an all new color code:
Slate blue: To be completed by the applicant
Red: To be completed by each parent and spouse or registered civil partner (please use one form per person).
Yellow: To be completed by the training institution/internship facility
In detail, the forms are the following:
- Form 01: Application for educational support and declaration of the applicant's income/assets/debt
- Form 02: Certificate according to Section 9 BAföG (German Student Financial Assistance Program) or University Enrollment Certificate (Studienbescheinigung). This form may be substituted by a proof of enrollment (academic registration or university enrollment certificate) computer-generated by the university in accordance with Section 9 BAföG (German Student Financial Assistance Program).
- Form 03: Declaration of income (Einkommenserklärung) of the applicant's spouse or father or mother (as a general rule, one Form 03 must be completed for each parent!)
- Form 04: Applicant's children (also important for childcare allowance application!)
- Form 05: Certificate according to section 48 Federal Training Assistance Act – certificate of achievement (required for support from the 5th semester onwards; the applicant is responsible for the submission; it is filled in by the respective university)
- Form 06: Application for educational support for training abroad
- Form 07: Apprentice's request for updating according to section 24 paragraph 3 Federal Training Assistance Act (required if the income of the spouse or of one or both parents during the approval period is significantly lower than the income in the penultimate calendar year prior to the start of the approval period)
- Form 08: Application for advance payment according to section 36 Federal Training Assistance Act (required if the parents do not pay the maintenance contribution determined in the notice concerning BAföG benefits or refuse to provide the information required for determining the entitlement to BAföG benefits and the training is endangered as a result)
- Form 09: Follow-up application for student financial aid (university students only) - Form 09 may be used to substitute Form 01 when submitting your application. However, a follow-up application will be accepted only if there is no time gap in funding between the previous funding and the funding now being applied for. In addition, the applicant's various categories of income must not show an increase and must not be expected to increase, compared to the income data provided for the previous funding period. Also, the applicant's assets at the time of the current application must not show an increase compared to the assets data provided for the previous funding period, or must not exceed the threshold amount of €8,200 despite an increase. Form 01 must be filed as soon as significant changes in the applicant's income or assets have occurred from the previous funding period. In case of parent-dependent funding, Form 09 may not be used as a substitute for the parents' Form 03. I.e., the parents' Form 03 will have to be submitted nevertheless.
All information must be supported by documentary evidence, in particular the applicant's income and financial circumstances, the spouse's and/or parents' income circumstances (statements of earnings, income tax assessments, pension approval certificates, notice on unemployment benefits, proof of profits from self-employed activities, bank certificates of assets, etc.). You must present the certificate of enrolment and proof of rental costs if you no longer live with your parents. If necessary, health and nursing insurance contributions must also be proven.