BAföG
Anyone who fulfils the requirements set out in the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) has a legal entitlement to financial support for training that corresponds to their own inclinations, abilities and performance. The amount of support is calculated individually.
BAföG ensures that financial barriers are not an obstacle to education. Even those who do not have sufficient funds themselves or through their parents should be given the opportunity to receive a qualified education or study. For many students, BAföG is currently the most favourable way to put their education on a solid financial footing - and thus fully develop their own talents.
BAföG application
The subsidy regulations and the associated applications are quite extensive. Nevertheless, you should not be put off by this, as the regular funding is split equally between a grant and a non-interest-bearing loan. The maximum repayable loan amount for one training period is also limited to €10,000.
You can fill in and print out the forms at any time via the link.
Consultation & appointment
You can obtain advice by telephone from your contact person (m/f/d) Monday to Friday between 09:00 and 11:00.
We are also happy to advise you in person or via web conference. To do so, please use the online appointment form or make an appointment by e-mail to termine@swf.tu-freiberg.de.
Contact points
Under the following link you will find all employees (m/f/d) who are responsible for processing BAföG applications.
Funding according to BAföG
All students enrolled at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and Hochschule Mittweida can receive educational support under the BAföG if
- The degree programme is the first course of study eligible for funding under BAföG, builds on a Bachelor's / Bachelor's degree or the requirements for funding a second course of study in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 (2) and (3) BAföG are met.
- you are a German citizen or fulfil one of the other requirements according to § 8 BAföG.
- you have not yet reached the age of 45 at the start of the Bachelor's, Diploma or Master's degree programme or fulfil one of the exceptional requirements according to § 10 paragraph 3 BAföG.
- you can present a positive certificate of achievement in accordance with § 48 BAföG after the 3rd or 4th semester.
You can find the relevant legal regulations at BAföG legal basis read more.
- Students who live with their parents during their studies are entitled to €534.
- Students who do not live with their parents during their studies can receive € 855.
Rent subsidies will no longer be paid from October 2010. The expenses for rent are now included in the basic needs. Required is the Proof of external accommodation.
Students who are themselves covered by compulsory health insurance receive an additional subsidy of up to €185. If they have nursing care insurance themselves, they will receive a further allowance of up to €48. The corresponding form Certificate for health insurance is available for download.
In most cases, students at universities receive half of their funding as a grant and half as a loan. After a change of specialisation or if the maximum funding period is exceeded, funding may be provided in the form of a full loan for part-time periods. You should therefore seek advice in good time!
The applicant's assets and income as well as the income of the spouse and parents, if applicable, are taken into account if they exceed certain allowances. Under certain circumstances, the parents' income may be disregarded. The requirements for funding without taking parental income into account are based on § 11 Para. 3 BAföG. You can find more information here.
The circumstances on the day of the application, i.e. the day on which the application is received by the office, apply to the inclusion of assets. Since the end of 2010, cars have also been fully recognised as assets if they are owned by you.
The income of students, e.g. orphan's pensions, internship allowances or own earned income, is determined by the income situation during the period of authorisation.
The income of the parents and, if applicable, the spouse is taken into account on the basis of the income situation in the penultimate calendar year before the start of the authorisation period.
If you would like to have a rough idea of what you can expect in terms of education funding, you can calculate the funding amounts in advance.
Downloads
Frequently asked questions - FAQ
If their income situation has worsened in the current period compared to the calendar year before last (e.g. due to unemployment or retirement), the current income situation in the calendar years affecting this authorisation period can be used as a basis on special application (Form 7 is required for this). This calculation is also only possible for one parent.
The income is not based exactly on the months relating to the BWZ or from the month of the income reduction, but the verifiable and the expected income of the calendar years affecting the BWZ, e.g. 10/2024 - 09/2025, are taken into account once for the year 2024 in 3 shares and for 2025 in 9 shares, resulting in a fictitious income amount. The office is bound to this calculation method on the basis of the provisions of § 24 Para. 4 BAföG.
The decisive factor is that the subsidy amount increases by at least €10.00 per month.
Payments are initially made subject to reclaim. Only when the income for the calendar years of the authorisation period has been fully verified will the education grant be definitively calculated. In individual cases, this calculation may then lead to a reclaim.
However, our clerks will advise you in detail before you submit this application.
At this point, we do not want to list all facets of the regulations for funding after a change of specialisation in accordance with Section 7 (3) BAföG. However, you should be familiar with the main features. If trainees have discontinued their training for an important reason or for an irrefutable reason or have changed their specialisation, training assistance is provided for a different training course. In the case of trainees at higher technical colleges, academies and universities, an important reason for the change is assumed for the first change of specialisation after 3 semesters at the latest and no justification for the change needs to be provided. As a rule, further funding continues to be provided in the form of a grant and a non-interest-bearing loan.
Only in the case of a further change or a change after four semesters must the reasons be given as to why the specialisation was changed again or only at this point in time. For your reasons, please use the Form. For further details, please refer to the Information sheet.
It is essential that good reasons are given as to why the change was made so late! If you could have recognised earlier that you were unsuitable for the chosen subject, e.g. by failing some examinations in the first and second semesters, you can no longer invoke serious reasons.
If the student drops out or transfers after the start of the fifth semester, educational support will only be provided for another course of study if there is an unavoidable reason for dropping out or transferring. This also applies if no funding was applied for for the previous degree programme.
Only a reason that does not allow a choice between continuing the previous training and discontinuing it or changing to another specialisation is irrefutable. An irrefutable reason is, for example, an unexpected disability - for example as the result of an accident - or an allergy to certain substances that makes it impossible to pursue the profession previously pursued.
Multiple changes of specialisation for good cause have a negative impact on the type of funding. The semesters "used up" by a previous degree programme are counted towards the number of semesters of the new maximum funding period and are only funded with an interest-bearing bank loan.
We therefore recommend that, if possible, you should already realise in the first two semesters of your chosen course whether this course matches your inclinations and whether you are up to the requirements.
During the first four semesters, BAföG funding is generally paid without a performance assessment. Only on the threshold to the fifth semester is it checked whether the academic achievements to date correspond to the usual level of performance. These certificates are issued by certain teaching staff.
It is advisable to have your performance level confirmed at the end of the 3rd semester and to submit this certificate to the office in the first four months of the 4th semester in order to ensure that you receive funding without any gaps!
If, for serious reasons, you are unable to provide proof of the required level of performance on the form 5 provided for this purpose, you can apply to postpone the deadline for submitting the proof of performance. The Application for subsequent submission of the certificate of performance available.
The Office for Educational Support may also authorise the submission of the certificate of aptitude at a later date if there are facts that are likely to justify exceeding the maximum funding period at a later date. These may include
- Serious reasons such as illness,
- Participation in statutory committees and statutory bodies of the universities and the federal states as well as in statutory bodies of the self-administration of the students at these educational institutions and the student unions,
- a disability, pregnancy or the care and upbringing of a child up to the age of fourteen,
- pregnancy or the care or upbringing of a child up to the age of fourteen must be the cause of the delay in training. Within the framework of § 15 Para. 3 No. 5 or § 48 Para. 2 BAföG, the following periods are always appropriate:
- Pregnancy: 1 semester,
- up to the child's 5th birthday: 1 semester per year of age,
- for the child's 6th and 7th year: 1 semester in total,
- for the child's 8th to 10th year: 1 semester in total.
The concession may not exceed a total of one semester for the respective periods, even if several children are being cared for at the same time. It can be divided between both student parents. In this case, the parents must submit a declaration stating how the childcare was divided between them.
The child's continued need for care during the extension of the funding period can also be taken into account in the event of a delay in studies.
New reasons for delay, e.g. illness of the trainee or pregnancy, must also be taken into account.
Take the opportunity to get personalised advice from us!
It is also possible to submit the certificate of achievement at a later date if you have previously trained abroad.
