German students can apply for BAföG, but under certain circumstances, foreign students can receive benefits too.

It is not possible to say universally if you will receive BAföG as an international student or not. It depends on diffenrent things:
Students who came to Germany solely to study (for example with a student visa) are not eligible. Asylum seekers and asylum applicants are also not eligible.

Foreign students can receive BAföG if …

• they are citizens of the European Union and have a right to permanent residence in line with the EU’s Freedom of Movement Law or are foreign students with a permanent residence permit
• one parent is or was employed in Germany and has a corresponding residence permit
• they are recognized refugees

Please clarify directly with the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung (Office for Educational Funding) if you can get BAföG.

Education systems eligible for benefits are schools, vocational schools, universities, universities of applied sciences, academies and colleges. The Studierendenwerk is only responsible for the funding of students.

Immediately after your admission or enrolment at your university! If the application is approved, you will get BAföG beginning the month of the start of your education – but at the earliest in the month of your application.

Please clarify first with the Amt für Ausbildungsföderung (Office for Educational Funding) if you get BAföG as a foreign student. If yes you can apply with a “quick application” (Kurzantrag) first in order to keep the deadline. All further forms are in German.
You can also make the application online with the Online-Tool "BAföG Digital".

The amount of BAföG funding depends on the income and assets of the student and the income of the parents/spouse/registered partner. The maximum amounts of funding are as follows: If you live with your parents and are under 25 years old, you can receive 671 euros; if you no longer live with your parents and are under 30 years old, you can receive 992 euros BAföG. Both values have been valid since the winter semester 2024/25.

Once all the documents for your BAföG application have been received, allow around eight weeks for the BAföG benefits to be paid out. At busy times during the start of the semester it might take longer. Therefore, please apply as soon as possible.

The maximum duration of support is based on the standard period of study for the specialisation, regardless of whether you actually received BAföG benefits during the entire period of study. The maximum duration of support is also stated in your grant notification. The educational grant can be paid beyond the maximum funding period if there are reasons for delay in accordance with § 15 Para. 3 BAföG. These include serious reasons (e.g. illness), caring for family members, disability, pregnancy or raising a child up to the age of 14.

From the winter semester 2024/25, funded students can also apply for a flexible semester beyond the maximum funding period once during their Bachelor's or Master's degree.

Educational support can be granted if you have not yet reached the age of 45 at the start of the period of education. In exceptional cases, e.g. if you are raising children under the age of 14, you can also receive support later.

If you change your field of study before the beginning of the fifth semester, you will retain your entitlement to funding if there is an "important reason" for the change. In the first three semesters, the law usually assumes an "important reason", after the start of the fourth semester you must justify the change. To ensure that you do not lose your entitlement to funding, it is best to contact us before making a change.

In general, educational support is provided per year. Thereafter the application for support must be repeated. If this is received by us at least two (preferably three) months before the end of the approval period, your BAföG payments can continue without interruption.

A separate application for BAföG must be submitted for the master's program. This also applies in an ongoing approval period.