2024-07-25 15:21:44
Young people from low-income families will in future receive state funding to start their studies. What are the requirements for this?
The start of university life will be made a little easier for new students – at least from a financial perspective. From the winter semester of 2024/25, some of them will be able to receive a state grant of 1,000 euros. The new study start-up aid – unlike half of the Bafög – does not have to be paid back. We explain who gets it and what deadlines need to be observed.
The aid is intended for first-year students under the age of 25 who have previously received one of the following social benefits:
Young people who are accommodated in a child and youth welfare facility and whose parents do not have to pay any contributions to the measure are also entitled to study start-up assistance.
As the MDR reports, the federal government expects “around 15,000 people eligible to apply for study start-up assistance per year.” However, since this is a new funding instrument that has yet to become known, the actual number of recipients in the introductory year is likely to be lower.
No. The one-off study start-up aid is paid out regardless of whether you will receive BAföG later on – and is not offset against your own income or assets. “The study start-up aid is paid out as a lump sum of 1,000 euros,” says the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). “Existing income or assets are not taken into account, so the amount cannot be lower.”
Yes. The application is submitted exclusively electronically via the “Bafög Digital” portal. New students must provide proof that they have received social benefits and are enrolled at a university.
In order to receive the one-off payment of 1,000 euros, those entitled to it must act in good time. According to the BMBF, the deadline is “until the end of the month following the month in which the training begins”.
This means that anyone who begins their studies on October 1st must have submitted an application by the end of November so that their entitlement does not expire.