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Financial assistance

Apart from BAföG and student loans, there are other options for improving your finances when studying. Depending on your living conditions, there are other forms of financial assistance worth considering. If you are unsure which option is most suitable for you or if you have any further questions, we would encourage you to make an appointment with our social counselling department.

Summary of sources of funding

Assistance from Seezeit and universities

Seezeit hardship fund

Emergency assistance from Seezeit (Nothilfe)

Freitisch (free meals) University of Konstanz

Government paid

Support

Child benefit

This is a state benefit aimed at helping to secure the livelihood of children and relieving the financial burden on dependent parents. For children currently going through education, the entitlement to child benefit normally lasts until the child reaches the age of 25. Applications for child benefit must be received from the parents in writing at the Familienkasse (family desk) of the relevant agency.

Who is entitled to this benefit?
The parents are normally eligible. If, however, the parents provide very little or no support, the child can apply for the money to be paid to them directly (so-called ‘Abzweigung’ [diverted payments] in accordance with § 74 EStG). For children reaching full maturity, child benefit can be awarded up to their 25th birthday. Parents living apart can agree collectively which of them should receive the child benefit.
A leave of absence from studies is regarded as an interruption and can lead to the cessation of child benefit payments. In the case of leave from studies as a result of illness and existing university affiliation, the child benefit entitlement is not interrupted see also link Diensanordnung A 15.7 as well as under A 15.11.
Interruption for a voluntary internship see under A 15.8. para. 3

Child benefit for student parents

If students receive benefits for their own children, their own entitlement to child benefit is subject to the same conditions as for children reaching full maturity. Their educational status is only lost if they take a leave of absence from their studies! If only one semester - and no longer - is taken off for the birth of a child, the student will be considered until the beginning of the semester. If the absence of leave is extended due to bringing up a child, there is no entitlement to child benefit! Cf. official regulations link A 15.11

How much money can I get?
Child benefit is tax-free income and the following monthly payments have been awarded since 1 July 2019:

€ 250.00 per child

Application
You can obtain the required application forms from the Familienkasse at your employment agency. It is also possible to complete applications online, print them off and send a signed copy in the post. Application

Forms can be also be obtained from the relevant Familienkasse:

Responsibility for Konstanz,Ravensburg and Weingarten
Familienkasse Baden-Württemberg-Ost
Schützenstrasse 69
88212 Ravensburg
Tel +49 800 - 4 5555 30 (child benefit and child supplement)
Tel +49 800 - 4 5555 33 (payment dates)
familienkasse-ravensburg[at]arbeitsagentur.de

Links

Orphan's pension

Citizen's Income

As a rule: students whose education and/or studies are eligible for ‘merit-based’ funding through the BAföG, vocational training grants or education allowance have no entitlement to Citizen's Income.

‘Merit-based’ in this case means that it doesn’t matter whether an application is submitted for BAföG or whether benefits are being received at all. The decisive factor is that the educational training is eligible for funding, which is a disqualifying criterion in the first place for the receipt of Cititizens's Income.

However, there are exception and it’s therefore worthwhile doing some research on the subject. You are welcome to contact us:

in the event of leave of absence due to sickness or pregnancy
for the month that first-year students are admitted onto a course of study, as long as a decision has not yet been reached regarding the BAföG, the student is not living with their parents and has previously been in receipt of ALG II (§ 27 (3) (4) SGB II) see ‘special information’ link, 27.19
additional needs due to pregnancy from week 12 onwards (§ 21 (2) SGB II)
additional requirements for single parenthood
additional requirement for expensive nutrition
certain one-off benefits (e.g.initial clothing allowance during pregnancy and child birth in accordance with § 24 (3) SGB II and initial home allowance including household appliances, excursions, multi-day school trips, extra costs for school meals or nursery schools, adequate learning support for schoolchildren and club membership fees)
school materials per academic year and pupil of 150 euros respectively on 1.8.
students living with their parents and receiving BAföG, whose parents are in receipt of ALG II (§ 7 (6) (2) SGB II)
Discretionary provision: hardship funds for atypical life situations in the form of a loan, provided that exemption in accordance with § 7 (5) SGB II means particular hardship: particular hardship cases during the final semester in which there are exceptional, atypical and potentially non self-imposed circumstances, which have prevented a timely completion of education or which have led to other hardships (§ 27 (3) (1) SGB II) see ‘special information’ link, point 27.10. There is also a concurrent entitlement to housing benefit for funds paid solely in the form of a loan (§ 8 section 1 S 3 WoGG)

Links

Housing benefit

Students cannot normally receive housing benefit if they are eligible to receive ‘merit-based’ payments from BAföG. Students receiving no BAföG payments due to the fact that their parents’ income is too high are nevertheless entitled to ‘merit-based’ BAföG. In other words, they cannot receive housing benefit.

The exceptions to this are in cases where there is no entitlement to BAföG (e.g. due to age, a change of subject, a semester taken off, normal period of study is exceeded, BAföG is only a full loan, non-provision of achievement record, second course of study) or whenever there are family members living in a particular household who are not pursuing a course of education that is eligible for BAföG (e.g. one’s own children). For students with children, housing benefit is granted to the student and the child receives income support with their share of the rent.

It is advisable to make use of the social counselling offered by Seezeit and to submit applications in writing. The housing benefit department is responsible for checking minimum incomes. Regular income of at least 80% of the total amount of social welfare requirement must be evidenced for this purpose as well as health insurance cover. If the level of income is less than the above, a letter of rejection is issued. In order to keep within deadlines, you should submit an informal application and send in the complete application at a later date.

Housing benefit is paid at your main/primary place of residence. You can find further information here on claiming housing benefit in Konstanz, the district of Konstanz, Ravensburg, Weingarten and Friedrichshafen.

Links

Housing benefit calculator

Housing benefit legislation

Scholarships

Overview of scholarships

There are numerous scholarships and most students find it difficult to obtain an overview of these. For this reason, there are scholarship databases that collate all the available options (see below).

Here you will find a brief overview and, further below, related links in alphabetical order:

Students with children

Mawista scholarship for students studying abroad with a child for 12 months.

International

Information on funding for foreign students or studying abroad can be found at the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
European research scholarships via the European scholarship portal
‘Avicenna Studienwerk’ scholarship system for talented students: the scholarship payments are available to outstanding Muslim students and PhD students at German universities.
For young Jewish EU citizens studying at German universities, there is the ELES Studienwerk

Experienced professionals
For students with a minimum of two years’ professional experience, the federal government’s upgrading scholarship is potentially worth considering.

Studying with a disability
Special scholarships for students with health impairments can be found under the heading ‘Support’.

Deutschlandstipendium
The scholarship provides monthly support of €300. You can find information about how to apply on your university website as well as on the relevant pages of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) website. Social criteria are also taken into consideration in the awarding of the scholarship.

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Links

Upgrading scholarship

Databases

Further Financial Assistance

Contact

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