BAföGFederal Training Assistance Act in Germany

Initially, BAföG was intended to serve German students alone. It has since been extended to provide loans for education in Germany for international students. However, funding for non-German recipients is more difficult to obtain and generally limited to exceptional cases, for example, applicants typically must have been resident in Germany for 5 years. But exceptions can be made for those with a strong prospect of remaining in Germany, those where one parent holds German citizenship, and those who are married to German spouses.

In addition, the following conditions apply:

• the education or training must be accredited for BAföG funding
• you must meet certain personal criteria (citizenship e.g. EU, aptitude, age, your parents' or guardians' financial situation). Students at THGA can contact Lucine Harutyunyan at Central Study Advice to find out if they are eligible for funding; she can also provide you with the application form.

The applications must be submitted via the AkaFö or filed online (in German language).
A BAföG calculator can help you determine in advance how much money you might receive. The BAföG website of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research provides additional information in English.

You are eligible to BAföG if you achieve a minimum number of credit points (ECTS). Please note the two periods of exams at THGA: the first one is a part of the degree programme semester (which can be decisive), the second is already part of the next semester and thus not decisive for your BAföG application. At the end of each degree programme semester (DPS), the following ECTS points need to be achieved:

1. DPS: 10 ECTS points
2. DPS: 30 ECTS points
3. DPS: 50 ECTS points
4. DPS: 70 ECTS points
5. DPS: 90 ECTS points