What affect does getting a degree qualifying the holder for a profession on my BAföG eligibility?
According to § 7 para. 1 BAföG, your basic eligibility to receive financial aid ends when you attain a degree qualifying the holder for a profession following a three-year (or longer) degree program. In the higher education sector, this includes degrees such as bachelor, Diplom, Diplom (FH), Magister, or state examination. You lose your basic eligibility to receive BAföG once you attain one of these degrees. Subsequent aid may only be awarded to a limited extent as per § 7 para. 1a BAföG or § 7 para. 2 BAföG.
Following attainment of a bachelor’s degree, you may still be eligible to receive financial aid in the form of BAföG for a master’s degree or postgraduate Diplom degree as per § 7 para. 1a BAföG. Please note that a standalone Diplom degree is not eligible for BAföG aid following a bachelor’s degree. In cases where applicants fail to disclose degrees already in their possession at the time of application (e.g. applicant enrolls in a Diplom program but already holds a bachelor’s degree), the applicant should note that they will be required to pay back any and all aid awarded received thereafter in full.
You are only eligible as per § 7 para. 2 BAföG to receive financial aid for an additional degree program after attaining a university degree in cases where
- You are seeking a complementary degree that is legally required for entry into your desired profession. A legal provision must stipulate this requirement;
- After attaining the entrance criteria, you seek to graduate with a standalone university degree that builds on your previous degree (e.g. you attain the general or subject-linked higher education entrance qualification by passing an intermediate or final exam at a technical college);
- Special circumstances prevail (e.g. you can no longer work in your profession after your first degree, such as a PE teacher who suffers paraplegia).
To save you the hassle later, we remind you of the BAföG applicant’s duty to cooperate; specifically, BAföG applicants are required to inform us without notice of all changes to their personal, educational, and financial situation.