According to a joint press release of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Student Union (DSW) of 15.06.2020, as of today, Tuesday, 16.06.2020, a grant for students in acute need can be applied for via online application at www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de
As of Tuesday, students who are in particularly acute need and in immediate need of assistance as a result of the Corona pandemic can apply for bridging assistance in the form of a non-repayable grant from their student or student union. Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek explains:
"The Corona pandemic has affected the whole of society in Germany. The goal of the federal government is to cushion hardships for people in Germany and to get through this severe global crisis as well as possible. This also applies to students.
I am aware that many students have lost their jobs and many have lost the support of their families. That's why, from the beginning of the pandemic, I have taken extensive measures to cushion hardships for students. We have put together a package that includes adjustments to BAföG as well as bridging assistance with two safety nets. This is a comprehensive package that responds to the current exceptional situation.
In the BAföG, I had already clarified by decree in March that BAföG recipients should not suffer any disadvantages if, for example, courses or exams cannot take place because of the Corona pandemic. If parents earn less due to the pandemic, an update application can be submitted for the current BAföG grant period. We have adjusted the crediting rules in BAföG: Those who support our society in systemically important industries during the current crisis will thus retain their full BAföG funding.
We have also created bridging assistance for affected students. The largest safety net is the tried-and-tested KfW Student Loan, which in principle offers every student stable and rapid support. This has already been made interest-free for everyone since May until the end of March 2021, and since June has been open to foreign students who were previously not eligible to apply. Many students have taken advantage of this offer: In May, the number of applications more than quadrupled compared to April. This corresponds to a financial volume in May of over 167 million euros. The approximately 60,500 students who have already taken out student loans will also be relieved by the interest rate reduction until the end of March 2021. This is help that will have a noticeable impact on the wallets of those affected.
Since June 1, foreign students have also been able to apply for the KfW Student Loan. This applies to citizens of third countries and EU citizens who have been in Germany for less than three years. For this group, it was only possible to get started a little later because the application technology first had to be adapted accordingly. That didn't exist yet either. It is important to me that foreign students in Germany are not left alone in emergency situations. The high number of applications from this target group in the first few days shows that it was right to open up the KfW Student Loan to students from abroad.
Now we are opening up the second safety net of bridging assistance. With a non-repayable grant, we are supporting demonstrably particularly needy students in acute distress due to the pandemic. Applications can be submitted online starting this Tuesday. The BMBF has made 100 million euros available for this purpose. The applications will be reviewed and processed locally, at the student and student union offices. I would like to thank all those involved in the German Student Union and the student unions throughout the country for their work in setting up this safety net. In particular, I am grateful to all the employees in the 57 student and student services organizations for their dedication and the feat of advising and processing. I thank them all from the bottom of my heart for being there for the students.
The grant can be applied for online up to a maximum of 500 euros in each of the months of June, July and August 2020. All students at state and state-recognized universities are eligible to apply, from Germany and abroad, regardless of age or number of semesters.
We take the concerns and needs of students seriously. That is why we have put together a unique support package for them. Because we must not allow the Corona pandemic to drive students into dropping out or giving up their studies."
Achim Meyer auf der Heyde, Secretary General of the German Student Union, explains the scale of the project: "We are more than aware that many students are in acute need of financial assistance and have rather expected it. But this is an ambitious project. In just a few weeks, we had to develop a completely new online-supported funding procedure for the nationwide bridging assistance. It is important to us that students can now apply for the aid for June for the time being. Since we still have to program the online portal in parallel, payments can probably only be made from June 25, 2020."
Background:
Students in acute need can apply for the bridging aid from Tuesday at 12 noon in a nationwide accessible, standardized online tool. For this purpose, the German Student Union (DSW), as the umbrella organization of the German student unions, has created its own portal: www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de.
Students from Germany and abroad who are enrolled at state and state-recognized universities in Germany are eligible to apply. The number of semesters or age are not grounds for exclusion. The decisive factor is the proven, acute pandemic-related emergency.
Not eligible to apply are students at universities of applied sciences or federal military colleges, students in part-time studies or dual studies, guest students, and students at universities not recognized by the state.
Via the portal, students' applications are automatically forwarded to the student or student union responsible for them. The applications will be processed and paid out by the 57 student and student services organizations organized in the DSW as of June 25, 2020.
Depending on proven need, between 100 euros and 500 euros can be paid as a non-repayable grant. The bridging allowance can be applied for in each case for the months of June, July and August 2020. The decisive factor is the account balance on the day before the application is submitted. For example, someone who still has 200 euros in their account can receive 300 euros in bridging assistance for the month of application.
Online application starting at 12 noon on Tuesday, June 16, 2020: www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de
BMBF bridging assistance hotline:
Phone: 0800 26 23 003
Email: ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 bmbf.bund.de
Answers to key questions:
www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/überbrückungshilfe-für-studierende-0
Background: Social mandate of the Studenten-/Studierendenwerke
The 57 Studenten- und Studierendenwerke (student unions) organized in the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) are, as university-independent, non-profit organizations, responsible for the economic and social support of students in Germany. They have a statutory social mandate. They operate student dormitories and dining halls at German universities, as well as childcare facilities and social counseling and psychological counseling centers. The Studenten- und Studierendenwerke also implement the BAföG on behalf of the federal and state governments. 53 of the 57 student unions already had emergency or hardship funds for students in financial need before the Corona pandemic.
https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/studentenwerke
Contact:
Stefan Grob
Head of Press/Association Communications, Deputy Secretary General
Editorial Director DSW Journal
Deutsches Studentenwerk
Monbijouplatz 11
10178 Berlin
Tel: 030 29 77 27 20
Mobile: 0163 29 77 272
stefan.grob@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 studentenwerke.de
