According to a joint press release by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) dated 15.06.2020, from today, Tuesday, 16.06.2020, a grant for students in acute need can be applied for at via an online application at www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de
From Tuesday, students who are in particularly acute need and immediately dependent on help as a result of the corona pandemic can apply for bridging assistance in the form of a non-repayable grant from their student services organization. Federal Education Minister Anja Karliczek explains:
"The corona pandemic has affected the whole of society in Germany. The aim of the Federal Government is to cushion the 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 I took extensive measures from the very beginning of the pandemic to cushion the impact on students. We have put together a package that includes adjustments to BAföG and bridging assistance with two safety nets. This is a comprehensive package that corresponds to the current exceptional situation.
Back in March, I issued a decree on BAföG clarifying that BAföG recipients should not suffer any disadvantages if, for example, courses or examinations cannot take place due to the coronavirus 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: Anyone who supports our society in systemically important sectors during the current crisis will thus retain their full BAföG grant.
We have also created bridging assistance for affected students. The largest safety net is the tried and tested KfW student loan, which basically offers every student stable and fast support. This has been interest-free for everyone since May until the end of March 2021 and has been open to foreign students since June, 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 of over 167 million euros in May. The approximately 60,500 students who have already taken out a student loan will also benefit from the interest relief 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 start a little later because the application process 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 the KfW Student Loan to students from abroad.
We are now setting up the second safety net of bridging assistance. With a non-repayable grant, we are supporting students who are demonstrably in particular need in acute emergency situations due to the pandemic. Applications can be submitted online from this Tuesday. The BMBF has made 100 million euros available for this purpose. The applications will be checked and processed locally, at the Studentenwerke and Studierendenwerke. I would like to thank everyone involved at the Deutsches Studentenwerk and the Studierendenwerke throughout the country for their work in setting up this safety net. I am particularly grateful to all the staff at the 57 Studenten- und Studierendenwerke for their commitment and the hard work involved in advising and processing applications. 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 an amount of 500 euros each in 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 coronavirus pandemic to drive students to drop out or give up their studies."
Achim Meyer auf der Heyde, Secretary General of the Deutsches Studentenwerk, explains the scale of the project: "We are more than aware that many students are in acute need of financial aid and were rather expecting it. But this is an ambitious project. We had to develop a completely new online-supported funding procedure for the nationwide bridging assistance in just a few weeks. It is important to us that students can now apply for the aid for June. As we still have to program the online portal at the same time, payments are not expected to be made until 25 June 2020."
Background:
Students in an acute emergency can apply for bridging assistance from Tuesday at 12 noon using a standardized online tool that is accessible nationwide. The German Student Union (DSW), the umbrella organization of German student unions, has created its own portal for this purpose: 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.
Students at universities of applied sciences or Bundeswehr universities, students on part-time or dual courses of study, guest students and students at universities not recognized by the state are not eligible to apply.
Student applications are automatically forwarded via the portal to the student services organization responsible for them. From 25 June 2020, the applications will be processed and paid out by the 57 Studenten- und Studierendenwerke organized in the DSW.
Depending on proven need, between 100 euros and 500 euros can be paid as a non-repayable grant. The bridging assistance can be applied for for the months of June, July and August 2020. The account balance from the day before the application is submitted is decisive. For example, if you still have 200 euros in your account, you can receive 300 euros in bridging assistance for the month of application.
Online application from Tuesday, 16.6.2020, 12 noon: www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de
BMBF hotline for bridging assistance:
Phone: 0800 26 23 003
Email: ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 bmbf.bund.de
Answers to the most important questions:
www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/überbrückungshilfe-für-studierende-0
Background: Social mandate of the Studenten-/Studierendenwerke
The 57 Studenten- und Studierendenwerke organized in the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) are non-profit organizations independent of universities and responsible for the economic and social support of students in Germany. They have a statutory social mandate. They run student halls of residence and canteens at German universities, as well as childcare facilities and social and psychological counseling centers. The Studentenwerke and Studierendenwerke also implement BAföG on behalf of the federal and state governments. 53 of the 57 student services organizations already had emergency or hardship funds for students in financial difficulties before the coronavirus 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
