General Description
The BAföG is the main German state-sponsored student support programme. Students who are citizens or permanent residents of Germany and wish to undertake a semester or year abroad can be entitled to receive a grant under this scheme. An amount of up to 4600 euro will be provided to cover tuition fees; an additional sum of up to 500 euro will be awarded as a travel subsidy. Grantees will also receive a monthly stipend, whose exact amount depends on various factors including the country of destination, the housing and health insurance situation of the applicant, as well as the income, savings, and assets of the applicant, and those of his/her spouse or parents; part of the stipend is awarded as a scholarship, and the rest as an interest-free loan). Students travelling to countries outside the European Union can only be granted funding for a maximum of 12 months.
Requirements
Applicants must be registered as regular non-doctoral students at a higher education institution. Financial assistance is provided if the student's achievements give reason to expect that he or she will attain the desired training goal. This is generally assumed as long as attendance and participation requirements are met. These scholarships are means-tested. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of Germany; the age limit for candidates is set at 30 years if they are studying a Bachelor´s degree and 35 years for Master´s degree students. 