UPDATE (November, 1st 2020): After the pandemic situation in Germany has worsened again and a new lockdown has been imposed, the financial aid for students was also resumed in November. The procedure and conditions have not changed. The aid will initially be granted until the end of the 2020/21 winter semester.
Financial Corona Interim Aid for Students
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Organizational matters
The Corona crisis has also hit many students in Germany very hard: Numerous part-time jobs have been cancelled or reduced to a minimum of hours, leaving hardly any money for more than the rent. Therefore, there has recently been announced a financial interim aid for students who find themselves in a corona-related emergency situations. The aid is distributed by the Studierendenwerke. Here we explain who is eligible for the financial aid and how to apply for it.
What conditions must be met to be eligible for financial support?
In principle, anyone who is enrolled at a state or state-recognised higher education institution in Germany at the time of application and is not on leave of absence can apply for financial support. It is irrelevant how old you are, whether you are a German or a foreigner, whether you have already exceeded the standard period of study, whether you are taking a second or distance learning course. However, only those who have less than 499.99 € in their account will receive actual support.
For how long can you receive the support and how much is it?
In principle, support is available monthly from June to August this year. However, it must be applied for anew every month. The exact amount of the support depends on the account balance you have on the day before you apply: If you have less than 100 € you will receive up to 500 €, if you have more than 100 € and less than 200 € you will receive 400 € and so on. This means that the smallest subsidy amount of 100 € is available for students with an account balance between 400 € and 499.99 €.
Where and how can you apply for aid?
The application is made online and is then processed by the respective Studentenwerk. The application includes some fields with, for example, personal details that you have to fill in. In addition, the following documents have to be uploaded: your certificate of enrollment for the summer semester 2020, your identity card or passport with a certificate of registration, your bank account details in Germany, and proof that you are in a pandemic emergency situation, i.e. especially recent bank statements (without blackening or omissions).
What if your application is rejected?
Unfortunately there is no guarantee that an application will be granted. In principle, however, it should be granted if your account balance is below the 500 € limit and you have financial restrictions due to the Corona pandemic. If you are sure that you meet the conditions and are still rejected, it is worthwhile to ask the responsible Studierendenwerk in a friendly and careful way. Usually they can tell you more about it.
Are there alternatives for students who do not meet the conditions?
Unfortunately, there is no other help in the form of grants. However, it is possible to apply for an interest-free loan from the KfW. In this case, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research pays the interest on KfW student loans until 31.03.2021, when they are in the disbursement phase until then. After that, however, the interest rate applicable at that time is again to be borne by the students themselves. Unfortunately, the loan is thus not completely free of charge in the long run, which is why you should find out more about this from the KfW before applying.
Auch wenn es sich also nicht um eine allgemeingültige Lösung aller Corona-bedingten, finanziellen Probleme der Studierenden handelt, so kann der Überbrückungszuschuss zumindest doch helfen, akute Notsituationen besser in den Griff zu bekommen. Vor allem, weil dieser Zuschuss nicht zurückgezahlt werden muss. Ob die Hilfen auch über den August hinaus verlängert werden, ist im Moment leider noch nicht absehbar und wohl eher unwahrscheinlich.