I have a son called Theo, he is 20, and intend to study in Germany next year.
We all live in Brazil but he is also German citizen.
He have just finished the third year of Civil Engineering here in Brazil and we want to know if he fulfillls the requirements do apply for Bafög since we cannot pay for him to study and live abroad.
He intends to study in Germany in the beginning of 2023, could you please give us some advice?
Thank you so much for your attention!!!
Moderation
Hello Sabine, thank you for your question. Your son, as a German citizen, can apply for BAföG. You mentioned he has already studied in Brasil and wants to continue his studies in Germany. If he intends to continue in the same subject then there should be no difficulty in applying for BAföG. However, if he wants to change the subject, it could be that his application might be rejected. If that is the case the INTEZ association can help you further, you can find the e-mail here, as well as more information on the application procedure. https://handbookgermany.de/en/bafoeg
If you have any other questions regarding the procedure, please do not hesitate to contact us again.
I hope that the application process will go smoothly for Theo. Unfortunately, applying for BAFöG in Germany can be quite a long process, we would be happy to support you.
Best wishes
Yara
Thank you so much for your feedback, Yara. He is in the 4th year of Civil Engineering here in Brazil and intends to study in the same area there in Germany, if possible focusing on the financial part, but if that is not possible, it can be along the same subject as here. What would be the first step to getting a placement and/or applying for Bafög? For family reasons, we would prefer the region of Stuttgart (Esslinger) but he accepts anywhere in Germany, if the vacancy arises in another region. Could you help us in this process?
Sure Sabine, I would be happy to help you in the process. In most cases your son would have to be enrolled in order to apply for BAföG, he should apply in the city of his University. You can find the responsible office via this search: https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/finden-sie-hier-ihr-amt-f%C3%B…
In more complex cases (e.g., if you have obtained a degree abroad), you can apply for a so-called "preliminary decision" ("Vorabentscheid") at the BAföG office. This way, before you enroll, you can clarify whether you have a chance of receiving financial support or not.
If you want to find a place for studies there is this search engine: https://www.studis-online.de/studium/bachelor/
and here: https://www.hochschulkompass.de/en/study-in-germany.html
You can read more on the application procedure here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/university-application
Please let me know if you have any other questions
Best wishes
Yara
Hi Yara, thank you for your help in this process. My son's idea is to study at a university in a big city in Germany, due to the language problem (he speaks German, but very basic) and, in the same way, he would have to take courses offered in English. Do you suggest any particular university/city to which he should apply? He intends to enroll in the FREE MOVER program, as this is his best option for academic exchange, not forgetting the need to obtain some allowance for housing and food. We are researching in this area, do you think he would be able to apply under these conditions? If you can give us some direction in this regard, we could focus our research on a specific city or university, perhaps it would be more productive. Thank you in advance for your precious help!!
Hi Sabine, sure I am happy to help. First of all he would need to decide what course he would like to attend and in which Program: Bachelors or Masters.
Then you can start the search. For example here I have typed in Civil Engineering for BA program in Germany- the course is in English.
https://www.bachelorsportal.com/search/bachelor/civil-engineering-const…
As far as I know the Free Mover program does not cover housing and food . This he would need to get via a scholarship or the BAFÖG.
Best wishes
Yara
Thank you so much Yara. He will search and explore which are the possibilities than we can talk later. Thank you so far, write you soon!
Hello Yara! My son made the decision to study at University od Stuttgart (Department of Finance), from February to July 2023. He already stayed in contact with his future advisor there in order to choose the subjects and explain his interests. The Uni administration said he will only be able to start application by the beggining of 2023 and I am afraid this would be too late for him to apply for BAFÖG, as you've told me once this could be a long process. Could you please give me some help?
Hello Sabine, congratulations for your son in finding his university! Once he has confirmation of enrollment ("Immatrikulationsbescheinigung") I would apply for BAFÖG as soon as possible. Then he should, if eligible for BAFÖG, receive the money in February. If for some reason it takes longer for the BAFÖG office to process he will receive the money for February later.
Here is more information on eligibility and the application procedure: https://handbookgermany.de/en/bafoeg
Sabine you are right processing your application takes a while, so one often receives the first monthly payment after starting with his/her studies. Nevertheless, the date of the application is considered the beginning of payments. That means the first payment is often a large sum and includes the payments from the few months since you have applied. Your local Office for Promotion of Education ("Ausbildungsförderung") can provide you with more information. You can find their address on studentenwerke.de.
Thank you so much, Yara. As soon as he has the confirmation of enrollment at University of Stuttgart he will aplly for BAFÖG and look for some accomodation. It's a pity that this will only be possible at the beginning of next year, I hope he doesn't miss any deadlines because of that, we wanted to get everything done right now, but it's still not possible to apply. Let's wait and cross fingers!!
Hi Sabine, it's a good idea to fill in the application as much as you can already and get familiar with all the paper work. I hope your son can soon start his studies in Stuttgart!
If you have any further questions or concerns please do not hesitate to share them here.
Best wishes
Yara
Hello Sabine, I wanted to ask if you son was able to receive BAFöG and if you need any further information, assistance.
Best wishes
Yara
Hello Yara, thanks for your attention! My son is studying in Stuttgart University since March, but unfortunately he didn't get the BAFöG, we've made a Barmer for him, but I still want to try BAFöG if it's possible. Do you think we should still try?
Hello Sabine, congratulations to your son! Did you try and contact https://intez.de/kontakt/? They specialize in cases for students where it might be hard to achieve BAFöG. They can give you more information on whether it is possible for your son to receive BaföG or not.
Best wishes
Yara
Hi Sabine, were you able to contact [~5096]? They are now on the platform as well. Maybe they can give further tips for your son.
Best wishes
Yara