Finance
As with finding a place to live, there are many helpful websites on the internet on the topic of "How do I finance my studies? We will limit ourselves here to the contact points at our university that can help you with this topic.
Semester fee & semester ticket
Although this is not a contact point, it is often forgotten and therefore important to mention: Pay your semester fee on time!
- In order to be enrolled at the university in the next semester, you have to pay your semester fee in time. The request will be sent to your Unimail address, you will find the payment details in the BOSS.
- The semester fee is approx. 300€ per semester, of which approx. 200€ is used for the NRW-Ticket, with which you can travel free of charge throughout NRW from the start of the semester on bus and train (on local transport, i.e. not IC/ICE) and can only take bicycles and friends with you at certain times. More information about the semester ticket can be found on the TU website and on the AStA website.
- The ticket will be sent to you via email and can be accessed in the TU app.
- For the ticket you always need a photo ID (no driving licence).
- Even if you do not want to use the ticket, you must pay the full amount.
- If you cannot use the ticket because you are severely disabled, are doing a compulsory internship far away or, for example, are taking a semester abroad or on holiday, you can apply for a refund here.
- There is a hardship compensation for students with financial difficulties for wich the AStA is to be contacted.
- If you also want to use the ticket in the preliminary course, there is an extra preliminary course ticket.
- You can find all information about the semester fee here: semester fee.
BAföG (Studierendenwerk)
Although this is actually an entire law, the financial support awarded in this way is usually referred to directly as BAföG. The Studierendenwerk Dortmund takes care of BAföG matters. For example, you must submit your BAföG application there. You can find information about BAföG and more from the Studierendenwerk here: BAföG (german only).
Basically, BAföG can be applied for digitally or analogue, for which we give you some general information below. Please note that the BAföG regulations are always changing, so we cannot offer any advice on this topic. The information below is based on our experience up to 10 March 2022 and is only intended to roughly explain the principle.
So please check the official pages on the subject if it is relevant to you! If any of this information is no longer up to date, please contact us so that we have the chance to correct it.
BAföG roughly explained
Short answer: No!
It depends on the following aspects:
- Your age (start Bachelor's degree with a maximum of 29, start Master's degree with a maximum of 34), whereby there are exceptions, e.g. in the case of own children / illness.)
- Your educational background (your first Bachelor's degree and the subsequent Master's degree are funded, after that it does not apply).
- Your income and wealth
- Income of parents or spouse / civil partner
- Compliance with the standard period of study (serving on a university committee - such as the student council - extends the standard period of study by one semester, for example).
Further Information: https://www.studentenwerke.de/de/content/voraussetzungen-für-bafög (german only)
BAföG does not have to be paid back until 5 years later and only at 50% and up to a maximum of 10,010 € and for a maximum of 20 years, there is no interest and breaks can be taken; those who repay the loan before it is due (in full or in part) get another part waived. This means that part of the BAföG is free money!
At the moment (10.03.2022), a normal student is allowed to earn €5,434.24 during the approval period, i.e. €452.85 per month; if you are unsure, please ask the Studierendenwerk. In addition, assets of up to €8,200 (as of 10.03.2022) may be owned. Any surpluses within these limits will be deducted from the BAföG, thus reducing the payments in case of doubt.
The forms must be sent to the Studierendenwerk Dortmund or dropped in the letterbox. You will then be assigned a contact who will be available to answer any questions or follow-up applications. The Studierendenwerk website can help you with this. The forms can also be filled out digitally and are editable. Overall, it is advisable to follow the checklist and especially the attachments to the documents.
The application can be filled out digitally at https://www.bafoeg-digital.de/ams/Bafoeg. For this, an online-capable ID card and the ID Card App are required.
Processing can take up to a quarter of a year, so you should submit an application as early as possible, but no later than the month before the desired start month of the grant period (1 year), even if the application is not complete; after approval, any payments due will be paid subsequently.
Info
- The official website of the Studierendenwerk Dortmund: : https://www.stwdo.de/bafoeg
- The german Studierendenwerke have another useful page about this topic: here (also english)
- Also this page is a good one to look at: https://www.meinbafoeg.de/
Councelling
- Studierendenwerk Dortmund: https://www.stwdo.de/bafoeg
- The AStA (General Students' Committee) offers BAföG counselling: https://asta-dortmund.de/2019/03/07/bafoeg-beratung/
The offer is from students for students and, of course, free of charge.
If you do not have German citizenship, but are still in your initial education (i.e. first Bachelor's & Master's degree), you can get advice on BAföG from the Studierendenwerk Dortmund (see above).
The Studierendenwerk of another university has created a clear overview, which is why the link to the page of the Studierendenwerk Oldenburg follows here.
Financial tips from the university
There are other options for financing - for example, a student loan. You can find these and other tips on the following pages.
- Some german links are collected here: Finanztipps.
- In this page you can find an overview about all costs you might have during your life as student - it's also not in english available: Was kostet ein Studium.
- The Protestant and Catholic university congregations can also help out in financial emergencies.
Scholarships
Here you can find helpful information about financial support through scholarships from the university. An application for a Deutschlandstipendium might be a good idea, since generally speaking, in our faculty, few students meet with a relatively large number of scholarship places. Note the application deadlines, which sometimes end before the semester begins. First-year students also have a chance to receive scholarships!