Apply for an education loan

You can apply for an education loan online or in writing at the Federal Office of Administration.

• Go to the education loan online portal of the Federal Office of Administration and register there.
• After registration, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. Follow the steps in the email to complete the registration.
• After the registration was successful, you can log in with your e-mail address and password. In the portal you will find the corresponding application form.
• Fill out the online application and submit it. Information is required on:
  • Personal information
  • Training
  • Educational establishment
  • Study or school training for the examination of whether the studies have progressed or whether you have a professional qualification or reach a professional qualification with the training to be promoted - desired amount of the payment rates (maximum EUR 300.00)
  • Bank account
• After submitting your application, you will receive an online identification number to identify your application.
• After registration, you can also download the application, fill it out on your computer and print it out or print it out blank and fill it out by hand. If necessary, the application must be signed.
• Compile the necessary documents for your application and submit them to the Federal Office of Administration within 14 days, stating the online ID by post or scanned by e-mail.
• If you log in with the electronic identity card, more functions are available to you.
• The Federal Office of Administration will check your application to see whether the eligibility requirements are met.
• If documents are missing, the Federal Office of Administration will request them.
• If you meet the requirements:
• You will receive an approval notice and a framework loan agreement from KfW Group (loan agreement offer).
• To accept it, you must forward the signed loan agreement and the confirmation of a legitimation check carried out on your person (identity confirmation) to KfW Group.
• KfW will take over the conclusion of the loan agreement, the payment of the installments and the subsequent reclaim. The payment is made to your current account in Germany, in the case of studying abroad usually to your foreign current account. Your foreign current account must be located in the country where you are studying.
• If you do not or do not yet meet the requirements:
• You will receive a rejection notice. If necessary, you can object to this or submit a new application later.

Applications for education loans can be made:

• adult students and pupils up to the age of 36 whose education is already advanced

Further requirements:

• Only training courses at institutions that are eligible for funding under the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) are funded.
• Own current account in Germany or when studying abroad also there.

Student:

• As a student or student, you can get an education loan if you:
  • pursue a bachelor's, master's or a degree with the degree of state examination or diploma full-time,
  • pursue an additional, supplementary or postgraduate course of study and already have the completion of an undergraduate course of study,
  • spend a semester abroad as part of your studies,
  • study at a foreign higher education institution equivalent to a domestic one,
  • or complete an internship at home or abroad (also outside Europe) for an undergraduate course, e.g. for the Bachelor's degree, which have passed the intermediate examination

Hint:
If your study regulations do not provide for an intermediate examination, you must have completed the usual achievements of the first two years of study – for students in Bachelor's degree programs, those of the first year of study.

Pupils:

• As a student, you can get an education loan if you:
  • carry out full-time training at a training institution eligible under the BAföG,
  • have a vocational qualification or achieve a vocational qualification with the training to be promoted, and
  • are in the penultimate or last year of training.

Note: as a rule, a (three-year) school education is only supported from the second year of school attendance.

When applying, you must submit:

• for pupils:
  • Double-sided copy of the identity card or passport with confirmation of registration (not older than 3 months)
  • Current certificate of the school about the beginning, end and goal of the training
  • if applicable, certificate of the traineeship
• for students:
  • Double-sided copy of the identity card or passport with confirmation of registration (not older than 3 months)
  • Current certificate of enrolment with proof of the completed university/study semesters and semesters
  • if applicable: Intermediate examination certificate or written declaration from your university that no intermediate examination is provided for in your course of study and that the usual achievements of the first two years of training, in the case of a Bachelor's degree of the first year of study, have been completed, or an "intermediate examination form" completed by the university
  • Proof of additional, supplementary or postgraduate studies and a certificate of completion of an undergraduate course of study
  • Proof of the duration of the internship and of the connection with the visit to the training center (in the case of an internship abroad with German translation of the proof)
  • Proof that the achievements completed in the semester abroad can be credited
  • in the case of funding beyond the 12th semester, proof that you are admitted to the final examination (final examination form)
• in the case of foreign citizens:
  • Copy of passport
  • Proof of residence permit
  • Current registration certificate
  • and, where appropriate,
  • Form for residence status completed by the competent immigration office
• in the case of a German spouse or partner:
  • Copy of the marriage/partnership certificate
  • for a German parent:
  • Copy of birth certificate

Note: Depending on the individual case, further documents may be required, which you can find in the online application. Missing documents will be requested by the Federal Office of Administration.

none

• Submission of the required documents: within 14 days of application, stating the online ID

Processing time can be several weeks.

Forms: no
Online procedure possible: yes
Written form required: yes
Personal appearance required: no

• Contradiction
• Administrative court action
   

The text was automatically translated based on the German content.

Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)