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German students, on the other hand, are financially supported by Bafoeg – state financial support, or scholarship. It is something like an interest-free bank loan that some students receive monthly from the state, and after graduation they gradually repay the debt. Moreover, not all, but only half. In addition, no interest is charged on this loan. Sounds great! But this is where the problems begin.
First of all, the scholarship is not given to everyone, but only to those who have no other financial support. This means that the parents' income does not allow them to 'support' a student as well. In general, it is logical – wealthy parents are obliged (by law) to feed their grown-up child until almost 30 years old if he or she is still studying. Another way is to take a short-term loan if necessary; often you don't even need a card for this, the main thing is to meet the requirements of the microfinance organization.
There is also another way out – to work part-time. This method of self-financing can, however, prolong an already difficult study, usually by several years. The full scholarship amount after the changes to the law on state aid for students and pupils adopted in April is 1.140 marks per month. (According to the same law, the supplement for rent has also increased – previously it was 70, now it is 120 marks; parental leave has been extended, and the loan repayment amount has been reduced – a maximum of 20,000 marks.) For comparison: the minimum subsistence level in Germany today is about 1.400 marks. Consequently, the full scholarship is received by the most needy. Others can count, at best, only on part of this amount. The so-called partial scholarship for the majority of those receiving Bafoeg averages 700 marks.
Eduard Rieger and his wife Angelika are among the 'lucky ones' – they used state support almost to the full extent. Eduard studied in Koblenz, at the faculty of computer science.
- From the very beginning I received the full scholarship. The first 2 years – the maximum, i.e., 800 marks, and then, when my parents started earning, something around 500 marks. I received the Abschlussforderung scholarship (maximum scholarship amount) for five years. The money is, of course, not much, and you naturally need it badly. I paid 400 marks per month for rent, and 400 remained for living expenses. But without the scholarship it would be practically impossible to study; I would have to work much more, and that would naturally affect the duration of my studies.
For reference: on average, a student needs at least 1.200 marks per month for living: an apartment (usually a room) costs from 300 to 600 marks, health insurance – from 90 to 200 marks (depending on age), books – up to 600 or more per semester, food, and... In short, one scholarship is clearly not enough. Eduard worked part-time 1-2 days a week and during holidays. He was a courier, worked at various fairs, at a factory... For several years since he started working, he has been repaying part of the loan each month. How much – everyone decides for themselves; there are special tables for this.
- The minimum repayment amount is 200 marks per month, – continues Eduard. – How much to pay, everyone decides for themselves – you can pay 300-400 marks. I have to repay 23,000 marks of my debt over 10 years. Of course, this is not a lot of money if you consider that after graduation earnings are much higher.
His wife, Angelika, who recently graduated from the medical faculty of the University of Düsseldorf, shares the same opinion:
- It's not such a huge sum that you couldn't pay it back. Moreover, no one rushes you to repay. You are required to repay the interest-free loan no earlier than after graduation and finding a job, 4-5 years after the student stopped receiving the scholarship. Some may have the debt almost completely forgiven if they graduated earlier than the prescribed period or if they are raising a small child. I received Bafoeg for five and a half years. I received the full scholarship because both my parents were pensioners. In total, it came to about 27,000, which I have to repay, and that is exactly 50 percent of the amount I received.
However, not only because of their parents' wealth do some students not qualify for a scholarship, but also for a number of other reasons. The fact is that a student needs to pass a certain number of credits within a very short time (there is a specific regulation that governs this calculation), and most truly needy students do not receive a scholarship precisely because they do not meet this deadline – they simply do not have enough time. So it turns out: everyone is allowed to study, it is advisable to study well, but above all, it is best to be well-off.