Financing your Studies – Studying with a Plan

The following students are eligible for exemption from the broadcasting licence fee:

• Students who receive BAföG and do not live with their parents. To apply, simply submit a legible copy of your current BAföG notification.
• Students with disabilities can apply for exemption or a reduction in the fee.

Detailed information is available on the contribution service website.

• häufig gestellte Fragen und Informationen für Studierende
• Informationen für Menschen mit Behinderung
• Merkblatt Befreiung und Ermäßigung
• Antrag auf Befreiung oder Ermäßigung

Most checking accounts for students are free of charge. In addition, many providers offer a free debit card. As a rule, it is sufficient to submit a valid certificate of enrolment as proof each semester.

It is definitely advisable to compare the offers of the individual providers in order to save a lot of money each year.

If you enrol in a degree programme, i.e. you do not earn any income from your education, you are entitled to child benefit until the end of your 25^th  anniversary for the duration of your studies. Good to know:

• Child benefit amounts to a flat rate of 255.00 Euro for each child.
• Child benefit does not count as income for BAföG purposes, so it does not need to be declared in the BAföG application.

Child benefit is usually paid to parents, who must also apply for it. This can easily be done online via the Federal Employment Agency's website. As a rule, you will need to provide proof of enrolment. As you are entitled to maintenance during your studies, your parents can transfer the child benefit to you.

Child benefit and part-time job

You remain entitled to child benefit if you work up to 20 hours per week. Students can also work more hours during the lecture-free period, provided the annual total is not exceeded.

Further information

• Kindergeld und BAföG, Studium und Kindergeld auf meinbafoeg.de
• Voraussetzungen für Kindergeld, Höhe und Online-Antrag on the website of the Employment Agency

There are three exceptions for students in which their parents' income is not taken into account when applying for BAföG:

• Students who have been in gainful employment for at least three years after completing vocational training and whose training and gainful employment together amount to at least six years. The gainful employment must be associated with a certain minimum income.
•    Students who have been employed for at least five years after their 18th birthday and have earned a certain minimum income.
• Students who begin their studies after their 30th birthday and are still eligible for funding.

Detailed information on parent-independent funding is available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

As a rule, students are not entitled to citizen's benefit, as they can primarily receive BAföG. However, there are some exceptions, such as:

• If you apply for a semester of leave due to illness, pregnancy or bringing up a child, you are not entitled to BAföG. However, if a need for assistance is established, there is an entitlement to assistance with living expenses via Citizen's Benefit.
• Another reason for entitlement to Citizen's Benefit is official part-time study, as there is no entitlement to BAföG in this case. However, this is only intended to bridge the time until a job is found. The situation is different for part-time students with compulsory attendance, as it can be more difficult to be gainfully employed.
• Family members of students are entitled to social benefits in accordance with the German SGB II (Sozialgesetzbuch II) if they are not able to work. For children, this amount increases with age.

The following persons are entitled to an additional needs supplement:

• Pregnant women after the twelfth week of pregnancy
• Single parents with children
• Students with disabilities and chronic illnesses

Further links

• § 7 SGB II – Leistungsberechtigte
• Fachliche Weisungen der Bundesagentur für Arbeit zu § 7 SGB II
• § 27 SGB II – Leistungen für Auszubildende
• Fachliche Weisungen der Bundesagentur für Arbeit zu § 27 SGB II

Take advantage of this opportunity and seek individual advice from the staff of the Studierendenwerk West: Brandenburg (the student union's social counselling service).

The social fund was established by the AStA (student union) of the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam to support students in financing their semester ticket fees.

All FHP students who purchase their semester ticket via the semester fee and can prove that they are experiencing financial hardship or social difficulties that make paying the ticket fee particularly challenging are eligible to apply.

Prerequisites

Special hardship according to § 2 II Statutes

• Current degree thesis (bachelor's/master's)
• Internship: unpaid or low-paid, at least 30 hours/week, longer than 3 months, required by the study regulations
• No BAföG funding due to, for example, citizenship, second degree or part-time studies

Social reasons

• Expectant mothers, single parents
• Disabled and sick people, as well as people at risk of disability or illness (medical certificate required)
• People who incur significant costs for medical or psychological care that are not covered by health insurance (over 80.00 Euro during the calculation period)
• Other individual cases of comparable hardship

Deadlines

Summersemester

• By the 15^th of April: Complete and submit the application for a semester ticket subsidy.
• By the 30^th  ofApril: Submit supporting documents and required paperwork.

Wintersemester

• By the 15^th of October: Complete and submit the application for a semester ticket subsidy.
• By the 31^st of October: Submit supporting documents and required paperwork.

Application, procedure & contact details

• Fill out the Antragsformular as well as all necesserly documents and e-mail them to sozialfonds@fh-potsdam.de
• Overview over the required documents, which must be submitted alongside the application for a semester ticket subsidy

If you have any general questions about the Social Fund or the application process, please contact the Social Fund Officer, Ilja Miller, via  email.