The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and Deutsches Studentenwerk (German National Association for Student Affairs – DSW) have announced that students in need can once again receive financial aid. Students may now apply for the month of November. By offering financial aid for students again, the BMBF would like to once again help students who can show they are in an emergency situation and need immediate help in winter semester 2020/2021, from November 2020 to the end of March 2021. Students enrolled at state and state-recognized universities in Germany can appl. Depending on their need, between 100 euros and 500 euros can be paid out as a non-repayable grant. Students can only apply via the portal at www.ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende.de.
The local Studentenwerk (Student Services) will be in charge of processing applications again. In the first phase from June to September 2020, a total of around 1,055,700 euros was paid out in Aachen. For the second phase, the BMBF and DSW have slightly adjusted the application and examination conditions in view of the duration of the pandemic situation. A detailed FAQ list is available on the DSW homepage and at www.studierendenwerk-aachen.de.
Students with basic questions on financial aid can contact the BMBF hotline at 0800 26 23 003 during their office hours: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8am to 4pm and Fridays from 8am to 12 noon. Alternatively, you can email any questions regarding applications to ueberbrueckungshilfe-studierende@stw.rwth-aachen.de.
The fundraising campaign #RWTHhilft is still running, so many more applicants can also be helped out quickly and simply. Students can apply for bridging scholarships via AStA’s website. Further information about the campaign and the donation account can be found here.