Student financing
When you commence a course of study at Hochschule für Gesundheit, you may have to pay semester contributions as well as costs in other areas.
For example, materials and books, or you may have to move into a new - or your first own – apartment, including rent and utilities.
You will also need to provide for your physical well-being, and at the weekend you can explore Bochum's nightlife with your new fellow students.
To be on the safe side financially, you should always calculate your expenses well in order to always be able to cover your costs of living reliably and permanently.
Your status as a properly enrolled student also brings with it many benefits for your studies and leisure time.
For example, Hochschule für Gesundheit offers its students the opportunity to purchase discounted software products. As is well known, income comes before expenditure.
To finance your studies, there are various possibilities, which you can combine under certain circumstances.
BAföG
The state offers students whose parents cannot (fully) cover their costs of living, benefits under the so-called Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (Federal Law concerning the Promotion of Education and Training, BAföG).
The aim should be to enable young people, regardless of their economic or social situation, to receive training in accordance with their abilities and interests.
General information on BAföG is available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
For personal advice and application please contact the Studentenwerk der Bochumer Hochschulen (AKAFÖ) on the campus of the Ruhr-University.
Working alongside your studies
Even though there is often little time for a student job alongside studies, many students take advantage of this opportunity to finance their costs of living and studies. This is frequently at the expense of the length of studies and performance, as a result of the increased workload. Please obtain information in advance about regulations concerning taxes and social security.
The respective health insurance fund is responsible for determining the social insurance status of each employee. If you receive BAföG benefits, additional income must generally be declared. A gross income of 5,400 euros during the BAföG approval period is not taken into account.
Deutsches Studentenwerk has provided an overview of the most important information on its website.
Scholarships
According to surveys by the Deutsches Studentenwerk on the economic and social situation of students in Germany (2016), approximately 5% of all students are currently being supported by a scholarship.
The "Deutschland-Stipendium" (Germany Scholarship) funded by the federal government, established in 2011, is the most recent scholarship.
In addition to the financial aspect, scholarships also offer the opportunity to establish networks, work abroad or pursue research projects.
Before you apply for a scholarship, you should obtain advice on how the funding amount can be offset against any other (e.g. social) benefits.
In general: Different talents, fields of study and life situations are also covered by different funding opportunities. For many scholarships, direct application is expressly required.
More information on hsg scholarship programmes
More information on hsg scholarship programmes (german)
Loans and credits
Before you take out a loan, you should not only find out about its terms and conditions, but also determine your own personal financing requirements in order to avoid unnecessarily long repayment periods and indebtedness.
The Centre for Higher Education (CHE) offers a current comparison of student loans on its website.
Here you can also find information about offers from major local banks and credit institutions.
You can obtain student loans, for example, here:
Educational support / child benefit
In general, it should be noted that parents are still responsible for providing support to their children after the age of 18 and during their children's education, as this is the only way to ensure that children can provide for their own livelihood.
This is known as educational support, which the Deutsches Studentenwerk provides information about on its website.
Parents of students who have not yet reached the age of 25 can apply for child benefit at the family fund of the Federal Employment Agency.
Depending on the amount of support, students can also apply for the child benefit to be transferred directly to them if, for example, parents do not meet their support obligation.
All necessary application forms for child benefit as well as for direct payment to you can be found on the website of the Federal Employment Agency.
Housing assistance
In principle, students are not entitled to housing allowance if they are "basically" entitled to BAföG, i.e. if the studies are fundamentally eligible for support. This is independent of whether or not they actually receive BAföG (e.g. if you do not receive money due to your parents' high income). However, there are situations in which students still have the opportunity to apply for housing assistance.
These could be, for example:
- The age limit for BAföG entitlement has been exceeded
- Subsequent change of specialisation without "good reason"
- Exceeding the maximum duration of funding (usually standard period of study)
- Additional course of study
Further information can be obtained from the following institutions:
- Federal Ministry of the Interior, for Building and Homeland
- Housing allowance office of the city of Bochum
Hardship application for semester contribution
It is also possible that you may not be admitted to your studies due to inability to pay the necessary semester contribution.
In these cases, the student body (the General Student Committee / General Students Committee (AStA)) has created the possibility to support cases of social hardship through its contribution regulations.
You can find further information on the website of the General Student Committee (AStA) and the corresponding application form for hardship cases.
Central Student Advisory Service
Zentrale Studienberatung
Phone +49 234 777 27-399
Helpful links
Scholarships at hsg
hsg awards scholarships on a regular basis.
Find out about the procedure and the current calls for applications.
Awards
