Funding Options

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Although tuition fees are no longer charged in Lower Saxony, it goes without saying that costs are incurred at university, such as the semester fee, accommodation and living costs, and costs for learning materials. Here you will find a variety of possibilities to help you finance your studies:

Financial support at the beginning of your studies

Studentenwerk Hannover pays the initial semester fee, which has to be paid to enrol at the university, once. Studentenwerk Hannover provides these semester-fee scholarships, which are not dependent on grades, to first-year students who are enrolling at a university for the first time and who, alone or as part of a shared household, receive social benefits such as

  •     citizen's income (Bürgergeld),
  •     social assistance (Sozialhilfe),
  •     basic income (Grundsicherung),
  •     the child supplement under section 6a of the BKGG or
  •     asylum seeker benefits.

The condition for this payment is that the semester fee has not yet been transferred.

How to obtain funding

  • BAföG (the state student loans & grants programme)

    Students with insufficient funds to pay for their living costs whilst at university may apply to the state student loans & grants programme BAföG (Federal Law on Support for Education and Training) for a grant/loan. Decisions about whether a student is eligible for BAföG and the grant amount are dependent on the income of the student’s parents and spouse, as well as on their own personal income and assets. Students who no longer live at home may receive up to €735 per month. BAföG is paid throughout the standard period of study of an undergraduate degree programme. Half of the amount is paid out as an interest-free loan; the other half is a non-repayable subsidy.

    The Studentenwerk Hannover (student services organisation) provides extensive information on the subject of BAföG and student funding. Please contact the Studentenwerk’s Social Advice Centre. The Students’ Union (AStA) also offers BAföG and social counselling.

    International students are only entitled in exceptional cases to a student grant under the state student loans & grants programme BAföG whilst at university. Students are strongly advised to obtain one-on-one counselling at the Social Advice Centre of the Studentenwerk Hannover.

  • Scholarships

    A scholarship may also be a way of financing your studies. You will find all kinds of information about various scholarships here (German language only):

    • Aufstiegsstipendium - scholarships for people with job experience
    • Stipendiumplus - website of the 13 largest organisations for the promotion of young talent
    • Stiftungssuche - search for Foundations with the terms 'Stipendium' or 'Bildung'
    • DAAD - scholarship database of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

     

    Germany Scholarships and Lower Saxony State Scholarships

    Leibniz Universität Hannover gives its students the opportunity to apply for Germany Scholarships (Deutschlandstipendium) and Lower Saxony State Scholarships (Landesstipendium Niedersachsen).


    Leibniz Universitätsgesellschaft e.V. scholarships

    Leibniz Universitätsgesellschaft Hannover e.V. (previously the Freundeskreis) and the foundations it manages has been awarding scholarships to students in at least their third semester since winter semester 2007/2008.

    Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic achievement or social engagement, following recommendation by a professor. For more details, please contact the Universitätsgesellschaft.

  • Study abroad scholarships

    A list of different scholarships for the promotion of study abroad is provided on the page entitled “Financing study abroad”.

  • Scholarships for international students

    Scholarships from the DAAD and other organisations

    The links below provide access to scholarship programmes and the database of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), as well as to addresses of individual foundations with websites where you can search specifically for scholarships. Please note that applications for such a scholarship must be submitted before coming to Germany.


    Leibniz Universität Hannover International Office will be happy to advise you.

  • Working part-time whilst at university

    Many students finance their time at university, either in part or in whole, by working part-time. Examples include bar work, trade fair jobs, jobs with various institutions or student assistant jobs at Leibniz Universität Hannover.

    Information about student employment

    The Deutsches Studentenwerk (German National Association for Student Affairs) has compiled key information about student employment:

    • Secondary employment – information for students by Deutsches Studentenwerk (German Language only)

    Information about secondary employment, €450 jobs and social insurance, provided by the Studentenwerk Hannover:

    Advice on labour and social law issues relating to jobs and internships during studies:


    Job-seeking

    Are you looking for a student job?

  • Working part-time – information for international students

    Legal requirements

    As an international student, your possibility to work is governed by your residence status:

    • Participants of German courses and of preparatory courses (Studienkolleg) may only work during the holidays in their first year of preparatory study.
    • The employment rules governing students from EU Member States, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland are the same as those for German students. The transitional arrangements on labour market access for citizens from the “new” EU Member States NO LONGER apply as of 1 May 2011. If those students do not have German statutory health insurance should check with their health insurance provider in their home country if they continue to take up paid work (including internships) to see whether they still have insurance coverage. The regulations can vary from country to country
    • As of 1 August 2012, international students at the core study stage who are not from the EU are permitted to work 120 full days or 240 half-days per year.


    This rule does NOT apply if you are employed as a tutor or student assistant at the university or the Studentenwerk: you may work for 86 hours a month as a student assistant (HiWi).

    Leibniz Universität Hannover International Office will be happy to advise you.

  • Student loans and education funds

    When all funding avenues (BAföG, scholarship, part-time work) have been exhausted, another option is to take out a student loan.

    Various loan schemes exist. Students may opt for partial financing or full financing, for the coverage of the semester fee , or for help towards paying for their living expenses. In some cases, several options can be combined; repayment terms vary. Education funds are a new type of funding that ensure highly variable repayment terms.

    General information about student loans

    The CHE Centre for Higher Education (CHE) conducted an extensive examination of student loan providers in 2019.


    Education funds

    Education funds are another way for students to finance their time at university. In this case, the student is the investor’s “financial investment”, as it were. The student receives financial support whilst at university. The support is repaid over a specified period of time in the form of a certain percentage of the graduate’s income. To ensure that the “financial investment” is profitable, students who are expected to become high earners are more likely to receive support.

  • AStA loans

    If short-term funds are needed to bridge a cash flow shortage, students can apply for a loan from AStA.

Questions about study costs?

Ask the social advising service at Studentenwerk Hannover

The social advising service at Studentenwerk Hannover offers support and advice on questions concerning student financing.