Financing and security

Geld, Euro, Sparen, Finanzen

Financing your studies with BAföG

BAföG stands for Berufsausbildungsförderungsgesetz (Vocational Training Assistance Act) and is a state social benefit intended to enable everyone to complete an education, regardless of their social and economic situation,. Half of the funding is granted as a grant and the remaining half is granted as an interest-free loan.

  • The training grant is granted, earliest, at the beginning of the training or, at the latest, at the beginning of the month in which the application is submitted.
  • The maximum funding period is based on the standard period of study of the respective degree program.
  • Students with children receive a childcare supplement.
  • The funding grant also continues during practical semesters and semesters abroad; depending on the country, supplements and travel allowances which are also granted for BAföG abroad.

Detailed information on BAföG can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research BAföG.

FAQ BAföG

The Office for Educational Support of the Studierendenwerk Bodensee Seezeit is responsible for processing BAföG applications. All information regarding the application process, deadlines and documents to be submitted can be found on the website of the Studierendenwerk Bodensee Seezeit.

Current application forms and fact sheets can be downloaded from the website of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research: All application forms.

The free BAföG hotline can help at:
0800-223 63 41

Available from Monday to Friday from 8 am - 8 pm.

The BAföG hotline is provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

The BAföG applications of our students are processed by the BAföG Office of the Studierendenwerk Seezeit Bodensee.

For all questions regarding BAföG, the BAföG office of Seezeit can be contacted at: bafoeg@seezeit.com

 

How do I find a scholarship?

Some scholarships are available to students in a specific subject area or students with special requirements, many are aimed at all students regardless of their subject.

We can recommend the following websites where one can apply for a scholarship:

Spezielle Förderprogramme

Deutschlandstipendium

Seit 2011 vergibt das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung Deutschlandstipendien für begabte Student*innen in Kooperation mit privaten Förderern. Allgemeine Informationen finden Sie unter https://www.deutschlandstipendium.de/
Fristen und Modalitäten für die Bewerbung um ein Deutschlandstipendium an der RWU finden Sie in den FAQ.

Initiative ArbeiterKind

Die Initiative ArbeiterKind.de unterstützt Schüler*innen nicht-akademischer Herkunft auf ihrem Weg zum erfolgreichen Studienabschluss.

Nähere Infos: www.arbeiterkind.de

SOROPTIMIST Ravensburg-Weingarten

Soroptimist International ist die weltweit größte internationale Organisation berufstätiger Frauen. Der Club Ravensburg-Weingarten vergibt jährlich ein Stipendium an eine Studentin in technischen oder naturwissenschaftlichen Disziplinen.

Nähere Infos: https://www.soroptimist-ravensburg-weingarten.de/ 

Scholarships

If you have any questions regarding the application, you can contact the following members of staff at the university:

  1. Dean of the Faculty for questions about faculty-specific scholarships.
  2. International Office for questions about scholarships for stays abroad or scholarships for foreign students
  3. Career Service for questions about company scholarships and Deutschlandstipendium

The Deutschland-Stipendium programme initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been offered at our university since the winter semester 2011/12.

Many thanks to the sponsors:

  • Berufsbildungswerk Philipp Jakob Wieland, Ulm
  • Coperion GmbH, Weingarten
  • RAFI GmbH & CO KG, Berg
  • Stender GmbH, Wangen
  • TWS Netz GmbH, Ravensburg
  • JOSEF WAGNER FOUNDATION, Friedrichshafen

 

INFORMATION ON THE AWARDING OF SCHOLARSHIPS

  • The number of scholarships to be awarded is determined by a quota set by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and is currently 1.5%. The actual amount of scholarships to be awarded depends on the sponsors that the university has been able to attract.
  • The amount of the scholarship is 300€ per month, half of which is paid by the private sponsor and half by the federal government.
  • The university endeavours to distribute the scholarships as evenly as possible across all faculties. The sponsors can influence the choice of degree programmes they wish to support. The final selection of the degree programmes to be supported is also based on the applications received.
  • The scholarship selection committee decides on the awarding of the scholarships with an advisory vote of the sponsors.
  • The scholarship is awarded for one year at a time, after which the sponsor decides whether he or she would like to extend the scholarship and the university checks whether the scholarship holder's performance still meets the funding criteria.

Further information and FAQs on the Germany Scholarship can be found at:
http://www.deutschland-stipendium.de/de/1625.php

Applications for a Deutschlandstipendium at Ravensburg-Weingarten University are only possible for the winter semester.

Applications for the Deutschlandstipendium for the winter semester 2025/26 are possible from

28 September 2025 until 08 October 2025.

Please send your application in an attachment in PDF format, maximum size 3 MB by e-mail to:
deutschlandstipendium@rwu.de

Please also send any questions to: deutschlandstipendium@rwu.de

Applications not submitted in due time and form cannot be considered in the selection process.



THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED:

  1. the completed application form (as a download at the bottom of this page: please edit the form with Adobe Acrobat and save it under your name)
  2. a letter of motivation not exceeding 2 pages in length
  3. a curriculum vitae in table form
  4. the certificate of higher education entrance qualification, in the case of foreign certificates a translation that can be transferred to the German system
  5. If applicable, proof of a special qualification which entitles the applicant to study in the respective degree programme at Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences.
  6. For applicants to the Master's degree programme, the certificate of a first university degree and, if applicable, further certificates of achievement in accordance with the admission and selection regulations for the Master's degree programme.
  7. if applicable, proof of academic achievements to date
  8. if applicable, internship and work references as well as proof of special awards and prizes, other knowledge and further commitment.

If the application documents are not written in German or English, an officially certified translation in German must be enclosed.


FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE AWARDING OF SCHOLARSHIPS

  • The number of scholarships to be awarded is determined by a quota set by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and depends on the number of sponsors.
  • The amount of the scholarship is 300 € per month, half of which is paid by the private sponsor and half by the federal government.
  • The university endeavours to distribute the scholarships as evenly as possible across all faculties. The sponsors can influence the choice of degree programmes they wish to sponsor. The final selection of the degree programmes to be supported is also based on the applications received.
  • The scholarship selection committee decides on the awarding of the scholarships with an advisory vote of the sponsors.
  • The scholarship is granted for one year at a time, after which the sponsor decides whether they would like to extend their sponsorship and the university checks whether the scholarship holder's performance still meets the sponsorship criteria.


Further information and FAQs on the Germany Scholarship:
http://www.deutschland-stipendium.de/de/1625.php

Downloads

Study & Work

Studying costs money, the costs cannot always be covered by a BAföG, scholarships or student loans. Many students work while studying, whether it is a part-time job or a working student position. This not only brings in money, but also makes it possible to gain professional experience.

Which portals are specifically available for RWU students?

 

Other popular platforms are:

There are numerous companies and businesses in the region that regularly advertise internships, final theses studies and working student positions.  It is worth looking directly at the companies' job advertisements.

Yes, but you must note that as a full-time student, you are allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours/week during the lecture period for insurance purposes. During the lecture-free period (semester break) or during an internship, this regulation is waived. During this time, you may work as much as you like.

Please note that if you take up employment during a semester off (e.g. voluntary internship), you are subject to social insurance as normal. This means that you will be treated like a normal employee for both social security and wage tax purposes. Therefore, you cannot work as a student trainee during a semester off, as the working student privilege does not apply here.

For Non-EU students there are special conditions concerning work visa. Please inform about your individual working permit.

In addition to regular mini-jobs and temporary jobs, there is also the possibility of working as a student trainee in a company. With a working student job, you earn more than a low-income employee, but have the advantage that you have to pay significantly fewer social security contributions. Only the pension insurance is deducted from the salary. Since studies always come first in a working student job as well, the weekly working hours may not exceed 20 hours. A special regulation allows you to work more during semester breaks.

What are the advantages of a working student position?

  • Valuable practical experience
  • more salary with fewer deductions
  • Possible further employment, e.g. after the practical semester

The online portal Campus-Jäger has compiled detailed information on working student jobs: What is a working student?

This depends on various factors, such as the country, the industry and the company where the internship is completed. In some countries, such as Germany, there are legal regulations on the remuneration of internships. In other countries, there are no such regulations and the remuneration depends on the individual agreements between the intern and the employer.

In some sectors, internships tend to be unpaid, such as in the creative industries or journalism, while in other sectors, such as engineering or IT, interns are often paid.

It is therefore important to find out in advance about the remuneration of internships in the industry and country in question. Often trade unions, professional associations or job portals can also help here.

Krankenversicherung

Für die Einschreibung wird ein Krankenversicherungsnachweis benötigt. Student*innen, die an staatlichen oder staatlich anerkannten Hochschulen in Deutschland eingeschrieben sind, unterliegen der Versicherungspflicht.

Für die Einschreibung meldet die Krankenkasse den Versicherungsstatus elektronisch an die Hochschule (Meldung M10). Bitte fragen Sie bei Ihrer Krankenkasse nach dieser Meldung.

Privat Krankenversicherte benötigen eine Bescheinigung über die Befreiung von der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherungspflicht. Diese wird von den gesetzlichen Krankenkassen elektronisch an die Hochschule übermittelt (Meldung M10). Bitte wenden Sie sich dafür an eine gesetzliche Krankenkasse.

Absendenummer der Hochschule Ravensburg-Weingarten: H0002749 (zur Angabe bei der Krankenkasse)

Studentische Krankenversicherung

Bis einschließlich dem 25. Lebensjahr können Student*innen bei den gesetzlich versicherten Eltern oder der Ehepartner*in mitversichert werden. Somit müssen keine eigenen Beiträge an die Krankenkasse entrichtet werden. Die gesetzliche Krankenkasse meldet den Versicherungsstatus elektronisch (M10) an die Hochschule.

Kommt eine Familienversicherung nicht in Betracht, ist es möglich, sich bis zum 30. Lebensjahr studentisch krankenversichern zu lassen. Die gesetzliche Krankenkasse meldet den Versicherungsstatus elektronisch (M10) an die Hochschule.

Nach dem 30. Lebensjahr ist eine studentische Krankenversicherung nicht mehr möglich. Die Versicherung ist nun entweder freiwillig oder privat. Zu beachten ist, dass die Beiträge zur Versicherung höher ausfallen. Die gesetzliche Krankenkasse meldet den Versicherungsstatus elektronisch (M10) an die Hochschule. 

Bei Unterbrechung des Studiums und nach dem Studium

Wenn Sie das Studium unterbrechen, beispielsweise um ein Praxissemester zu absolvieren, kann sich Ihr Versicherungsstatus ändern. Dadurch ändern sich auch die Beitragssätze. Zur Klärung Ihres Versicherungsstatus können Sie sich bei Ihrer Krankenkasse informieren.

Die Krankenversicherungsverhältnisse verändern sich auch, sobald der Studierendenstatus nicht mehr besteht. Im Falle einer Exmatrikulation werden die gesetzlichen Krankenkassen automatisch von der Hochschule darüber informiert. Bei privaten Krankenkassen müssen Sie dies selbst übernehmen. Es ist möglich, dass nach der Exmatrikulation höhere Beiträge für Ihre Krankenversicherung gezahlt werden müssen oder der Anspruch auf Familienversicherung verfällt.

Bei Fragen hierzu bitten wir Sie sich an Ihre Krankenkasse zu wenden.