Financing and security

Geld, Euro, Sparen, Finanzen

How can the costs be reduced?

You may be lucky enough to have your parents or other relatives support you with the monthly costs. If this is not possible, there are various options for financial support. BAföG often gives you the opportunity to start training or studying regardless of your social and financial situation. Scholarships can also provide additional support.

However, you can also keep your costs low by living together like many other students in shared flats or student halls of residence live together. You can save on teaching materials by borrowing books and specialist literature from our library on loan.

Financing your studies with BAföG

BAföG stands for the Vocational Training Assistance Act and is a state social benefit designed to enable anyone to complete a course of training, regardless of their social and economic situation. Half of the funding is granted as a grant and half as an interest-free loan.

  • The training grant is awarded at the earliest at the beginning of the training, 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 for the respective degree program.
  • Students with children receive a childcare supplement.
  • The funding is also paid during practical semesters and semesters abroad; depending on the country, supplements and travel allowances 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 Amt für Ausbildungsförderung of the Studierendenwerk Bodensee Seezeit is responsible for processing BAföG applications. All information about the application process, deadlines and documents to be submitted can be found on the website of the Studierendenwerk Bodensee Seezeit.

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

The free BAföG hotline can help. The hotline number is:
0800-223 63 41

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

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

Our students' BAföG applications are processed by the BAföG office of the Studierendenwerk Seezeit Bodensee.

If you have any questions about BAföG, you can contact the Seezeit BAföG office at: bafoeg@seezeit.com

How do I find a scholarship?

There are numerous scholarships that students can apply for, some scholarships are only available to certain subjects or students with special requirements, many are aimed at all students regardless of their subject.

We can recommend the following websites:

Special funding programs

Germany Scholarship

Since 2011, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been awarding Germany Scholarships for talented students in cooperation with private sponsors. You can find general information at https://www.deutschlandstipendium.de/
Deadlines and modalities for applying for a Deutschlandstipendium at RWU can be found in the FAQ.

Initiative ArbeiterKind

The ArbeiterKind.de initiative supports pupils from non-academic backgrounds on their way to successfully completing their studies.

More information: www.arbeiterkind.de

SOROPTIMIST Ravensburg-Weingarten

Soroptimist International is the world's largest international organization of professional women. The Ravensburg-Weingarten Club awards an annual scholarship to a female student in technical or scientific disciplines.

Further information: https://www.soroptimist-ravensburg-weingarten.de/

FAQ Scholarships

If you have any questions about the application process, please 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 international students
  3. Career Service for questions about company scholarships and Deutschlandstipendium scholarships

The Germany Scholarship program initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research has been offered at our university since the winter semester 2011/12.

We would like to thank the sponsors of the Germany Scholarship:

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

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 currently stands at 1.5%. The actual amount of scholarships 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 endeavors to distribute the scholarships as evenly as possible across all faculties. The sponsors can influence the choice of courses they wish to support. The final selection of the courses to be funded is also based on the applications received. The scholarship selection committee decides on the awarding of scholarships with the sponsors having an advisory vote.

The scholarship is granted for one year at a time. After that, the sponsor decides whether they would like to extend their funding and the university checks whether the scholarship holder's performance still meets the funding criteria.

Further information and FAQs on the Deutschland-Stipendium can be found at
Germany Scholarship

Applications for a Germany Scholarship at Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences are only possible for the winter semester. Applications for the Germany Scholarship for the winter semester 2025/26 are possible from September 29th, 2025 to October 8th, 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:

  • 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)
  • A letter of motivation of no more than 2 pages
  • A curriculum vitae in tabular form
  • The certificate of higher education entrance qualification, in the case of foreign certificates a translation that can be transferred to the German system
  • If applicable, proof of a special qualification that entitles the applicant to study in the respective degree program at Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences
  • For applicants to the Master's degree course, 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 course
  • If applicable, proof of previous academic achievements
  • If applicable, internship and work references as well as proof of special awards and prizes, other knowledge and other commitments.

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


FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE AWARDING OF SCHOLARSHIPS

The number of scholarships to be awarded is determined by a quota of 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 endeavors to distribute the scholarships as evenly as possible across all faculties. The sponsors can influence the choice of courses they wish to support. The final selection of the courses to be funded is also based on the applications received. The scholarship selection committee decides on the awarding of scholarships with the sponsors having an advisory vote.

The scholarship is granted for one year, after which the sponsor decides whether to extend the funding and the university checks whether the scholarship holder's performance still meets the funding criteria.


Further information and FAQ on the Deutschland-Stipendium:
http://www.deutschland-stipendium.de/de/1625.php

Downloads

Further information

Support with the BAföG application
Seezeit Social counselling

Study & work

Studying costs money. The costs cannot always be covered by BAföG, scholarships or student loans. Whether it's a part-time job or a working student position, many students work alongside their studies. This not only brings money into their coffers, but also allows them to gain work experience.

Which portals are there specifically for RWU students?

Other popular platforms for students:

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

FAQ Internships & part-time jobs

Yes, but you must note that as a full-time student you are only allowed to work a maximum of 20 hours/week during the lecture period for insurance purposes. This rule does not apply during the semester break or during an internship. During this time, you may work as much as you wish.

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

In addition to regular mini-jobs and temporary jobs, there is also the option of working as a student trainee in a company. With a working student job, you earn more than a part-time employee, but have the advantage of having to pay significantly lower social security contributions. Only pension insurance is deducted from your salary. As your studies always come first even in a working student job, your weekly working hours must not exceed 20 hours. A special regulation allows you to work more during the semester break.

What are the advantages of a student trainee position?

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

The online portal Campus-Jäger has compiled detailed information about the working student position: Was ist ein Werkstudent?

This depends on various factors, such as the country, the industry and the company in which the internship is completed. In some countries, such as Germany, there are statutory 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 industry 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 relevant sector and country. Trade unions, professional associations or job portals can often help here.

Health insurance

Proof of health insurance is required for enrollment. Students who are enrolled at state or state-recognized universities in Germany are subject to compulsory insurance.

For enrollment, the health insurance company reports the insurance status electronically to the university (notification M10). Please ask your health insurance company for this notification.

Students with private health insurance require a certificate of exemption from the statutory health insurance obligation. This is sent electronically to the university by the statutory health insurance companies (notification M10). Please contact a statutory health insurance company for this.

Sending number of Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences: H0002749 (for submission to the health insurance company)

Student health insurance

Up to and including the age of 25, students can be co-insured with their parents or spouse who have statutory health insurance. This means that they do not have to pay their own contributions to the health insurance fund. The statutory health insurance company reports the insurance status electronically (M10) to the university.

If family insurance is not an option, it is possible to take out student health insurance up to the age of 30 . The statutory health insurance fund reports the insurance status electronically (M10) to the university.

After the age of 30, student health insurance is no longer possible. Insurance is now either voluntary or private. Please note that the insurance contributions are higher. The statutory health insurance company reports the insurance status electronically (M10) to the university.

When interrupting your studies and after graduation

If you interrupt your studies, for example to complete an internship semester, your insurance status may change. This will also change the contribution rates. To clarify your insurance status, you can obtain information from your health insurance provider.

The health insurance situation also changes as soon as you no longer have student status. In the event of exmatriculation, the statutory health insurance companies are automatically informed by the university. In the case of private health insurance companies, you must do this yourself. It is possible that you will have to pay higher contributions for your health insurance after exmatriculation or that your entitlement to family insurance will lapse.

If you have any questions about this, please contact your health insurance provider.