Overview
- The Bundeskabinett approved the draft Bafög reform on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, and sent it to the Bundestag and Bundesrat for debate and possible passage.
- The housing allowance for students will rise from €380 to €440 per month but only from the summer semester 2027, not the winter semester 2026/27 as first planned.
- The student basic need (Grundbedarf) will increase in two steps to €503 in winter semester 2027/28 and to €563 in summer semester 2029, with annual automatic indexation of 1.5% starting in winter semester 2028/29.
- The reform requires Bafög applications to be filed digitally and removes the semester performance proof (Leistungsnachweis), while it eliminates the housing supplement for students who live with their parents, a cut sharply criticized by Die Linke.
- Supporters such as Research Minister Dorothee Bär called the cabinet vote a decisive step to restore Bafög’s promise, but student groups and left lawmakers warn the slower timetable and the parental-home cut will not keep pace with rising rents and hardship in university towns.