Overview
- The ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice says applications open with the winter semester 2025/26 for students on BAföG who run their own household.
- Reporting based on KMK and federal statistics suggests roughly 66,000 first‑semester students could qualify in WS 2025/26.
- Applicants submit the form via rundfunkbeitrag.de and include proof such as a BAföG decision, with exemptions typically grantable up to three years retroactively.
- Most outlets cite official guidance that an exemption usually applies to the applicant (and spouse/children) rather than all roommates in a shared flat, so WGs should verify their specific case.
- The fee remains €18.36 per month (billed quarterly at €55.08), and other groups may be exempt or pay a reduced rate, including recipients of Bürgergeld or asylum‑seeker benefits and certain people with severe disabilities.