Overview
- Destatis reported on Monday that 186,100 people received Aufstiegs‑BAföG in 2025, a decline of 3,600 recipients or 1.9% compared with 2024.
- Total approved funding rose to €1.1 billion in 2025, an increase of 1.9%, while the average grant rose to €5,200 and the average loan to €1,800 per beneficiary.
- State‑recognized educators remained the largest single group with 52,000 supported, but their numbers fell 6% year‑on‑year and now make up 28% of recipients.
- The share of women among beneficiaries has climbed from 17% in 1997 to 42% in 2025, reflecting a longer‑term change in who uses the program.
- Since full statistics began in 1997 the scheme has expanded nearly fourfold from 49,300 to 186,100 beneficiaries, a trend that frames the small 2025 dip as a short‑term variation in a long run of growth.