Overview
- A Paritätischer Gesamtverband analysis published in October 2026 using 2025 data found about 37.8 percent of students are poverty-affected and 82.4 percent of students who live alone fall below the poverty threshold.
- The study reports that lone students have a median monthly income of €900 and pay a median €461 for housing, leaving roughly €439 for all other expenses and putting basic needs under strain.
- BAföG reach has declined for years and fell below 300,000 recipients in 2025 nationwide, with Baden-Württemberg reporting about 60,100 recipients in 2025, the lowest regional level since 2000.
- The federal government approved a BAföG reform in August 2026 that raises the housing allowance from €380 to €440 in the summer semester 2027 and lifts the basic need in two steps to €503 in winter 2027/28 and €563 in summer 2029.
- Welfare groups and the Deutsches Studierendenwerk say the measures are too small and too slow, they demand earlier and index-linked increases to match rent inflation, and note many students rely on paid work for about 43 percent of their income which can conflict with study time.