Overview
- A Paritätischer Gesamtverband study published October 7, 2026, using 2025 data found about 37.8 percent of students live below the poverty line and roughly 82–83 percent of students who live alone are impoverished.
- Housing costs are the main driver of hardship, with alone‑living students facing median rent of about €461 a month while the current BAföG housing allowance is €380.
- The federal cabinet approved a phased BAföG reform in August 2026 that raises the housing allowance to €440 from the summer semester 2027 and lifts the basic need to €503 in winter 2027/28 and €563 in summer 2029.
- Public support is eroding: national monthly BAföG recipients fell to roughly 300,000 in 2025 and Baden‑Württemberg reported about 60,100 recipients in 2025, the lowest level since 2000.
- Campaigners and student‑welfare groups say the reform is too slow and not indexed to costs, they note roughly 70 percent of eligible students do not claim BAföG and point to a €10,000 repayment cap that is little known but could reduce fear of borrowing.