Application for a grant

Please note the deadline

The deadline for accepting your grant applications for WiSe24/25 is 30.09.2024 for everyone !

The deadline for applications for a subsidy from the social fund for the semester ticket ends on the re-registration deadline (for students who are re-registering) or six weeks after enrolment (for students who are newly enrolled). For the WiSe24/25 applications, we have extended it to 30.09.2024 for everyone.

If you study at the TU or UdK, you cannot apply for a grant for the Winter Semester 23/24 due to the fact that there will be no semester ticket in that semester.

The deadline for grant applications for the summer semester 24 has expired! Please do not send us any more grant applications for this.

Aktuelles zum Bearbeitungsstand der Zuschussanträge:

We are currently processing your applications from summer semester 23. Inflation as a reason for hardship applies to all students. You can find more information on this in the statutes of your university’s social fund, see below.

Your applications….

We will soon start processing your applications for summer semester 23 and will again ask you for documents to complete the application process.

Have you changed your adress? Please let us know, so you`ll get our letters.

Limited access to our office due to Covid-19 is resulting in delays. We would like to apologize for this! Please refrain from sending us emails to ask about the status so that we can focus on processing your applications. We will send you a letter if there is news for you.

Thank you for your cooperation.

To apply, use the following form:

• Application for a grant from the social fund for a Semesterticket (PDF file in German)
• Application for a grant from the social fund for a Semesterticket (PDF file in English)

The following documents can assist you with filling out the application

• Explanations regarding the Application for a grant from the social fund for a Semesterticket (PDF file in English)
• Sample Application (unfortunately only in German a.t.m.)

If you find yourself in financial hardship and cannot pay the fee for the Semesterticket, you might be eligible for a grant. However, this process is independent of the re-registration process. You must first pay the fee, after which you will receive your student ID card that you can use for public transport. If your application is approved, you will be reimbursed for either some or possibly all of the Semesterticket costs.

To obtain a grant, you must submit proof of the following:

• a social hardship that prevents you from paying the fee
• a monthly income which does not exceed your basic needs
• and no savings or assets

A social hardship can be:

• writing your final thesis
• an unpaid or low-paying internship
• a restricted work permit for international students
• being a single parent
• a costly diet necessary because of disability or illness
• pregnancy
• a reduction in earning capacity
• integration grant (‘Eingliederungshilfe’) in case of a disability
• at least one of your children receives the job-seeker’s allowance ALG II
• a particularly low income
• high costs for medical treatment
• costs for paying off loans or debt

The amount of the grant depends not only on your stated circumstances, but also on the number of applications and the funds available. The more students receiving a social grant, the lower the individual amount! The relation between income and need, the length of time that the social hardship lasts, and the total sum of financial obligations are all taken into consideration. If you are planning to apply, always visit the Semesterticket Office beforehand for advice. We are here exactly for this purpose, to help you in such cases. We can answer questions in advance and thus potentially shorten the processing time for your application.

Please notice the following when sending us documents via email:

Send us your documents merged into one PFD file
Please do not send us other data file types. For security reasons, we will not open them.

While the coronavirus situation lasts there will be no in-person office hours, but you can always write us an email or arrange to speak with one of us on the phone!

Statutes of the social fund

Sorry, these are also only available in German at the moment.