Social Counselling
The social advisor Barbara Toth is the contact person for students with children, for international students and for students with disabilities. Consultation hours of the social counselling service are Tuesday from 9.00-12.00 pm and Thursday from 1.30 - 4.00 pm and by appointment. The contact details of Barbara Toth can be found on the right.
Our social counsellor will answer your questions concerning social insurance, child care, insurances, unemployment benefits, social assistance, students with disabilities or chronic diseases. In addition, our social counsellor knows contact details of other counselling services and important authority contacts.
This is generally not possible, as students whose education is eligible for financial support - and these are all regular courses of study - are not entitled to benefits to secure their livelihood. It does not matter whether BAföG is actually received or not. Students who do not (or no longer) receive BAföG because they have exceeded the funding period or for other reasons are therefore not entitled to benefits under SGB II or SGB XII.
ATTENTION: Students on leave of absence - and of course exmatriculated students - are not entitled to BAföG. If they are able to work, they can apply for citizen's allowance for themselves and for the children living with them in a community of need, provided that no child supplement is paid for them. Please note, however, that there must be a valid reason for a leave of absence: Illness, pregnancy or care/care of family members. Corresponding proof must be submitted to the Student Secretariat. You cannot take a leave of absence to apply for citizen's allowance!
There is also an exceptional provision in § 27 SGB II for students: they may be entitled to additional needs such as those for pregnancy, for single parents or for costly food. Furthermore, an application can be made to the local job center for one-off allowances for maternity clothing and initial baby equipment.
In cases of hardship, benefits to secure living expenses can be provided (as a loan according to SGB II, as a non-repayable grant or loan according to SGB XII) if there is a special life situation and all other alternatives for financing studies have failed, for example
- studies take longer than can be funded by BAföG due to illness, pregnancy or disability and successful completion would be jeopardized due to lack of funds;
- a student with a severe disability will not be able to secure a sufficient livelihood through gainful employment in the long term or possibly permanently if he or she discontinues his or her studies;
- a student without means is in the current phase of the final examination and therefore cannot reasonably be expected to discontinue their studies.
The new housing benefit reform came into force on January 1, 2023, which means that more people are entitled to housing benefit. Housing benefit is a state subsidy for rent that does not have to be paid back. The prerequisite is that you can cover the costs of living yourself and only a portion of the rent is missing. If you apply for housing benefit, you must therefore prove that you have at least regular monthly income of slightly more than the standard rate for the citizen's allowance according to SGB II (currently this is 563 euros plus costs for health/nursing care insurance plus a portion of the monthly rent). Conversely, of course, you must not have too much income or assets of your own.
Students can apply for housing benefit if they are not entitled to Bafög. This is the case, for example, if
- - the maximum funding period has been exceeded and the requirements for further funding or graduation funding under BAföG are not met on the merits;
- - the time frame for graduation support has been exceeded;
- - the age limit for educational support has been exceeded.
Student parents with a joint child are not entitled to housing benefit themselves, as they are entitled to BAföG. Nevertheless, the entire family household is entitled to housing benefit, as the child is not studying and therefore cannot apply for BAföG.
Please note: Housing benefit is a social benefit. Foreign students with a residence permit according to §16b AufenthG may jeopardize their residence by applying for housing benefit! Please seek advice in advance or consult the Foreigners' Registration Office.
You can find more information on the topic with a "housing allowance calculator" on the website Wohngeldrechner des BMWSB.
Housing subsidies can be applied for in Freiburg at the Office for Housing at Fahnenbergplatz. An information portal with a housing allowance calculator can be found at www.freiburg.de/wohngeld.
Students who do not live in Freiburg should contact the relevant housing allowance office (Landratsamt for the district or Rathaus for the city).
When applying, the completed housing allowance application, a BAföG negative decision and proof of income must be submitted.
Further information on housing allowance for students can be found here.
With the SemesterTicket, students can travel for an entire semester for only €89 on the entire network of the Freiburg Regional Transport Authority (RVF). The SemesterTicket is valid for all city trains, buses and suburban trains (2nd class / no ICE and IC / EC trains) in the city of Freiburg and in the districts of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald and Emmendingen. Students can thus use it not only for journeys to university, but also during their free time.
It is available for students of the following universities:
- Albert-Ludwigs-Universität
- Evangelische Hochschule
- Hochschule Macromedia Freiburg
- Hochschule für Musik
- Internationale Studien- und Berufsakademie ISBA
- Katholische Hochschule
- Pädagogische Hochschule
The SemesterTicket is available at the VAG pluspunkt in Salzstraße 3 at the Bertoldsbrunnen or at the bike station at the main train station, at DB sales points and vending machines as well as at the SBG customer centers. The student ID serves as proof.
Alternatively, students from other universities can use the RegioKarte Schüler or the SchülerAbo in the RVF.
You can find more information about the SemesterTicket here.
All students, both Germans and students from abroad, must have a health insurance in Germany in order to be admitted to study. During your studies, there are different ways to have (statutory) health insurance:
- through family insurance,
- via a special student health insurance or
- voluntary health insurance for students.
Especially for foreign students, we recommend a statutory health insurance, because there students up to the age of 30 get a favorable student tariff. In the case of private insurance, the insurance conditions and exclusions must be carefully checked!
Students are generally subject to health insurance. Students who are covered by private health insurance and wish to be exempted from student health insurance must submit a confirmation of their private health insurance to a statutory health insurance fund and apply for "Exemption from compulsory student insurance". Attention: This exemption is valid for the entire period of study. The exemption notice must be presented with the documents for enrolment.
During your studies, there are different ways to be covered by health insurance: either by family insurance, by special student health insurance or by voluntary health insurance for students.
Students are not subject to health and nursing insurance if they have family insurance. Normally, students can take out family insurance free of charge up to the age of 25 (normally up to the age of 27 in the case of privately insured persons), i.e. they do not have to pay their own insurance contributions. However, this only applies if their total monthly income does not exceed € 535 (with a mini job € 556). An extension of the statutory family insurance is possible for up to one year, e.g. due to military service or voluntary service.
Students who are no longer covered by family insurance are required to take out student health and long-term care insurance. This exists until the end of the 14th semester, at the latest until the end of the semester in which the student reaches the age of 30. Beyond this point in time, the insurance obligation may continue to exist if the type of education, family reasons or personal reasons (e.g. second chance of education, longer illness or birth as well as care of a child) justify exceeding the age limit or a longer period of study. The statutory health insurance funds offer a special student rate:
Since 01.10.2019, the monthly contributions to the statutory health and nursing insurance for students under 23 years of age have been 98.73 €. Students who are over 23 years old and have no child have to pay 100,59 €. Many health insurance funds also charge an additional fee, which varies from fund to fund.
All students must be insured against illness in Germany. We recommend that you register with a statutory health insurance company. They grant a favourable student rate up to the completion of the 30 year. If you meet these requirements, the statutory health insurance company is obliged to insure you at the student price. Except for a small amount, this health insurance covers the costs for medical treatment and prescription drugs. Attention: Costs for dental prostheses are usually not completely covered by the health insurance!
Students from EU countries who have a "European Health Insurance Card" (EHIC) must present their card to a statutory health insurance company (AOK, Techniker Krankenkasse, etc.). You will then receive a certificate stating that you are exempt from compulsory insurance.
Attention: if you are insured via the EHIC and take up a job in Germany, you usually have to take out health insurance in Germany! Please clarify this with your health insurance company.
If statutory insurance is not possible, insure yourself in a private insurance. Here you can get more information:
Deutsches Studentenwerk - Information for international Students: Health Insurance.
If you have any questions about health insurance, the Social Counseling Service of the Studierendenwerk can certainly help you.