Did you know? 76 percent of all students in Germany finance their studies at least to some extent with a part-time job. Students who receive BAföG benefits are allowed to earn up to 603€ per month from a part-time job without this being counted towards their funding. Our student job placement service will help you find the right job.
You need more information on financial support for students?
Our social counsellor is there to help!
However, your finances are not always secured until the successful completion of your studies: If you would like to study but are not entitled to BAföG and do not have any additional income, there are other forms of assistance available.
How can you finance your studies?
In the University of Potsdam's “Study Stream,” the Central Student Advisory Service and the Studierendenwerk West:Brandenburg provided information about BAföG, part-time jobs, scholarships, and support options in case of financial difficulties. The german recording is available on YouTube.
Only the students with the best grades receive a scholarship? That is not true! Students who do volunteer work as well as others can be eligible for scholarships, too.
In its Scholarship Database (EN | DE) the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) lists all possible sponsors for international students. Also: Find more information about grants and scholarships for international students on the website of Deutsches Studierendenwerk (EN | DE).
Hardship Loan
Students in a financial emergency situation can apply for an interest-free hardship loan from us. If BAföG payments temporarily cease for reasons for which you are not responsible - for example, until approval of your BAföG application - the loan can be applied for to bridge the gap and will then be offset against the next BAföG payment.
Please note:
You can also apply in other cases, however, we need proof of the financial emergency situation within your application. A maximum of up to 500 euros will be paid out. The payment modalities - whether one-time payment of the total amount or distribution of the amount over several months - are specified in the loan agreement. The same applies to the repayment of the loan, which starts three months after the payment.
Contact: bafoeg[at]stwwb.de
Loan for Students, Who Are in the Process of Graduating
Making ends meet financially, but you are not or no longer entitled to BAföG? Students who are in financial need during the final phase of their studies and have no other means of financing their living expenses can apply for a "Studienabschlussdarlehen" from us.
Please note:
Contact: bafoeg[at]stwwb.de
Students in a financial emergency situation can apply for a one-time assistance from our emergency fund. This is a one-time grant of a maximum of 380 euros.
Please note:
Application for One-Time Assistance:
The basis on which we check explains our policy (DE)
Please complete the application for one-time financial aid (EN) and and send it to us.
Along with your application we need:
Do you have questions about the one-time assistance? Our social counsellor will help you: einmalhilfe[at]stwwb.de
Only few international students are eligible for these loans: "Bildungskredit" and "KfW-Studienkredit". The Bildungskredit is intended for students in an advanced stage of their education and is paid for a maximum of 2 years (max. 300€ per month). Students who do not receive BAföG benefits (anymore) have the possibility to apply for the KfW-Studienkredit.The maximum payment amount is 650 euros per month. Important: The loan is only available to students in their 10th semester or less. The interest rates are considerably . Against this background, you should carefully consider whether taking out a student loan is the best choice and no other financing option is available. Applications can only be made online. Information on the KfW student loan and application
As an international student, you may be eligible if:
More Information:
https://www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Privatpersonen/Studieren-Qualifizieren/index-2.html
Privacy policy for the application process for financial grant for students in need (one-time assistance)
The Studierendenwerk West:Brandenburg collects and processes personal data solely in accordance with the applicable data protection regulations of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Name and Contact Details of the Controller Responsible for Processing, as well as the Data Protection Officer
The Studierendenwerk West:Brandenburg, Babelsberger Straße 02, 14473 Potsdam (hereinafter referred to as “we”), is the controller within the meaning of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at the above address or via email at datenschutz@stwwb.de
Collection and Storage of Personal Data, as well as Their Type, Purpose, and Use
We process personal data related to the allocation of funds from semester fees or the exemption/reimbursement of the Student Services contribution. Specifically, the following categories of personal data may be processed, including, where applicable, data of the spouse or registered/unregistered partner: personal information; contact details; marital status data; payment data; social security data; access credentials; health data that do not necessarily include diagnoses; traffic data (such as the IP address of the device accessing the portal); educational data; income data; asset information; financial obligations; childcare data; image data; and social benefits data.
We process your personal data solely for the purpose of fulfilling the tasks assigned to us under Section 87 (2) of the Brandenburg Higher Education Act (BbgHG), in particular to provide services for students in social, economic, and cultural areas.
The processing is based on the following legal grounds: The legal basis for processing your personal data is Article 6(1) sentence 1 lit. (e) GDPR. According to this provision, the processing of personal data by public authorities is permissible if it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller. Furthermore, data processing may also be based on your consent (Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. (a) GDPR) or for the fulfillment of a legal obligation (Art. 6(1) sentence 1 lit. (c) GDPR).
Retention Period
We delete your personal data once it is no longer necessary for the purposes described above and provided that no statutory retention obligations prevent deletion.
Disclosure of Data to Third Parties
Your personal data will not be transferred to third parties for purposes other than those listed under section 2) and based on the legal grounds specified therein. Otherwise, personal data is processed on our behalf under contracts in accordance with Art. 28 GDPR, in particular by the provider of the application platform, NETQUES . daten & diagnostik GmbH. No transfer to a third country takes place, nor is it intended by us.
Your Rights
You have the following rights:
Necessity of Providing Personal Data
Providing personal data is neither mandatory nor are you obliged to do so. However, the provision of your data is necessary for the allocation of funds from semester fees. This means that if you do not provide personal data, your application for the allocation of funds from semester fees cannot be accepted or processed.
No Automated Decision-Making
No automated individual decision-making takes place within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.
Changes to the Privacy Notice
We continuously develop and optimize our services, which may include adding new functionalities. If this affects the way your personal data is processed, we will inform you in a timely manner through our privacy notice. For further information, please refer to the privacy notice on the website of the Student Services Organization West:Brandenburg: https://www.stwwb.de/en/about-us/privacy-policy
We support you:
Personal consultation hours:
Tuesday: 9 am - 12 am and 1 pm - 4 pm; Thursday: 1 pm - 4 pm
Telephone consultation hours:
Monday to Thursday 9 am - 3 pm, Friday 9 am - 2 pm
