A second degree is not automatically excluded from BAföG (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, the German federal training grant), but the hurdles are high. The law generally funds only a first training up to the first professional qualification. If you study again after that, you need one of the exceptions named in the law, or you must show special circumstances in your individual case. This guide focuses on the fundable cases under section 7 BAföG and the end of funding. For costs, child benefit and taxes in a second degree, see Second Degree: Costs, Child Benefit, BAföG and Taxes.
Short answer: After a professional qualification, further study is funded only if it is one of the exceptions named in the law, such as a substantive addition or a link to your previous training. Otherwise, special circumstances in your individual case are needed. Funding ends with the qualification or the maximum funding period. Last updated: October 2026. Sources: sections 7 and 15 BAföG.
The most important points
- Generally, a first training is funded up to the first professional qualification, at most up to a university degree (section 7 subsection 1 BAföG).
- For a further training, funding is available only in the cases named in the law, such as a substantive addition or a substantive link to the previous training (section 7 subsection 2 BAföG).
- Outside these cases, funding is considered only if special circumstances of the individual case require it.
- A master’s after a bachelor’s is only fundable if only one bachelor’s degree course has been completed before (section 7 subsection 1a BAföG).
- For university courses, funding generally ends with the maximum funding period (section 15 subsection 2 BAföG).
- If the training section begins only after your 45th birthday, no funding is paid (section 10 subsection 3 BAföG).
Which cases allow a second degree with BAföG?
The law distinguishes several constellations. The table shows the most important cases. Whether your studies fall under one of them is decided by the responsible office, based on your previous training and your planned course.
| Constellation | Funding under the law | Source |
|---|---|---|
| First training up to the first professional qualification | Generally fundable | Section 7 subsection 1 BAföG |
| Master after a bachelor, if only one bachelor course has been completed | Fundable | Section 7 subsection 1a BAföG |
| State examination after a bachelor, if integrated into the study regulations | Fundable if the services are provided within the regular period of the bachelor | Section 7 subsection 1b BAföG |
| Further training as a supplement or substantive link | Fundable up to the professional qualification | Section 7 subsection 2 BAföG |
| Other further training without a link | Only in special circumstances of the individual case | Section 7 subsection 2 BAföG |
The statutory wording is brief. The office decides how it applies in individual cases. Ask for the classification to be confirmed before you enrol in the second degree.
When does funding end in a second degree?
Funding does not automatically end with the completion of the course, but at the latest with the maximum funding period. This is based on the standard period of study (section 15a subsection 1 BAföG). For universities, a flexibility semester is added, granted after the funding period has ended (section 15 subsection 4 BAföG). Periods before the start of funding in the same training are counted, as are recognised periods of earlier training (section 15a subsection 2 BAföG).
If you want to know when funding ends for you, proceed in this order:
- Determine the maximum funding period: It depends on the standard period of study of your course.
- Deduct countable periods: Periods of the same training before funding began and recognised earlier training count.
- Check the age limit: The training section must begin before your 45th birthday (section 10 subsection 3 BAföG).
- Check the notice: For a university course, the notice states the end of the maximum funding period (section 50 subsection 2 BAföG).
Frequently asked questions
Does an abandoned course count as a first training?
If you abandon a course or change subject for an important reason, funding is granted for a different training (section 7 subsection 3 BAföG). The law sets out which reasons count as important and up to which semester this applies. The office checks in individual cases whether the requirements are met.
What about child benefit during a second degree?
After completing your first training, child benefit for a second degree is paid only if you work no more than 20 hours per week. Mini-jobs and employment related to the training are harmless (section 32 EStG, Federal Employment Agency). Our guide on a part-time job and BAföG covers the income side.
From which age is a second degree excluded under BAföG?
What counts is the start of the training section. If it begins after your 45th birthday, no funding is paid (section 10 subsection 3 BAföG). The draft reform plans a uniform age limit of 45 years and would remove the current exceptions. This has not been passed. More is in our guide on the BAföG age limit (in German).
How do I apply for BAföG for a second degree?
You apply as for any course, at the office for training support at your place of residence (section 46 BAföG). In the application, explain on what basis the second degree should be funded, for example which supplement or link applies. The steps are explained in our step-by-step guide to the BAföG application.
What to do now
- Check whether your second degree falls under one of the cases in section 7 BAföG.
- Have the office confirm the classification before you enrol.
- Calculate the maximum funding period and the countable periods.
- If you work at the same time, watch the 20-hour limit for child benefit.
Opportunities and limits of a second degree with BAföG
A second degree can make sense if it sensibly complements an existing training, for example a master’s that builds on a bachelor’s in a related field. Whether funding applies then depends on the rules of the law, not on the wish for a second qualification.
There are several limits. Half of the grant is an interest-free loan that must be repaid. For loans with first funding from 1 September 2019, repayment is capped at 10,010 euros (bafög.de, status July 2024). The funding period is also limited. Further time is granted only in the exceptions of the law, such as serious reasons (section 15 subsection 3 BAföG).
Example: bachelor’s, then master’s (assumption)
Assume you have completed a bachelor’s in business informatics and want to start a master’s in a subject that builds on it. Then section 7 subsection 1a BAföG applies, provided you have completed only one bachelor’s course so far. The office checks whether the master’s fits your bachelor’s. A second master’s after a second bachelor’s is not covered by this rule, because it allows only one bachelor’s degree.
Related reading
- Second Degree: Costs, Child Benefit, BAföG and Taxes
- BAföG Age Limit: Studying Over 30 and Funding in 2026
- Studying at 45: BAföG, Insurance and Loans
- BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When
- BAföG-Antrag Schritt für Schritt
Sources: Section 7 BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (German), status October 2026, Section 15a BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (German), status October 2026, Section 10 BAföG, gesetze-im-internet.de (German), status October 2026, Federal Employment Agency, child benefit from age 18 (German), status October 2026, Bundestag document 21/8405 (German), status 7 October 2026.
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
