The BAföG reform (Germany’s federal student financial aid law) is neither stopped nor passed. The government bill for the 30th amendment to the BAföG sits in the Bundestag, and the coalition has been arguing since late May 2026 about how quickly it should come. This guide separates what is documented from what headlines make of it.
Short answer: The reform is considered neither stopped nor passed. The draft (Drucksache 21/8405) is under discussion in the Bundestag. Research Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) questioned quick implementation in late May 2026, and the SPD parliamentary group disagreed. Last updated: November 2026. Until promulgation, today’s rates apply.
The most important points
- The draft is the 30th amendment to the BAföG and is documented as Drucksache 21/8405 (parliamentary paper). As long as it is not in the Federal Law Gazette (Bundesgesetzblatt), it is not binding law.
- In late April 2026 the coalition said the financing was settled. In late May 2026 Research Minister Dorothee Bär questioned the rollout, and the SPD parliamentary group contradicted her.
- According to the sources available, there has been no official stop and no vote that postponed the bill.
- The draft would raise the housing allowance for students living away from home from 380 to 440 euros, from the summer semester 2027.
- The outcome depends on committee work, the second and third readings in the Bundestag and the Bundesrat (federal states’ chamber).
What the dispute is about
The conflict did not come out of nowhere. Originally the housing allowance was meant to rise from 380 to 440 euros as early as the winter semester 2026/2027, and the basic need of 475 euros was to be adjusted step by step to the basic income support level. That timeline has since shifted. According to a media report from 31 May 2026 (secondary source, in German), Bär said she no longer expected quick implementation. The deputy SPD parliamentary group leader Wiebke Esdar called these statements wrong and pointed to an agreement already reached and secured financing.
So far the documented material consists mainly of public statements by the people involved. No parliamentary vote has stopped or postponed the bill. The Bundestag’s own report of 8 October 2026 still lists the draft as an ongoing legislative procedure, hib 800/2026 (in German). You can follow the progress of the debates there.
What the draft contains and what applies today
The table separates current law from the draft. Only the promulgated text counts for you.
| Rule | Current law | Draft (status October 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Housing allowance, living away from home | 380 euros per month | 440 euros from the summer semester 2027 |
| Housing allowance, living with parents | 59 euros per month | 41 euros, then removed completely |
| Basic need for students | 475 euros per month | 503 euros from winter semester 2027/28, 563 euros from summer semester 2029 |
The current figures have applied since 1 August 2024 and appear in the official rate tables of the Studierendenwerke (German student services organisation). The draft figures appear in Drucksache 21/8405 (in German).
Does the reform apply to current funding?
According to the explanatory memorandum of the draft, higher rates for ongoing funding usually take effect only in the next assessment period. If you are funded now, do not expect higher rates to apply retroactively. Whether a transitional rule exists, and how it reads, can only be checked in the promulgated text.
For your planning this means that a date in a newspaper report is not a funding decision, and the legal text only becomes decisive once it is promulgated.
What 60 euros more per month would mean
Assumption: you live away from home, and the allowance rises as proposed from 380 to 440 euros. Over twelve months that is 720 euros more, on paper. Your actual payment also depends on income, assets and your assessment period, so this is only the difference in the allowance, not a forecast of your payment.
Why the reform comes in stages
The draft phases in the changes. The housing allowance rises from the summer semester 2027, the basic need from the winter semester 2027/28, and further steps follow in 2029. According to the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, the federal government expects additional spending of 137 million euros for 2027. That figure is a federal estimate and not the result of a final account. The cabinet decision of 12 August 2026 (in German) marks the start of the parliamentary process, but not the end of it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get the higher housing allowance already in winter semester 2026/27?
Not according to the draft. The increase to 440 euros is planned for the summer semester 2027. The winter semester 2026/2027 was once discussed as the start date, but the reports indicate that this is no longer the current timeline. Our guide on the 2027 housing allowance walks through the calculation.
Does “stopped” mean the money will never come?
No. A dispute within the coalition means the draft has not yet been passed. Whether it passes unchanged is open. Your funding office applies only what has been promulgated, not what a politician said in an interview.
How do I know whether a change has been decided?
The binding sources are the Federal Law Gazette and the text on gesetze-im-internet.de (the official federal law database, in German). Bundestag reports show the procedural stage but do not replace the promulgated text. Statements by politicians are not decisions.
Do I have to do anything now?
Under current law your application stays as you submit it. The draft provides that applications will in future be possible only digitally through BAföG Digital (the official online portal). Which steps your ongoing funding requires will be explained by your funding office once a date is binding.
What to do now
- Plan with today’s figures, which means 380 euros housing allowance for students living away from home, until a law is promulgated.
- Follow the draft in Drucksache 21/8405 and the Bundestag reports.
- After promulgation, read the legal text itself rather than only summaries.
- Ask your funding office how any change affects your current approval once concrete dates are set.
Related reading
- BAföG Reform 2027: What Is Changing and When
- BAföG housing allowance 2027: when the increase comes
- BAföG reform in the Bundestag: what is still open
- BAföG reform: does it apply to ongoing funding?
- Applying for BAföG: application, deadlines and documents (in German)
Sources: Drucksache 21/8405, 30th BAföG amendment act (status October 2026), Bundestag report hib 800/2026 (8 October 2026), media report on the dispute (31 May 2026, secondary source).
Last updated: November 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice.
