Guides

Minimum salaries for graduates in the German chemical industry in 2026, the insurance threshold for private insurance and a contribution example for a first job.

Finding a flat for your career start in Germany: deposits capped at three base rents, payment in instalments and which proof of income landlords may request.

How the 2026 commuter allowance works for first-time employees in Germany, what 0.38 euros per kilometre adds up to and when claiming it makes a difference.

The Villigst study scholarship: church membership, study stage, deadlines of 1 March and 1 September, and the two-stage selection in Schwerte.

If your parents do not pay the counted maintenance, the office can make an advance payment under § 36 BAföG. Here you learn the conditions, the hearing of parents and the application.

Registering a trade as a student means rechecking your health insurance and taxes. Here you find the steps involved and the costs and deadlines to plan for.

Allowances for 2026, the calculation step by step and a worked example: see roughly how much BAföG remains after parental income. Last updated October 2026.

The key official figures for graduates starting work in Germany in 2026: minimum wage, insurance thresholds and degree numbers, with date and source.

Your first payslip looks complicated. We explain each line, show the 2026 social insurance shares and walk through an example with 4,000 euros gross.

Hardship funds of German student services offices help in social hardship. Using the Leipzig rules as an example: loan or grant, application steps and open questions.