Matthias Anbuhl, the Chairman of the Board of the German Student Services, is calling for a significant increase in the housing allowance provided to recipients of Bafög. He pointed out that even the planned increase, which raises the allowance to 440 euros by the summer of 2027, remains substantially below the average market rent of 512 euros for a shared apartment room. According to statements made to the “Rheinische Post,” Anbuhl insists that the allowance needs another increase during the current legislature.
The comprehensive Bafög reform package is slated to be submitted to the federal cabinet by Research Minister Dorothee Bär (CSU) this Wednesday. This reform includes a gradual increase in the basic Bafög requirement, designed to align it increasingly with the standard rate of basic social security (Bürgergeld).
While Anbuhl generally praised the reforms, specifically commending the automatic raising of tax allowances and the steady adjustment of the Bafög basic requirement to the foundational social security level, he cautioned about the operational challenges. He warned that the upcoming 30th amendment to regulations would create a substantial workload for the student service offices. Anbuhl stressed that if legislative changes, as planned, are introduced during the summer semester-in the middle of active allocation periods-it would necessitate hundreds of thousands of recalculations. To handle this, these student services would require upgrades in technical resources, staffing, and funding.
