IMI

Frequently Asked Questions – BAföG

1. Can you just sign this form I put under your door and fax it to the BAföG office? I put it off until the last minute….
   
   No. The BAföG office doesn’t want another copy of my signature. They want me to check that something is true, write down exactly what is true, and then sign and stamp it. So be prepared to show up with documentation and the form filled out in my office hours. I don’t have a secretary.
2. I didn’t manage to get this organized before I went on internship so here are a few megabytes of attachment with all the documentation. Can you please print it out, sign it, and send them to me / send them to the BAföG office with the university paying for the stamp?
   
   No. I am not your secretary. Get a friend or relative to print out everything and bring it to my office hours and then put it in the mail for you. The taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay stamps for you, and I don’t intend on paying for stamps, either.
3. What do I need for Formblatt 2?
   
   Many BAföG-offices actually accept the Studentenbescheinigung instead of this form. Check it out.
4. What do I need for Formblatt 5?
   
   Please bring the form with the top part filled out (your name, the study program, your number) and all of your Semesterbescheinigungen. If you’ve been lazy and not taken your language grades to the Prüfungsamt, then I need to see them. In order for me to attest that you have studied 4 semesters, I need to see 115 credits of work (3 full semesters plus 25 out of 30 credits for the fourth semester).
5. What do I need for Formblatt 6?
   
   Please bring a copy of your internship contract, signed by the internship officer.
6. Can you please sign for a travel grant or that I speak English?
   
   No. The internship officer signs for travel grants, and the foreign language department attests to your proficiency in English. I just do BAföG.
7. Could you write a letter to the BAföG office explaining why I need more time to study?
   
   Maybe. If you can document your reasons – you applied for and recieved an extension on completing your internship; you were sick and had a semester off; you became a father or mother; etc – I’ll be glad to sign. But I don’t make stuff up.
8. Can I get BAföG in this or that situation?
   
   No idea. I just attest to where you are in your IMI studies. Check “Das Neue BAföG” or the AStA.
9. I have to work when you have office hours, can you please give me an appointment?
   
   No. Studying is a full-time job, so excuses of “I have to work” don’t go down well. I also don’t get compensated for doing all the BAföG stuff, the BAföG offices just expect this to be part of my duties, although I actually have a million other things to do. But that’s why I have office hours – it is convienient for me to sign then.

Klaus Jung, BAföG-Officer (Debora Weber-Wulff)