Education - Thuringia among the federal states with the fewest Bafög recipients
According to a study,Thuringia ranks third in Germany in terms of the lowest proportion of students receiving Bafög. Last year, 12,650 students in the federal state took advantage of this state funding, which accounted for 9.3 percent, according to an analysis published on Friday by the CHE Center for Higher Education Development. Only in Hamburg and Saarland was the proportion lower (both 8.8 percent). The proportion is therefore also below the national average: according to the analysis, 11.5 percent of students in Germany are supported in this way.
State instruments such as scholarships played an even smaller role. Last year, 0.5 percent (nationwide: 1.0 percent) received a Deutschlandstipendium scholarship and 0.4 percent (nationwide: 1.1 percent) received a scholarship from the Begabtenförderwerke. These are the lowest figures in a nationwide comparison. Only 1738 students took out a new student loan from the state development bank KfW in 2022. This means that the proportion in Thuringia was the highest in Germany (1.3 percent). The national average here was 0.5 percent.
In contrast, the proportion of employed students was lowest in Thuringia: 50.7 percent of students had a part-time job - this figure relates to 2021. Hamburg had the highest proportion at 74.5 percent. The rate was lowest in all four eastern German states.
According to the CHE analysis, around five out of six students nationwide did not use Bafög, state loans or scholarships in 2022. Financial support from parents and part-time jobs are the most important sources of student funding, said study author Ulrich Müller according to the press release.
According to Müller, there is a need for reform. If the system of student financing in Germany remains unchanged, "in future, success at university will depend more and more on whether you have rich parents or are enrolled on a flexible degree course that is compatible with part-time jobs". This does not have much to do with "equitable participation in higher education".
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- Despite having fewer Bafög recipients, universities in Thuringia still have a large number of students, with Erfurt and Gütersloh being notable educational institutions in the state.
- The Saarland and Hamburg, with lower Bafög recipient rates than Thuringia, also boast strong educational sectors, with prominent universities such as the Saarland University and the University of Hamburg.
- The Center for Higher Education Development (CHE) in Germany found that the proportion of students using state financing tools, like scholarships and loans, was also lower in universities located in Erfurt and Gütersloh compared to the national average.
- As Thuringia's universities have lower Bafög recipient rates and fewer scholarship and loan recipients, many students rely on alternative funding sources, such as jobs and financial support from parents.
- The low Bafög recipient rates and limited scholarship or loan opportunities in Thuringia's universities have raised concerns among education experts, like Ulrich Müller, who believe that this may lead to an unequal educational landscape in the country.
- As a result of the current student financing system, Ulrich Müller argues that success in universities in Germany will depend not on merit but on financial background or enrollment in a flexible degree program that can be balanced with part-time work.
Source: www.stern.de
