FAQs Studieren mit Kind an der Universität Göttingen
A
No, you cannot. The university is a public authority and therefore each settlement needs to include a signed original application.
Well, yes, you are and no, you are not. Your child(ren) is/ are eligible to apply for ALG II. You are only eligible to apply, if you take a semester’s leave of absence. More information on this topic here
No, there are none. But since the social security legislation does have some special regulations for single-parents, you are welcome to take counsel at the FamilyService at any time.
Yes, it is. And the university is keen to support you in planning a stay abroad. You can find more on this here.
B
Yes, it is, in terms of “time”, meaning you can study a bit more slowly, but you do not get more money. Further information on this topic are summarized here. For your child’s livelihood, you may apply for other social benefits.
All the benefits surrounding education and participation (also known as the Bildungspaket) support children from families with low income, so that they can equally participate in activities at school, at the kindergarten or in their free time. All benefits summarized:
- Excursions and trips at school/ kindergarten/ the childminder
- Lunch at school/ kindergarten/ the childminder
- Personal school supplies (100€ a year and free of cost school book loaning)
- Learning Support (private tuition)
- Benefits to participate in social and cultural life, up to 100€ a year (for example: membership fees, music school)
You can find more information in the official brochure .
Unfortunately, you cannot. If you are married, your BAföG-calculation will take your family-income and – if so – your parents’ income into account. That means your chances of receiving BAföG do not increase due to marriage.
Unfortunately, you cannot. The allowance only takes biological and adopted children into account. It doesn’t matter who is primarily taken care of the children.
Yes, you can. But you should not have high hopes that your application will be granted. The BAföG-office might argue, that the pregnancy is not the main cause for the delay in your studies.
C
On the campus, you can find several parent-child-rooms and different facilities to change your baby’s diaper. You may find an overview right here and here.
No, there is none, but...
Yes, she does. The university provides several offers for childcare for studying parents.
Please register your child after its birth. Most day-care places are assigned at the beginning of the KiTa-year in august. Most KiTas will decide on their placements in February. The town of Göttingen has an “application-timespan” from November to December for their day-care-centres. Many other day-care-centres followed this process. Therefore, most KiTas host an open house day in November. Further information are provided here.
Talk about it! Talk to us familienservice@zvw.uni-goettingen.de, with your faculty’s decentralised equal opportunities officer or academic and examination adviser.
E
Yes, they can. You can find more information on this here.
No, you do not. You can keep on studying and receive Elterngeld.
In case of a multiple birth, the Elterngeld is increased for 300€ per additional child.
It depends. The Elterngeld does not have an impact on your BAföG nor your housing allowances. But the Basis-Elterngeld (300€) does have an impact on ALG II and other social benefits – it is counted as a source of income.
The Elternpass is a document the medical faculty – more specifically the academic dean – hands out to parents. This “passport” allows you to change courses, if your regular course takes places in a time that is difficult to manage for you. You can find more information on this here.
K
No, it doesn’t, as long as you continue to study. If you take a semester’s leave of absence, your parents are no longer eligible to receive Kindergeld.
Nearly all parents living in Germany and raising child(ren) are eligible to receive Kindergeld. You can find information concerning the application here.
M
Generally, no, you do not, because
Since January 1st 2018, the Mutterschutzgesetz (the maternity protection act) also applies to students. You can find detailed information surrounding this topic here.
You have to hand in a full application, but you will just receive the benefits of your increased demand.
- Increased demands due to pregnancy (beginning with the 13th week of pregnancy, 17% of the standard benefit)
- Increased demands for studying single-parents (36% of the standard benefit with at least 1 child younger than 7 years old or two children under 16; 12% of the standard benefit with at least one child older than 7 years old).
S
All information, pros and cons surrounding this topic are summarized here.
Yes, you can take along children up until 6 years old.
Please contact your teacher before the event/ date of exam and ask, whether a paediatrician’s certificate is necessary and if you have the possibility to a compensation. The general examination and program rules and regulations for B.A. and M.A. programs states in §21(2) that a close relative’s illness is to be seen as the student’s own illness. If your child(ren) only has/have a minor illness and you and your child(ren) are capable of it, the childcare for emergencies might be another solution.
Based on the motto „everyone needs time to learn“, the university supports studying parents with free of cost childcare on Saturdays in the LSG.
W
You can apply for Wirtschaftliche Jugendhilfe at Göttingen’s youth welfare office or at your local youth welfare office, if you have a low income. If the youth welfare office grants your application, they will pay for parental fees at the KiTa or the childminders.