Studying with a child

If the place, time and schedule of an educational event are mandatory or if you are required to complete an internship as part of your education at an institution of higher education, students are included in the scope of the Maternity Protection Act.

For you as a pregnant student, this means that you must first register your pregnancy with the Student Service Centre. Please attach a doctor's certificate or a copy of your maternity record with the expected date of delivery to the form "Notification of Pregnancy".

If you wish to waive the maternity protection periods (6 weeks before delivery and/or 8 weeks after delivery), please notify the Examinations Office responsible for you using the form "Declaration of Waiver of Maternity Protection Period".

Without submitting the waiver, you may not take part in any course|classes, examinations or internships during the maternity leave period.

Furthermore, an individual risk assessment must be completed together with you by the office appointed by the Dean of Studies of the Faculty, which includes all modules that you wish to prove|to register for|to take sth.|to enrol for. You can find out which office this is in the faculty at the SSZ.

Please note that if you do not submit the waiver and the individual risk assessment to the Examinations Office before the start of the course|class or before completing the assessed coursework and examinations or the internship, you will be officially deregistered from the course|class, assessed coursework and examinations and internships.

If you have any questions about maternity leave, please contact the Student Service Centre. If you have any questions about examination modalities, please contact the Examinations Office responsible for your degree programme directly.

Maternity allowance is a wage replacement benefit and is paid in the 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth (for multiple births up to 12 weeks after the birth). As a rule, female students are not entitled to maternity allowance.

Exception:

• The student is employed at the beginning of the maternity protection period and
• The student is herself a member of a public health insurance|statutory health insurance scheme

As a member of a legal|according to law|statutory health insurance fund, students can apply for maternity allowance directly from the relevant health insurance fund. In addition, the doctor's written confirmation|certificate of the expected date of delivery must be enclosed.

Maternity allowance from the Federal Insurance Office:

Students who are in employment and are not themselves members of a public health insurance company (e.g. women with private health insurance or family members with public health insurance|statutory health insurance) receive maternity allowance totalling a maximum of 210 euros from the Federal Insurance Office

Anyone who is not employed or not fully employed after the birth of their child and looks after their child themselves is entitled to parental allowance. This also applies to students.

Students should also note the following:

• You do not have to interrupt your studies to receive parental allowance
• Part-time employment is possible while receiving parental allowance
• If you receive BAföG, the minimum parental allowance instalment of €300 is not taken into account
• Students who did not work before giving birth also receive parental allowance (minimum instalment of €300)

The following applies to international students:

• You will only receive parental allowance if you are in employment subject to social security contributions (a residence permit for the purpose of studying is not sufficient to give reasons for a parental allowance claim)

Child benefit is payable from the birth of the child and must be applied for in writing to the Family Benefits Office of the Federal Employment Agency. As a rule, child benefit is granted if:

• You live with your child in the same household
• Your child is under the age of 18 (in exceptional cases even longer)

Child benefit is tax-free income and amounts to €250 per month for each child. Please note that if both parents live with the child in the same household, you must decide|ruling|judgement as to who should receive the child benefit.

To apply, you will need the completed child benefit application form, the child's tax identification number (will be sent to you) and the child's birth certificate.

You can also apply for the birth certificate onlineExternal link.

Child benefit is not taken into account as income when calculating BAföG and parental allowance - child benefit is offset against other benefits (ALG II)

International students only receive child benefit if:

• You are a citizen of a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.
• You are a national of one of the following countries: Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Morocco, Montenegro, Serbia, Tunisia or Turkey.
  You are also employed in Germany and subject to social security contributions or receive unemployment benefit or sickness benefit.
• You have a valid settlement or residence permit that authorises you to work in Germany.
  
  You can find further information at: https: //www.arbeitsagentur.de/familie-und-kinder/kindergeld-auslandExternal link

 

Studying with a child poses particular challenges for student parents, especially in terms of work organisation and time management. Some options are presented below:

 

Semester on leave

Studying with a child poses particular challenges for student parents. In order to overcome these, there is, for example, the option of taking a semester leave of absence for an important reason. Reasons can be, for example

• Family responsibilities with children
• Caring for affiliates
• personal illness or
• Study-related stay abroad

The necessary proof|evidence should always prove the exact time restriction, e.g:

• a medical certificate stating the duration and extent of the time restriction
• the maternity record or birth certificate of the child
• exact details of the place and type as well as the start and end date of the stay abroad, type of mobility programme used and approval from the Academic Advisory Service / the relevant Examinations Office or confirmation from the International Office

Please submit the proof|evidence together with the application for leave of absence|leave of absence application to the Student Service Centre.

 

Part-time studies

Part-time studies in a suitable degree programme usually means an extension of the standard period of study|regular programme length and thus more time to complete the course. Changes to the degree programme must be discussed in detail with the person responsible for the degree programme and the Examinations Office.

Please note:
Part-time studies exclude the receipt of BAföG. This may result in part-time students being entitled to ALGII, housing benefit or child supplement. Please contact the General Social Counselling Service to find out about your options before taking up part-time studies.

 

BAföG

BAföG is a state subsidy for pupils and students to secure their own education. For students with children in particular, BAföG offers family policy benefits such as

• Exemption from the age limit
• Exceptions to requirements and income (e.g. child supplement, higher supplementary income limits, etc.)
• Allowances on assets
• Timing of benefits due to pregnancy and raising children
• Duration of support
• Grant and loan (BAföG is granted as a full grant in the event of a delay due to pregnancy and/or childcare beyond the standard period of study|regular programme length)

For further information, please contact the Office for Educational Support.

 

Child allowance

The child supplement is a state benefit for low-income families who have unmarried children under the age of 25 in their household and are able to finance their own maintenance, but not that of the child. The minimum income is €600/month for single parents and €900/month for couples.

The child supplement must be applied for separately and is paid out by the local family benefits office of the labour office. The child supplement is calculated individually for each child. You will receive a maximum of €292 per month per child. Further information and the online application can be found HEREExternal link

 

Advance maintenance payments

Single parents can apply for maintenance advance if the other parent pays no or irregular maintenance. There is no income limit for the single parent. The amount of the maintenance advance depends on the age of the child:

• 230 euros for children aged 0 to 5,
• 301 euros for children aged 6 to 11,
• 395 euros for children aged 12 to 17.

It is also possible to apply for the maintenance advance onlineExternal link.

 

Housing benefit

Students are generally excluded from receiving housing benefit as they receive BAföG benefits. Under certain requirements, students can also apply for housing benefit (e.g. if a household member is not entitled to BAföG for good reason).

ATTENTION: International doctoral candidates must prove that they are able to finance their stay self-employed individuals|freelancers. (full) request for housing benefit can therefore result in the loss of your residence permit.

Housing allowance is a state rent subsidy and depends on the number of family members, the amount of total income and the amount of eligible rent. Further information can be found HEREExternal link

 

Social benefits

Students are generally excluded from receiving social benefits. In exceptional cases, a claim can be made, e.g. if the education is suspended and therefore not eligible for funding during this time (leave of absence).

To determine a specific claim, an application must be submitted to Jenarbeit or to the city in which your main residence is registered.

 

KFW education loan

The education loan can be a help in overcoming financial difficulties. It is a low-interest loan to support students who are at an advanced stage of their studies. As a rule, it is granted up to the age of 36 and until the end of the 12th semester of study, irrespective of other income.

The loan is currently paid out in monthly instalments of €100, €200 or €300.00. Up to 24 monthly instalments can be approved. After 4 years (calculated from the first payment instalment), the repayment obligation begins in monthly instalments of €120.00. The full) proposal must be sent to the Federal Office of Administration: www.bundesverwaltungsamt.de and can also be submitted to the Student Financing Service Office.

The educational loan does not replace BAföG funding and can also be utilised in addition to BAföG. There is no legal right to the loan|credit.

 

KFW student loan

If you do not receive BAföG funding, a KfW student loan can cover your living costs.

• Funding for first and second degree|second undergraduate degrees, postgraduate studies and doctorates
• Flexible monthly payment amounts between 100 and 650 euros
• Financing without collateral and independent of income
• Flexible and moderate amortisation

• 4% effective annual interest rate, 2x/year adjustment according to the so-called Eurobior
• Choose between 100 and 650 euros per month depending on your requirements:

• for up to 14 semesters for a first or second degree|second undergraduate degree. The duration of the grant depends on your age at the start of your studies
• for up to 6 semesters for postgraduate studies or a doctorate

Detailed information is available from the Service Office of the Office for Educational Support.

There are various funding programmes for students who would like to study abroad with a child for one or two semesters. Here, for example, costs such as childcare, accommodation and travel expenses are also reimbursed.

Further information can be obtained from the International Office of the FSU Jena or the International Office of the EAH. An initial overview of the financial support programmes, testimonials from other students who have already been abroad and a checklist for preparation for your stay abroad can be found HEREExternal link.

Here you will find current information and brochures.

Flyer: Family Officepdf, 319 kb · de ' JUniFamilie' (flexible childcare)pdf, 283 kb · de

Brochure: Parental allowance, parental allowance plus and parental leavepdf, 7 mb · de

Parental allowance calculator and planner onlineExternal link

Guide_Childcarepdf, 655 kb · de

Wellcome - practical help after the birth in Jena pdf, 661 kb · de