FAQ Study with children
Studies and pregnancy
Services according to SGB II: Additional needs for the pregnancy
After the 12th week of pregnancy, pregnant women with a low income are entitled to an additional needs allowance. A person is considered in need if their income does not meet or only slightly exceed the SGB II- requirement (“Bürgergeld”) (also possible during training or studies). This allowance is intended to cover additional costs arising from pregnancy, such as food, personal care, travel expenses, and minor clothing adjustments.
Single time aid under SGB II: Initial supplies for the baby
In addition, needy pregnant women can also apply for initial equipment for the baby. The money can be used for the acquisition of different things, which are necessary for a reasonable and appropriate household and/or life guidance with the baby, e.g. washing machine, furniture for the child or clothing. The amount of the initial equipment depends on the necessity. It is reasonable to buy the required items second hand. The application must be made before the birth of the child!
Application with residence in Darmstadt:
Jobcenter Darmstadt
Groß-Gerauer-Weg 3
64295 Darmstadt
Application with residence in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt-Dieburg
64276 Darmstadt
Maternity allowance
Mothers with statutory health insurance and pregnant women who are in employment receive maternity benefits, starting six weeks before and lasting up to eight weeks (or 12 weeks in the case of premature or multiple births) after the birth of child. is calculated according to the level of income in the employment prior to receipt, but amounts to maximal 13 euros per day from the health insurance. The difference to the previous net income is paid by the employer. Maternity benefit is paid net. It is exempt from taxes and social security contributions. It can be applied for at the earliest seven weeks before the estimated date of birth; a medical certificate must be submitted to the health insurance provider.
Different rules apply to privately insured mothers who are in a permanent employment relationship subject to social insurance contributions or in minor employment. They can submit an application for the so-called PKV maternity allowance to the Federal Insurance Office in Bonn.
Federal Foundation Mother and Child
In the event of financial need, all pregnant women (regardless of residence permit) can apply to the Mother and Child Foundation for a one-off sum to be paid before the birth for necessary purchases such as pregnancy clothes or initial equipment. There is no legal claim to these funds. The application must be made before the birth at a recognized pregnancy counselling center in your own place of residence.
Recognized pregnancy counselling centers in Darmstadt are, for example:
- Pregnancy counselling in the Caritaszentrum St. Ludwig, Donum Vitae, Pro Familia, Diakonie, Ehe-Familien und Lebensberatung e.V. (Marriage Families and Life Counselling e.V.)
Recognized pregnancy counselling centers in Dieburg are, for example:
- Diakonisches Werk Darmstadt-Dieburg, pregnancy counselling Caritas Dieburg
Maternity Protection Act and Studies
The Maternity Protection Act (“Mutterschutzgesetz”, MuSchG) also applies to university students, school pupils, and interns. In essence, it prohibits work for 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth of a child. The university now has a duty to ensure that the birth of a child does not result in any disadvantages for the student. This means, for example, that examinations within the maternity protection period (6 weeks before and 8 weeks after the birth date) must not pose a problem. There is still no standardized regulation on how this should be handled. However, it would be conceivable, for example, to offer alternative examinations such as written assignments instead of exams, or individual instead of group work, or to make up exam dates shortly thereafter .
There are different maternity protection periods for premature babies, multiple births and children with disabilities. For these three exceptions, 12 weeks of maternity protection leave apply after the birth, and the time remaining from the six weeks before (for premature babies) is added on (§ 6 MuSchG).
It is possible to waive maternity leave during studying (in this case, examinations can be written normally if the expectant mother wishes). To do this, a written declaration must be submitted to the university stating that maternity protection will be waived.
Finances: BAföG with child
BAföG can normally only be granted to students who have not yet reached the age of 45 at the start of their Bachelor’s program. An exception, however, is made for students who were unable to commence their studies on time due to personal or family reasons (e.g. raising a child).
If you take a break from your studies (e.g. due to pregnancy or childcare ), the BAföG payment can continue for up to three months.
But be careful! As soon as your studies are interrupted for more than three months due to pregnancy or childbirth, this entitlement no longer applies - until you resume your studies. If this is foreseeable, the BAföG office must be informed of the interruption of studies and a formal leave of absence must be applied for. Instead, students can apply for unemployment benefit (“Bürgergeld”) for this period, as long as their household income is not too high.
If you are receiving BAföG, you normally have to submit a certificate of academic performance by the end of the 4th semester. A justification for a later submission of these certificates can be provided by reasons such as illness, illness of the child, pregnancy and child-raising. Corresponding proof of this is required!
The BAföG entitlement ends when the standard period of study is completed. An extension of the entitlement is generally granted in cases of pregnancy (by one semester), and by an additional semester for each year of the child's life. This is valid until the child is five years old and only if the child raising is the reason for the delay in studies. This regulation also applies to fathers. The extension periods can be distributed among both studying parents. In this case, the parents must provide a statement about how the childcare was divided between them.
For BAföG recipients with children, there is a childcare allowance for children under the age of 14. If both parents receive BAföG, the allowance is only granted for one parent. Actual childcare costs do not have to be submitted.
In order to receive the allowance, a separate form must be filled for the BAföG application.
Since the BAföG grant is an interest-free loan from the state, you have to repay part of it, up to a maximum of 10,010 euros.
About five years after the end of the maximum funding period, the repayment obligation begins. The money must be repaid in a monthly instalment within 20 years. Borrowers are exempt from the repayment obligation as long as they receive BAföG. In addition, temporary exemption from repayment is possible in cases of low income.
Upon application, single parents can claim the childcare costs when repaying the BAföG loan. The monthly income limit is increased by the amount of the childcare costs of a child who has not yet reached the age of 16 by a maximum value.
For students of the TU and the Hochschule Darmstadt (residence irrelevant):
Forms and advice:
Student financing
Mensa Lichtwiese
Peter-Grünberg-Str. 3
64287 Darmstadt
Postal address:
Studierendenwerk Darmstadt
Student financing
P.O. Box 10 13 21
64213 Darmstadt
You can also submit your application online. Further information can be found on the student financing website.
Finances: Parental allowance (“Elterngeld”)
With the parental allowance, the state supports all parents (including students) who have their residence or habitual abode in Germany and want to prioritize the childcare in the first year of the child’s life. The precondition is that they live with their child in one household, look after and raise the child themselves, as well as no employment or no full-time employment (up to 32 hours a week). In the case of studies, the number of weekly hours spent on studying is irrelevant. EU nationals may also receive parental allowance under certain conditions. Other foreign applicants may receive parental allowance if they have a settlement permit or a residence permit which either allows or previously allowed them to engage in gainful employment.
Student parents with a residence permit under §16b of the Residence Act (AufenthG) (for the purpose of study) may be eligible for parental allowance if they are employed, on parental leave (with an ongoing employment contract), or receiving unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld I). Our Social Counselling is happy to provide further advice.
The parents can decide among themselves who wants to stay at home and for how long. If both parents wish to take over the care and upbringing of the child, one parent alone can claim the parental allowance for a maximum of twelve months. Two further months are reserved for the other parent.
Single parents can claim the full 14 months of parental allowance.
The basic parental allowance (“Basiselterngeld”) ranges from a minimum of 300 euros to a maximum of 1,800 euros, depending on the income prior to claiming the parental allowance.
In the case of multiple births, the parental allowance calculated in each case increases by € 300 for each additional child (§ 2 Para. 6 BEEG). It is also possible to apply for “ElterngeldPlus”. It is calculated like the basic parental allowance, but amounts to a maximum of half of the parental allowance amount and is paid for double the period.
With residence in Darmstadt or in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Hessisches Amt für Versorgung und Soziales
Schottener Weg 3
64289 Darmstadt
Finances: Child benefit (“Kindergeld”)
Everyone who has a child and whose residence/ habitual place of stay is in Germany is entitled to child benefit.
Foreign student parents are only entitled if they have a residence permit. Student parents with a residence title according to §16b of the Residence Act (AufenthG) (for the purpose of study) may be entitled to child benefit if they are employed, on parental leave (with an ongoing employment contract), or receiving unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld I). There are also exceptions for students from countries with special agreements with Germany, such as Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey. Our Social Counselling is happy to provide further advice.
The entitlement arises with the birth of the child. The application should be made as soon as possible after the birth, as child benefit is only paid retroactively for up to six months. The child's birth certificate must be enclosed with the completed application for child benefit.
Child benefit is normally paid from the month in which the child is born. However, there is an exception for students: If the pregnant student is still entitled to child benefit herself and interrupts her studies due to her pregnancy (e.g. semester on leave), child benefit is paid for the entire semester in which the birth is expected.
With residence in Darmstadt or in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Familienkasse Hessen
Groß-Gerauer-Weg 7
64295 Darmstadt
Finances: Housing benefit (“Wohngeld”)
Housing benefit is a financial contribution to the rental costs. Students are excluded from receiving housing benefit if they are “basically” entitled to BAföG benefits, as these also include a housing allowance for the rental costs.
Students are entitled to housing benefit if they are not “basically” entitled to BAföG. This is the case, for example, if the age limit has been exceeded for BAföG entitlement without sufficient reason, the standard period of study has been exceeded or BAföG benefits are no longer provided due to lack of certificate of academic performance.
If students are on leave due to pregnancy or child-raising, they are entitled to housing benefit.
The amount of the housing benefit depends on the number of family members in the household, the total family income (orphan’s allowance and maintenance payments count as income in the calculation) and the amount of the rent.
Resident in Darmstadt:
Amt für Wohnungswesen
Frankfurter Straße 71
64293 Darmstadt
Resident in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt-Dieburg
Wohngeldbehörde
64276 Darmstadt
Finances: Benefits according to Social Code II/SGB II (“Bürgergeld”)
In general, students who are basically eligible for BAföG funding are excluded from the benefits of SGB II (“Bürgergeld”).
However, there are some exceptions. For example, students who live with their parents may, under certain conditions, receive supplementary benefits to BAföG in accordance with § 7(6) no. 2 of the SGB II.
Students who are expecting or raising a child, as well as students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, often have additional needs that BAföG does not cover. They may apply for additional benefits to cover these “non-education-related” needs (under § 27(2) SGB II), for example, additional needs from the 13th week of pregnancy, one-off assistance for initial baby supplies, or cost-intensive dietary needs due to health conditions, etc.
During a leave of absence (semester break) or when studying part-time, it may also be possible to receive “Bürgergeld”
Further information and advice can be obtained from our Social Counselling service.
In the leave semester due to care and education of the child, students can also apply for benefits on social code II (unemployment benefits) for themselves.
Resident in Darmstadt:
Jobcenter Darmstadt
Groß-Gerauer-Weg
64295 Darmstadt
Resident in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt Dieburg
Kreisagentur für Beschäftigung
Jägertorstraße 207
64289 Darmstadt
Finances: Education and participation (according to Social Code II/SGB II)
Further benefits for children from low-income families are available as a result of participation in cultural and social programmes (§ 28 SGB II). All children of parents who receive Bürgergeld, social assistance, housing benefit, BAföG or the child supplement are entitled to benefits.
An overview of the various benefits:
- Additional expenses for lunch in kindergarten and school
- Tutoring for pupils in need
- Contributions to sports club or music school
- Subsidy for school supplies and school trips
- Reimbursement of transport costs
If you receive benefits according to Social Code II (unemployment or social benefits) with residence in Darmstadt:
Jobcenter Darmstadt
Groß-Gerauer-Weg 3
64295 Darmstadt
If you receive housing benefit, child allowance and BAföG with residence in Darmstadt:
Amt für Soziales und Prävention
Frankfurter Straße 71
64293 Darmstadt
Resident in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt Dieburg
Kreisagentur für Beschäftigung
Jägertorstraße 207
64289 Darmstadt
Finances: Other options
Who is entitled to advance maintenance payments?
Single-parent students can receive an advance on maintenance payments from the Youth Welfare Office (“Jugendamt”) if the parent liable to pay maintenance in cash does not pay any or sufficient maintenance for their child. The child is entitled to advance maintenance payments if he or she has not yet reached the age of 18, has his or her residence/habitual abode in Germany, lives here with a single parent and does not receive sufficient or any maintenance.
Foreign students are entitled to advance maintenance payments if their residence title allows this.
Where should the application for a maintenance advance be submitted?
Resident in Darmstadt:
Stadthaus Jugendamt
Abteilung wirtschaftliche Jugendhilfe
Frankfurter Straße 71
64293 Darmstadt
Resident in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Jugendamt Darmstadt Dieburg
Mina-Rees-Straße 2 und 6
64295 Darmstadt
Who is entitled to the assumption of care costs and what exactly is assumed?
Families with a low income can apply to have their childcare costs (day nursery, kindergarten, childminder) covered. Depending on the household income, the Youth Welfare Office (“Jugendamt”) can then cover all or part of your childcare costs.
Where can I apply to have my childcare costs covered?
Resident in Darmstadt:
Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt
Jugendamt
Frankfurter Straße 71
64293 Darmstadt
Resident in the Darmstadt-Dieburg District:
Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt-Dieburg
Jugendamt
Jägertorstraße 207
64289 Darmstadt
Another possibility at the TU Darmstadt:
The Prof. Sorin Huss Fund offers financial support for childcare for students and doctoral students with children, especially at the TU Darmstadt. Preference is given to single parents, students with more than one child, international students and students/doctoral candidates in their final phase. More information can be found on the website of the TU Darmstadt about the Sorin Huss Fund.
Yes, some. The following is merely a selection of scholarships. The list is not exhaustive.
Heinrich Böll Foundation
The foundation offers financial support for students and doctoral candidates with a child. In addition to its focus on the humanities, social sciences, art and cultural studies, the foundation is particularly interested in students of economics, law, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics and journalism.
More information at: www.boell.de
Hildegardis Society
The Hildegardis Society (Hildegardis-Verein) offers Christian and international students (!) both loans and scholarships in order to make it easier to combine bringing up children and studying. In addition, doctoral scholarships can also be applied for here. Funding is available for all fields of study and study goals, beside first degree programmes, second or postgraduate programmes can be funded as well.
More information can be found at: www.hildegardis-verein.de
Konrad Adenauer Foundation
The scholarship holders of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation are to have their lives and careers with children facilitated and a future-oriented policy promoted. In addition to the basic scholarship, scholarship holders with children from this foundation receive a family allowance and a childcare allowance per month.
More information can be found at: www.kas.de
Christiane-Nüsslein-Volhard-Foundation
The Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard Foundation supports women in their doctoral theses in medicine and the natural sciences. The monthly grant of 400€ is intended to help relieve the burden on the household and childcare. The funding period is usually one year, in certain cases the funding can be extended.
More information can be found at: www.cnv-stiftung.de
Further information on finding and applying for scholarships.
What offers does the Studierendenwerk Darmstadt have?
We have set up our own parent-child rooms in the canteens of city centre and Lichtwiese. You can retreat with your kids, change diapers, feed/eat, play...
The locations, equipment and information can be found on the page for Family Rooms.
A visit to the Mensa is usually exciting for our youngest guests. We have children's plates and tray trolleys to make your visit easier and nicer.
Children (under the age of six) of students receive free meals in our canteens.
This is how it works:
The student parent takes their child to a food counter in one of our canteens (Stadtmitte, Lichtwiese, Schöfferstraße or Dieburg) and asks for a children's plate. The staff at the food counters will fill it with the desired side dishes.
Please show your student ID at the check-out without being asked.
We wish you a good appetite.
Tray trolley
We've purchased tray trolleys for you. These should make your visit to our canteens more pleasant.
E.g. if you
- are not so good on foot,
- are heavily loaded,
- have one or more children with you, or
- want to easily transport multiple trays.
Please bring the trolleys back to the marked "parking spaces" after your meal or snack so that others can also find the trolleys.
Locations of the tray trolleys in the Mensa Stadtmitte:
- to the left of the Mensa Gabel
- in front of the Bistro Stadtmitte
- on the 1st floor: opposite the market restaurant to the left of the entrance to the Wohnservice
For emergencies we offer two options:
Ad hoc support
Parents with student ID can register their children, if
- the usual private care is not available at any time
- the kindergarten is closed
- the school is on holiday
- parents who have to study or work beyond the regular care options as a special exception.
Children aged 1-12 are looked after in child-friendly facilities (younger children on request).
Childcare hours: Monday to Friday, 6 am to 10 pm, also on weekday public holidays, all year round.
A registration for the next day is possible until 4 pm on the previous day.
You can find further information on the page for Back-up Child Care.
Childcare places are preferentially offered to children of students, together with our cooperation partners.
Therefore, we work together with the two parent initiatives
- unikita Darmstadt e.V. and Krabbelkiste e.V.
- the ASB Südhessen
- and the children's houses of the TU Darmstadt.
We present their facilities on the page for Child Care Facilities.
Our Social Counselling offers individual information and support to expectant parents and students with children, e.g.
- in the search for suitable childcare or accommodation
- on social benefits and other financial support
- regarding child-related benefits (maintenance, child benefit, etc.)
- with personal questions, doubts or conflicts in relation to the compatibility of studying and family
Come to our consultation hours - you're very welcome to bring your child along!
Mobility information:
Our offices are easily accessible via lifts. All rooms are wheelchair accessible.
The offices at the Stadtmitte canteen are on the 1st floor above the Bistro, rooms 119 and 120. The lift is located on the left side in the foyer of the Otto-Berndt-Halle.
At the Studierendenhaus of h_da, our office is on the 4th floor. There is also a lift from the foyer (left).
Everyday life with a child
A clear and concise overview is available on the website and app “Wheelmap.org”.
Using a simple traffic light system, the map shows the accessibility of buildings and, where applicable, whether the toilets are accessible as well.
Logo of Wheelmap.org (linked to the website)
The map is now available in 33 languages. Similar to Wikipedia, it works on the principle that anyone can contribute and add information. Simply find places, add them, and rate their accessibility using the traffic light system – worldwide and free of charge.
Many of these topics are covered on the website www.familien-willkommen.de, in the guide for families in Darmstadt.
Additional opportunities for students with children
Any interruption of studies requires the approval of the university. Pregnancy and child care are important reasons for such an interruption.
To clarify whether a semester off is the right option for your situation, you can seek advice at:
TU: Teilzeitstudium
The requirements and necessary documents for an absence permit are different from university to university and the degree program and should be inquired about directly.
When applying for a semester off, the BAföG office must be informed. This is because BAföG isn’t paid during the semester of leave; further payments are only made when you resume your studies.
However, it is possible to apply for unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld II) during this time (application must be made to the responsible job center). Semesters off are not counted towards the maximum funding period, i.e. for each semester off the fixed BAföG funding period is increased by one semester.
Also, recipients of the KfW Student Loan must inform the bank when applying for a semester of absence and will not receive any payments during this semester. It does not continue until you resume your studies or re-register.
The student is not entitled to child benefit during the semester of leave. However, there are two exceptions:
- For pregnant women for the semester in which the childbirth is expected
- During the maternity protection period and the transition period of a maximum of 4 months between the end of the maternity protection period and the continuation of studies.
Semesters off are counted as university semesters, but not as subject semesters. Thus, the semester off has no influence on the adherence to the standard period of study.
As long as your income does not exceed the limit for mini-job limit (minor employment), or you are covered by a family insurance anyway, you are still obliged to have student health insurance.
However, if your income during the semester of leave is above the mini-job limit, you are subject to full social insurance, as working student status is not permitted during the semester of leave.
Whether and which examinations and certificates of achievement can be taken during the semester of leave should be clarified directly with the examination office of the university. During the maternity protection period, academic achievements can always be made during the semester of leave (see "Mutterschutzgesetz").