Student financing
Financing your studies is crucial for your education, as it enables access to education regardless of your financial situation. Various forms of support such as scholarships, loans, BAföG and part-time jobs help to cover tuition fees and living costs. Adequate funding is essential to promote equal opportunities and educational equity and to support both personal and social development in the long term.
You can find more information on the topic of student financing on the official Paderborn University website: https: //www.uni-paderborn.de/studium/studienfinanzierung
BAföG certificates of achievement in the subject area of computer science
A BAföG transcript of records is required by anyone applying for BAföG funding for the first time or as continued funding from the fifth or later semesters of a Bachelor's degree programme. For funding in the first four semesters of the Bachelor's degree programme and in the Master's degree programme, no academic achievements need to be proven.
The proof of achievement for the application for continued funding after the 4th semester (Bachelor's) certifies either the achievements that have been completed by the end of the 4th semester or correspondingly lower achievements that have been completed by the end of the 3rd semester. The latter can avoid delays in the application or continuation of payment. At the bottom of the page you can see which academic achievements must be proven in computer science degree programmes.
When starting or re-entering BAföG funding in the 6th or higher semester, correspondingly higher academic achievements must be proven. The BAföG officer for the subject area of Computer Science can answer questions about the scope of the required academic achievements.
For continued funding from the 5th semester onwards, proof must be provided once of the academic achievements that have been acquired by the end of the third or fourth semester (by 31 March or 30 September). It is still accepted if an examination is only scheduled shortly afterwards or the results are only announced later.
In the Bachelor's degree programme in Computer Science, 115 ECTS points must be earned after the 5th semester, 90 ECTS points (out of a possible 120) after the 4th semester or 65 ECTS points after the 3rd semester.
In the degree programme Lehramt Informatik GuG, 33 ECTS points (out of a possible 45) must be proven after the 4th semester or 24 ECTS points in Computer Science after the 3rd semester. You must also provide proof of BAföG credits for the second subject area.
Please seek advice from the BAföG officer if you have not acquired exactly the required credits.
If you are applying for funding from the 6th or higher semester, you must also provide evidence of additional achievements. Please seek advice from the BAföG officer.
No proof of performance is required for funding in the Master's degree programme; admission to the degree programme is sufficient.
If you have completed the coursework specified below for the 3rd or 4th semester, you can obtain a certificate of the total ECTS points achieved from the Central Examination Office (with date, stamp and signature) and submit it directly to the BAföG office. In this case, you do not need to submit any further forms.
If you are not sure whether your academic achievements are sufficient or whether other achievements could be recognised instead of missing ECTS points, ask the BAföG representative for the subject area of Computer Science for advice during their consultation hours. Please bring a grade confirmation from the Examinations Office with you.
Students who receive BAföG at the end of their Bachelor's degree programme and continue their studies in the Master's degree programme can also receive BAföG funding in the Master's degree programme, as these Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes are consecutive. No further proof of performance other than admission to the Master's programme is required.
However, enrolment in the Master's degree programme is a prerequisite for BAföG funding. Proof that all requirements for the Master's programme have been met (and therefore courses can be taken in the Master's programme) is not sufficient. There may be a gap in BAföG funding between the completion of the Bachelor's degree programme and the formal start of the Master's degree programme at the beginning of the following semester. According to the BAföG office, this cannot currently be avoided by an otherwise desirable transitional arrangement.
