Bafög is not enough: Students live cheap in Trier!

Bafög is not enough: Students live cheap in Trier!

Trier, Deutschland - The living situation for students in Germany is becoming increasingly tense! A current research by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) shows that the BAföG is often not sufficient to cover rents. Despite an increase to up to 992 euros and an increase in the flat rate of 360 to 380 euros, the reality remains bitter for many students. In most German cities, the BAföG share for rent is simply not enough to finance a shared apartment!

in Trier there is a ray of hope: the median rent for a shared apartment in the living facilities of the student union is only 265 euros, which is well below the average of 400 euros on the free market. But appearance is deceptive! The demand far exceeds the supply. If you want to get a room, you have to prepare for a waiting time of two semesters, because all 1,573 places have already been occupied. Only about 11 percent of the 15,494 students in Trier can live in a dormitory, while only every tenth student lives in one in Germany.

Appeal for BAföG reform

The situation is further tightened by rising rents. Andreas Wagner, Managing Director of the Trier Studierendenwerk, warns: "For many students who do not receive a place to live with us, there is a gap between the BAföG flat rate and rental costs." This forces many young people to look for additional sources of income to finance their studies. In the winter semester 23/24, only about 17.5 percent of students in Germany received BAföG. Wagner therefore calls for a fundamental reform of state study financing and more publicly funded living space for students. The need is great and time is pushing!