Call for a Rally: Push Through the BAföG Amendment Now! (June 11)
The AStA Bonn is calling for a rally on June 11 at 4 p.m. at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) in response to the federal government’s reversal of its previously promised BAföG increase.
Although the federal government had enshrined a BAföG increase for the 2026/27 winter semester in its coalition agreement and had also allocated funds for it in its budget, this concession is now set to fail. Rents and the cost of living continue to rise; BAföG rates have long since ceased to reflect the reality of life today! Here in Bonn, the average rent for a room in a shared apartment is €540[1]—still €100 more than the proposed, increased housing allowance of €440!
"Over a third of students are at risk of poverty [2]. To dismiss our existential anxiety as ‘no big deal’ [3] is a slap in the face. We need an increase in BAföG, and we need it now!” says AStA Chair Pauline Kalle.
The approved increase in BAföG would at least be a first step toward securing a minimum standard of living, because even the maximum BAföG rate is still below that threshold![4]
An increase in BAföG must not be reduced to a minimum or postponed again. BAföG is the central instrument for making universities socially accessible. Access to higher education must not be a luxury, nor should it depend on parents’ income.
We are calling for a rally on Thursday to coincide with the renewed debate in the Bundestag! Come join us—together we will make our voices heard!
[1]: https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/1420229/umfrage/miete-wg-zimmer-in-deutschen-staedten/, zul. abgerufen 10.06.2026.
[2]: https://www.studierendenwerke.de/beitrag/36-armutsbetroffene-studierende, zul. abgerufen 10.06.2026.
[3]: https://www.spiegel.de/start/bafoeg-dorothee-baer-aeussert-sich-studierende-sind-empoert-a-49f5b040-97a5-4ef5-9c98-70d5635a40d2, zul. 10.06.2026.
[4]: https://www.bundesfinanzministerium.de/Content/DE/Standardartikel/Themen/Steuern/das-aendert-sich-2026.html.