Helps even before you start studying

What is the Studienstart loan?

The Studienstart loan is an interest-free loan in the amount of the semester fees of the respective university. It is intended to enable prospective students to begin their studies. The loan is intended in particular to help prospective students from basic income support households to finance the enrolment fee.
The Studierendenwerk Oldenburg grants the Studienstart-Darlehen together with the Förderverein der Jade Hochschule Wilhelmshaven e.V. and private donors.

How can you apply?

In order for the loan to be granted, the applicant must intend to study at one of the universities for which the Studierendenwerk Oldenburg is responsible: the University of Oldenburg, the Jade University of Applied Sciences or the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences.
Our student finance counsellor will talk to you to check whether you are eligible for the study start-up grant. If yes, you can submit an application directly and easily.

How does the repayment work?

Together with the student finance advisor, you determine the amount you will repay each month. This amount will then be collected by the Studierendenwerk Oldenburg.
If you do not provide proof of enrolment at one of the above-mentioned universities at the start of the semester, you are obliged to repay the entire loan amount immediately.

In acute emergencies

What is the emergency fund?

The emergency aid fund of the Studierendenwerk Oldenburg supports students in bridging an acute financial emergency situation when other funding or aid is not available. A loan from the emergency fund is intended to give students the opportunity to continue their studies.

Who can apply for money from the fund?

Students at the University of Oldenburg, the Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and the Jade University of Applied Sciences who are in a current financial emergency are eligible to apply. Students who are threatened with de-registration or homelessness due to a lack of funds, for example, can apply for money from the emergency fund during a counselling session with the student finance advisor.

The loans granted, with a maximum amount of up to €1,000, are intended to help overcome the acute emergency situation. The funds from the emergency aid fund are not intended to cover permanent need. Furthermore, there is no entitlement to a loan, as this depends on the availability of funds.

How does the repayment work?

The individual repayment options are also discussed with the application for support from the emergency fund. In principle, the loan must be repaid within twelve months.

To bridge short-term bottlenecks before or during your studies

What is the AStA loan?

The General Student Committees (short, singular: AStA, plural: ASten) grant temporary loans to buffer manageable payment bottlenecks with a clear repayment perspective. They are therefore not used for the permanent basic financing of a degree programme. The reason for such short-term loans is usually the processing backlog of social benefit providers. Or there is simply no money for enrolment before the start of studies, so that the BAföG office cannot pay due to a lack of enrolment certificate.

What are the General Student Committees?

The ASten are elected by the student parliaments of the respective university and form something like the "government" of the student body. They are supposed to represent the interests of their fellow students.

Who do you need to contact?

Because there are three universities in the Studierendenwerk Oldenburg's area of responsibility , we also have to deal with three different student councils, each of which sets its own lending conditions. Because the composition and division of the departments can change, there is not always one social department with clear responsibility for the loans. This is often done by the Executive Board or the Finance Department. Please check directly with the AStA of your university to find out who exactly you can contact:

AStA of the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (asta-oldenburg.de)
AStA of the Jade University (asta-jade.de)
AStA - AStA Emden/Leer (asta-emden-leer.de)

To bridge bottlenecks or shortly before graduation

What is the DSW loan?

The umbrella organisation Deutsches Studierendenwerk (DSW) provides the local student unions with funds that can be passed on to students in the form of loans if they find themselves in an emergency situation that cannot be remedied by other financial means. The hardship fund is intended to support bridging measures within the degree programme (if there is no entitlement to BAföG!) as well as the completion of studies in the form of an interest-free loan.

The hardship fund is not intended to bridge the gap if the payment of BAföG benefits is delayed. Advance payments from the financial aid department or short-term loans from the responsible AStA are more suitable for this purpose (see above)

Amount: up to €649 per month (as an interest-free loan) for a maximum of two semesters

Contact and application: Jens Müller-Sigl

What conditions apply?

• Other means of financing must be prioritised (e.g. educational or student loan or parental support, § 1 of the guidelines).
• Only a first degree programme is funded (a Master's degree after the Bachelor's degree is also considered a first degree programme).
• A guarantor must be provided for the loan (the total debt must be assumed if the debtor cannot be found or is foreseeably unable to repay).
• A direct debit authorisation for repayment is required. The debtor bears the costs of non-functioning instalment collections; interest on arrears is also charged.

How can I submit the application?

The application is made via the student finance advisor Jens Müller-Sigl. He can also provide you with detailed information.

How does the repayment work?

Repayment should be completed after 60 months at the latest (from the first month of disbursement). It begins six months after the last payment. The minimum instalment is €55, but can be higher depending on the amount to be repaid and the repayment period.

For example, with a grant of €300 for 12 months (i.e. €3,600 in total) and a six-month repayment deferral, only 42 months remain for the payment phase in which the total debt must be repaid: 3.€600 / 42 = €85.72 instalment amount.