A distinction must be made between the Federal Training Assistance Office (Bafög-Amt) and the Federal Training Assistance representative (Bafög-Beauftragter). The Federal Training Assistance Office is an integral part of the German Student Services Association (Deutsches Studentenwerk), while the Federal Training Assistance representative is a faculty member. The Federal Training Assistance Office provides information or advice and processes applications for grants, while the Federal Training Assistance representative in the Economics Faculty is responsible for certification in accordance with § 48 of the Federal Training Assistance Act.

1. Form 5/98

Students who make their first application for a grant before the fifth semester must submit a certificate (form 5/98) in accordance with § 48 of the Federal Training Assistance Act. The certificate must be sent to the Federal Training Assistance Office by the end of the fourth semester. Students who make their first application in the fifth semester or later must submit a similar certificate when they apply. The Federal Training Assistance Office will send the form and the application documents to the student. Alternatively, the student can fetch the form from the Federal Training Assistance Office. Part of the form has to be completed by the student. The applicant has to provide personal data and indicate the semester for which the certificate is required (after the fourth or fifth semester, etc.). Professor Krafft, who is the  Federal Training Assistance representative, issues the certificate on form 5/98. The executive body is the Examinations Office of the Economics Faculty.

2. Procedure

After completing the form, the student should take it to the Examinations Office during office hours. An application is likely to be processed more quickly if the form is accompanied by a stamped self-addressed envelope. The address of the Examinations Office is as follows:
 

Die Bearbeitung und Zustellung des Formulars wird beschleunigt, wenn Sie es unter Beigabe eines Freiumschlages mit Ihrer eigenen Adresse an das Prüfungsamt senden:

          Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
          Prüfungsamt der Wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät
          Hüfferstraße 27
          48149 Münster

3. Certification and its Effects

Certification may take two forms:

• Approved (positive certification),
• Not approved (negative certification).

If the student sends a positive certificate to the Federal Training Assistance Office within the prescribed time limit, the grant can be paid on schedule. What is meant by ‘within the prescribed time limit’ is explained in section 4. If the Federal Training Assistance Office receives a negative certificate or no certificate at all, grant payments will be discontinued. If the certificate presented to the Federal Training Assistance Office is negative, payments may be resumed after a semester on receipt of a positive certificate proving that the curricular targets set for the semester that has just ended have been achieved.

4. Deadlines for Submission of the Certificate

If payments begin during the first four semesters, the certificate must be presented to the Federal Training Assistance Office by the end of the fourth semester. If the application for a grant is made after the fourth semester, the certificate must be submitted at the same time as the application documents. 

The following conditions apply to certificates which have to be presented by the end of the fourth semester:

• If a positive certificate is submitted to the Federal Training Assistance Office at least two months before the end of the fourth semester, the monthly payments will continue without interruption after the fourth semester.
• If the certificate is presented after the expiry of the deadline, payments will be interrupted at the beginning of the fifth semester. If a positive certificate is subsequently filed within the first four months of the fifth semester, the Federal Training Assistance Office will give instructions for the payments to be resumed, and the amounts that were held back after the end of the fourth semester will be paid retroactively.
• If the certificate is not presented at the latest four months after the beginning of the fifth semester, no grant will be paid for the regular fifth semester or the ensuing period.

5. Requirements for the Issuance of a Positive Certificate

Requirements for the issuance of positive certificates have been stipulated by the department executive committee. No exceptions are made. If students follow the recommended course sequence, achieve normal results, and apply for certificates within the prescribed time limit, they will receive their certificates early enough to avoid an interruption of payments after the fourth semester.

Requirements in accordance with the 2010 Examination Regulations (Bachelor of Science degree):

6. Special Cases

The aforementioned requirements must be met even if the applicant studies abroad and/or transfers to another university.

There are special cases where the Federal Training Assistance Office will countenance a late submission of the requisite certificate in accordance with § 48 of the Federal Training Assistance Act. Such cases concern conditions or activities which justify exceeding the maximum time limit for assistance in accordance with § 15, section 3 of the Federal Training Assistance Act. Exceptions are limited to cases where delays in studies are due to illness, pregnancy, activities as an MP or an elected member of a student council or committee. Proof of such states or activities must be submitted to the Federal Training Assistance Office along with an informal application for permission to present the requisite certificate after expiry of the deadline. For more details, please contact the Federal Training Assistance Office.

7. Other Certificates

A certificate issued in accordance with § 48 of the Federal Training Assistance Act is neither a certificate of enrolment nor a certificate of achievement. Certificates of enrolment are issued only by the Student Affairs Office (Schlossplatz 2). Certificates of achievement are issued only by the Examinations Office.

Who to contact:

For more details, please contact the Examinations Office of the Economics Faculty.
Email: pam@wiwi.uni-muenster.de