Social loan counselling and semester ticket refund in accordance with the hardship regulation
The social office oversees the allocation of the social loan, an interest-free loan provided by the AStA. This loan supports students in situations of financial hardship, e.g. while waiting for their BAFöG application to go through. The social office also refunds semester tickets in accordance with the hardship regulation.
If you want to apply for a social loan or semester ticket refund, feel free to come in for counselling (room no. L4-123 in the main building) or call us under 0521/106-3437 during office hours. We will clarify further conditions and answer your questions. You can also send an email to soziales@asta-bielefeld.de.
Important: For the social loan, we can only accept application forms that have your original signature, which is why you cannot submit them via email.
You should preferably submit application forms for the social loan in person or by mail. Alternatively, you can use the university’s ‚deadline mailbox‘, which can be found in front of the main building between sections C and D. The application forms are linked down below. Other documents can still be submitted via email.
Our office hours Summer Semester 2024:
Tuesdays 12-16
Wednesdays 10-12 & 14-16
Thursdays 10-14
Appointments outside of office hours possible if needed.
Alina & Annika
e-mail: soziales@asta-bielefeld.de
phone: 0521/106-3437
FAQ social loan
What is the social loan?
The social loan is a loan of max. 800 € provided by the AStA and free of interest. No processing fees or the like are collected.
Who can apply for a social loan?
Every student enrolled at Bielefeld University can apply for a social loan. It is granted to those in need, e.g. if you need to pay for rent, utility bills or health insurance at short notice but don’t have the money to do so. In certain cases, the social loan can also be used to compensate existing debt (please reach out to the social office first as you will might to get BAFöG and/or debt counselling).
How do I get the social loan?
You can apply for a social loan at the social office of the AStA. During office hours, we answer your questions and provide help with filling out the application form.
Which documents do I need to submit?
Apart from personal information and details of your current financial situation (as disclosed in the application form) we need:
- Your current original semester certificate
- Copies of your bank account statements of the last three months
- A copy of your ID or passport
- If applicable (after consultation with us): Certificates of BAföG and/or debt counselling
- For international students: A copy of the account statement of the blocked account with non-disclosure notice
FAQ semester ticket refund
What is a semester ticket refund?
If you apply for a semester ticket refund in accordance with the hardship regulation, you can get the usually mandatory semester ticket refunded retrospectively.
Who can apply for a semester ticket refund?
Every student enrolled at Bielefeld University with a monthly income of max. 450 €. Further hardship rules (e.g. children) apply (§8 (2) Mobilitätsbeitragsordnung).
Which documents do I need to submit?
Apart from personal information and details of your current financial situation (as disclosed in the application form) we need:
- Your current original semester certificate
- Copies of your bank account statements of the last three months
- A copy of your ID or passport
- If applicable: Proof that you have children, care for relatives or live under other exceptional circumstances we might want to consider