Hi Cyp,
Welcome to the German Wikipedia. Sorry that most of our stuff is in German - but I am sure that there are enough people willing to help you in English or whatever language you prefer ;-)
--zeno 01:12, 14. Jan 2004 (CET)
"BaFöG" means "Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz" (what a beautiful composite word ;-) = Federal law for the individual education support (or something like this).
The word is also used to name the payments by the state, based on this law.
It is used to fund students whose parents cannot afford to pay their studies.
For certain types of education, the parent's financial situation is not important, e.g. if you have a complete professional education (not from a university, but within industry or commerce), and then try to get the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (permission to study at any university in Germany), they will pay you money, no matter whether your parents are rich or poor.
Master may have different meanings:
- Common translation for the (about) five-year university degrees Magister and Diplom.
- so-called Master degrees also have been offered by almost all German universities for a few years now. They are usually additional studies for people who already have a Magister or Diplom (maybe in another field), or for students holding a Bachelor degree (which is also new in Germany)
- Meister is best translated with "foreman" or "master craftsman". It is a title for craftsmen. After the Lehre (apprenticeship), you have the title Geselle ("craftsman"). After some years of work, you may receive, after an additional instruction, the Meister - which enables you to have apprentices, run your own shop (the laws concerning several professions are quite strict in Germany).
The Meister-BaFöG corresponds to the student's BaFöG, only that it is for education that does not take place at a university.
I hope this helps a bit. If you have more questions, just ask.
Any German may apply for BaFöG (you do not even need a German passport, it is enough to have a German mother or sth. like this), but only for education that takes place in Germany. For education programs out of Germany, there are different scholarship schemes, e.g. by the DAAD (German Foreign Academic Exchange Council).
--zeno 01:32, 14. Jan 2004 (CET)
Sorry if you already answered this... More specifically, if someone (not me) with a Bachelor in physics doesn't currently live in Germany, and doesn't know German, but does have German citizenship, and they wanted to study something like subatomic physics in Germany, masters level at a university, would BAföG help? I'm confused as to whether it applies to anything after Bachelor. (If not, is there a good alternative?) Thanks for helping. Cyp 02:24, 14. Jan 2004 (CET)
Yes - as long he/she is German - it is possible to receive money from the state. The language is not an issue - besides the paperwork, of course ;-). I do not know 100%, but I think it is possible to get payments until masters levels. However, the person in question must not be over 26 years (or something like this) old. If the person is older than that, it is still possible to get a credit from the state. If in doubt, the person has to contact the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung in the city where he/she will be living (not in the university town). They are normally quite cooperative.
--zeno 08:48, 14. Jan 2004 (CET)
Thanks for your help, I think that answers my question. (I assume until masters levels means while the level being studied ≤ masters or while completed levels < masters.) Cyp 14:24, 14. Jan 2004 (CET)
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