In 2022, the federal government passed the new BAföG reform.

This means, among other things, a higher maximum subsidy amount (from EUR 861 to EUR 934) and higher property allowances (from EUR 15,000 to EUR 21,800 for under-30s).

Nevertheless, not all eligible students apply for BAföG.

In order to find out why this is the case, the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods in Bonn, together with Fraunhofer FIT, created a NRW-wide survey. This is intended to uncover misjudgments – this helps us as the AStA to better support students with BAföG problems.

The survey runs until May 31st and can be accessed via the link below. Participation in the study is voluntary and anonymous. The data will be treated confidentially and used exclusively for research purposes.

In addition, 100 times €25 will be raffled among the participants.

Link to the survey: http://www.coll.mpg.de/studienfinanzierung

If you want to check whether you are eligible to apply, you can do so at bafoeg-rechner.de, for example

If you have any questions, there is also the initial consultation for the BAföG application from the Studierendenwerk (Wed 9-11 a.m. via Zoom) and our AStA BAföG advice (bafoeg@asta.tu-dortmund.de).

Our AStA-consulting concerning study issues now takes place every Tuesday from 11 am to 1 pm.

You are interested in what is happening in the world? Do you want to change something and have the feeling that human rights need much more attention? Then the Working Group for Human Rights is just right for you!
We want to rebuild the group and are looking for you! As a group, we want to actively advocate for the rights of all people and are looking for creative ways to bring about change. We believe that each of us can help create a better world.
By working with other like-minded people and organizing campaigns and events, we want to draw attention to important issues. Whether it’s standing up for the rights of refugees, fighting discrimination and racism, or promoting education and health – we are ready to stand up for all human rights. To this end, we also work in close cooperation with Amnesty International.
Together we can build a strong community and have a positive impact on society. Become part of the AG for Human Rights now! We would be delighted to meet you at one of our regular group meetings. For this and for any questions, please contact us by email at

ai-hochschulgruppe.do@amnesty-emails.de

Until then!

If you have received an increased transport fee (fine) despite owning a valid semester ticket, write to us using the form on our website!

From March 20th to April 2nd the U44 will not run due to a construction site. Replacement buses will be running between the Reinoldikirche and Borsigplatz stations during this period!

More information: www.bus-und-bahn.de

LINK TO THE PETITION

SAVE THE SEMESTER TICKET! We call for an improvement to student mobility. Our demands: a ticket that’s no more than 129 euros per semester, with a nationwide validity, starting from 1 May!
 
We, the student unions in NRW, demand a solidarity-financed semester ticket with Germany-wide validity at a price of 129 euros per semester, building on the 49-euro-ticket and with a starting date of 1 May 2023. 
 
Our arguments:

• The semester ticket as a solidarity model must be preserved! This is the best way of guaranteeing affordable mobility for all students, because at the moment the semester ticket is cheaper than comparable tickets by a factor of ten.
  
• The federal and state governments have proposed an upgrade model in which students would have to pay the difference between the semester ticket and the 49-euro-ticket in order to travel throughout Germany using the semester ticket. However, this would mean that studentswould still have to pay 35 euros for their NRW-wide ticket, while holders of a job ticket can travel throughout Germany for a maximum of 35 euros a month. That is unfair!
  
• The upgrade model is also legally questionable. It jeopardises the continuation of the semester ticket, but abolishing the semester ticket would make mobility much more expensive for students!
  
• The 129-Euro-Ticket does not require any additional subsidies, as the price advantage – as before – is largely due to the solidarity financing!
  
• The introduction during the summer semester is possible: we proved that much when we dealt with the ramifications of the 9-euro-ticket. Therefore, there is nothing to prevent the introduction of the ticket in the middle of the semester or the refunding of semester fees that were paid in advance.

A Germany-wide, solidarity-financed semester ticket on 1 May is still possible – if it is made a priority in politics! Help us with your signature to finally get the politicians to act! 
 
But… Is it fair that students only pay 129 euros per semester for mobility throughout Germany?
 
Yes. 
 
Since the semester ticket is only possible thanks to a solidarity model in which all students pay the same amount – regardless of how much the individual person uses the ticket – it would become legally difficult to justify that students have to keep paying the same price as before, now that the “normal” tickets have become more affordable. 
 
Currently, students in NRW pay 35 euros a month for NRW-wide mobility. In order to combine the 49-euro-ticket and the semester ticket, an upgrade model has been proposed by the Bund-Länder-AG: from 1 May, students should be able to pay the difference between the semester ticket and the 49-euro-ticket and thus upgrade their ticket to a Germany-wide validity. 
 
Why is this not a good idea? 
 
The upgrade model is UNFAIR! 
 
With the proposed upgrade model, students will continue to pay 35 euros a month for a NRW ticket – the same amount that employees will pay in future for their job ticket, which is valid throughout Germany. 
 
The upgrade model is LEGALLY CONTENTIOUS! 
 
According to current assessments, the upgrade model is not legally permissible. As a result, legal proceedings are to be expected and the abolition of the semester ticket could be the consequence. The legality of solidarity-financed semester tickets has been justified by the Federal Constitutional Court and the Federal Administrative Court of Germany, among other things, on the grounds that the burden on individual students is low compared to the great advantage it brings to the student body as a whole. This is no longer the case with a solidarity contribution of 35 euros per month on average for the NRW semester ticket compared to the 49-euro-ticket. 
 
The abolition of the semester ticket would mean that mobility for students would become significantly more expensive – this contradicts the goal of the 49-euro-ticket. In other words, without a semester ticket, students would not even be able to use public transport throughout NRW for 35 euros a month. 
 
A nationwide solidarity ticket starting in the WINTER SEMESTER IS TOO LATE! 
 
Although the Bund-Länder-AG – in line with our demand – is proposing a solidarity ticket valid throughout Germany in the long term, NRW should not wait until all the federal states have agreed on a solidarity model and should not introduce the legally questionable and unfair upgrade model for students as a transitional measure. After all, the basic idea of the 49-euro ticket is easy-to-use and affordable public transport for all people. 
 
ROLE MODEL 9-EURO-TICKET 
 
The introduction of the 9-euro-ticket in the middle of the semester and the refunding of semester fees paid in excess worked smoothly last year. The procedures have already been tried and tested! Therefore, the only thing standing in the way of introducing a Germany-wide solidarity ticket for students in NRW on 1 May is politics! 
 
The solidarity model requires NO ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIES! 
 
The semester ticket is currently purchased by all student bodies in NRW as a major customer from the public transport companies. The low price does not come from subsidies or grants, but from the solidarity model in which all students pay the same contribution for the ticket – regardless of how often the individual uses the ticket. So far, this has made it possible for the semester ticket to be cheaper than comparable tickets by a factor of about ten. 
 
What about apprentices, pupils and other young people? 
 
Pitting different groups against each other is not the way to go! The semester ticket shows that cheap, socially beneficial and sustainable mobility is possible for everyone. This achievement should not be put at risk but should be used as a model for other user groups.

Verdi has again called for a strike, causing the DSW21 bus and train lines to come to a standstill on March 21.

To be more precise: From March 21 (3:30 a.m.) to March 22 (1:30 a.m.) there will be no tram and bus lines in Dortmund, Essen, Gladbeck, Schwerte, Lünen and Castrop-Rauxel.

In Dortmund, the NachtExpress lines (from Reinoldikirche) are also said to be affected.

NOT affected: Local trains, S-Bahn, H-Bahn and the airport special lines

IMPORTANT: Inform yourself right before your journey whether or not your buses/trains are running!

Source: www.derwesten.de 

Our digital international feminist fight week starts today. Every day we post content about (in)equality and sexism on Instagram (@astatudortmund).

There is also a super diverse program! You can find all the details here:

Good news!

This month, rooms for free student work and exam preparation are available again on selected Saturdays in seminar room building 1 (SRG1). So come and learn! You can study here on February 4, 11, 18 and 25.

The building is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is manned by a porter. We wish you the best of luck for the exam phase!

In certain cases, students can receive a subsidy for energy cost payments from the job center.

Students who

1. receive a BAföG benefit and live in the parents’ household or

2. live in the parental household and only receive no BAföG benefits because the Office for Educational Support has determined that they or their parents have too much income or assets, are entitled to unemployment benefit II if they are in need of help.

This need for help can also arise, for example, from back payments for heating costs or increased heating cost deductions (Section 7, paragraph 6 of the Second Book of the Code of Social Law).

Students who

3. no longer live with their parents, or are not entitled to BAföG for reasons other than income/assets can receive a loan to cover the needs for accommodation and heating if there is particular hardship (§ 27 SGB II).

The job centers often decide on a case-by-case basis whether there is a need for help or particular hardship. Here you can find the contact details of the Jobcenter Dortmund: https://jobcenterdortmund.de/de/kontakt