Applications are processed in the order in which they are received. It does not matter whether documents or inquiries are submitted by mail, via the upload portal, by fax, or by email. Initial applications are processed before applications for continued funding. The date indicates the current status of the oldest unprocessed applications or submissions.
If you have received a request for information regarding your application for financial aid for education, the date listed under “Documents/Other Submissions” is the relevant one for you.
The processing status is typically updated at the beginning of each week.
We ask that you refrain from inquiring about the receipt of documents. Please use the BAföG digital online portal to submit your application and to submit additional documents, supporting evidence, and statements. If this is not possible for you, please submit them by mail. Submitting the same documents multiple times through different channels significantly extends processing times for all applicants.
Processing status as of October 12, 2026 (next update: October 19, 2026):
The main application period begins here in mid-June of each year, as the majority of first-year students begin their studies in the winter semester. At most universities in the state of Bremen, this semester begins in October.
APPLICATIONS: August 20, 2026
DOCUMENTS / OTHER SUBMISSIONS: August 17 , 2026
The main application period begins here in mid-April of each year, since the majority of study abroad programs within our jurisdiction begin in August.
APPLICATIONS: July 27, 2026
DOCUMENTS / OTHER SUBMISSIONS: July 6 , 2026
The main application period begins here in mid-April of each year, as the majority of school-based training programs in Germany and abroad within our jurisdiction begin in August.
APPLICATIONS: July 27, 2026
DOCUMENTS / OTHER SUBMISSIONS: July 6 , 2026
When you submit your application, you’ll need to provide a lot of information about yourself and your family and include supporting documents. Your application will then be sent to our BAföG office, where the team will check to see if everything is complete.
The problem: Only a small fraction of initial and renewal applications arrive at our office complete. If anything is missing, we cannot process the application. Instead, we have to write to you by mail and let you know what’s still missing. Only once you’ve submitted all the missing information can we move forward.
Our office received 14,000 applications last year, the majority of which were submitted around the start of the winter semester. Because so many documents are incomplete, our team spends a lot of time sending out requests for additional information and processing the supplementary documents. This significantly delays the processing. Once we receive your supplementary documents, we process them in the order they are received. We work through them chronologically as they arrive. Otherwise, we would have to put newly received applications—even if they are complete—on hold until ongoing processing is finished.
As soon as your application is complete, things move quickly: We calculate your financial aid, you receive the notification, and the funds are transferred. If something is missing again, we’ll write to you once more—and the cycle starts all over.
If you’re applying for BAföG for the first time, submit your application as soon as possible. Ideally, right after you’ve accepted your spot at a university in Bremen.
If you ’re reapplying for BAföG: The application must be substantially complete and received by the Office for Student Financial Aid two months before the end of the approval period. Example: for a funding period that runs through September 30, the deadline is July 31. You are only entitled to seamless continuation of funding if the application is submitted by that date and is essentially complete. We recommend that you submit your application 6 weeks before this deadline.
Please submit applications for funding for study abroad 6 months before the start of your stay abroad.