Wegweiser Students · Rights & Funding Deutsch

📞 Advice and contact points

Who is responsible for what – and where can you get independent support if you are getting nowhere with the BAföG office, landlord or examinations office?

Studierendenwerk Legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) Rechtsantragsstelle (court clerk's office for filing applications) Psychosocial counselling

In brief

Different offices are responsible for different matters: the Studierendenwerk for BAföG, housing and psychosocial counselling, the General Students' Committee (AStA/StuRa) often for initial, free social and BAföG advice, the university for examination questions, the Verbraucherzentrale and tenants' association for contract questions, and local and administrative courts for formal enforcement of rights.

Step by step

  1. Categorise the issueMoney/BAföG, housing, health, examination law or debt – each topic has its own first point of contact.
  2. Use the first point of contactOften the Studierendenwerk or the university itself is the quickest first contact.
  3. Check legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe)For legal conflicts outside ongoing court proceedings, income-dependent legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) can be applied for at the Amtsgericht.
  4. Use the RechtsantragsstelleFor an action before the administrative court, the Rechtsantragsstelle there helps with drafting, with no requirement to have a lawyer.
  5. Bring in professional representationIn more complex cases, a specialist lawyer for administrative or social law can be sensible.

Deadlines

before proceedings begin
Legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) should in principle be applied for before proceedings are initiatedLegal Advice Assistance Act (Beratungshilfegesetz, BerHG)
during proceedings
Legal aid (Prozesskostenhilfe) can be applied for during ongoing court proceedings, but does not take effect retroactively before the application§ 166 VwGO i. V. m. §§ 114 ff. ZPO
Watch out – common mistakes
  • Psychosocial counselling centres of the Studierendenwerke are usually free of charge and bound by confidentiality – reluctance to use them is often unfounded.
  • If you go directly to a lawyer without first applying for legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe), you often pay the full rate unnecessarily.
  • The Rechtsantragsstelle at the administrative court helps with drafting a claim, but does not replace substantive legal advice on the prospects of success.
  • Specialised advice services for students are available to very different degrees by region – there is no uniform nationwide structure.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) and legal aid (Prozesskostenhilfe)

Legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe, Legal Advice Assistance Act) covers out-of-court legal advice and representation for people with low income, for a small personal contribution. For court proceedings that are already under way, there is legal aid (Prozesskostenhilfe) instead (§ 166 VwGO i. V. m. §§ 114 ff. ZPO for administrative procedure).

Umbrella organisation

The Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW) is the nationwide umbrella organisation of the Studierendenwerke and offers on its topic pages, among other things, orientation on BAföG, housing and studying with a disability or chronic illness.

Who is responsible
  • Studierendenwerk
  • University
  • AStA/StuRa
  • Verbraucherzentrale
  • Amtsgericht
  • Administrative court
Further reading
BAföG objection and repaymentChallenging exam results and compensation for disadvantagesDebt and over-indebtedness

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Advice and contact points“?
Who is responsible for what – and where can you get independent support if you are getting nowhere with the BAföG office, landlord or examinations office?
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • before proceedings begin: Legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) should in principle be applied for before proceedings are initiated (Legal Advice Assistance Act (Beratungshilfegesetz, BerHG))
  • during proceedings: Legal aid (Prozesskostenhilfe) can be applied for during ongoing court proceedings, but does not take effect retroactively before the application (§ 166 VwGO i. V. m. §§ 114 ff. ZPO)
What should I do first?
  • Categorise the issue: Money/BAföG, housing, health, examination law or debt – each topic has its own first point of contact.
  • Use the first point of contact: Often the Studierendenwerk or the university itself is the quickest first contact.
  • Check legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe): For legal conflicts outside ongoing court proceedings, income-dependent legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe) can be applied for at the Amtsgericht.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • Psychosocial counselling centres of the Studierendenwerke are usually free of charge and bound by confidentiality – reluctance to use them is often unfounded.
  • If you go directly to a lawyer without first applying for legal advice assistance (Beratungshilfe), you often pay the full rate unnecessarily.
  • The Rechtsantragsstelle at the administrative court helps with drafting a claim, but does not replace substantive legal advice on the prospects of success.
Evidence
  • Legal Advice Assistance Act (Beratungshilfegesetz, BerHG), gesetze-im-internet.de
  • § 166 VwGO (gesetze-im-internet.de)
  • studierendenwerke.de
As of

As of September 2026. · Sources and method

A question about your situation that this page does not answer? Write to us or use the contact form – we will tell you which office is responsible and what to bring. Free of charge, without individual legal advice.