Wegweiser Students · Rights & Funding Deutsch

🛌 Leave semester and illness

A leave semester formally interrupts your studies – what that means for BAföG, health insurance and child benefit.

Leave of absence Leave semester Enrolment regulations Important reason

In brief

Leave of absence from studies ("leave semester") is not regulated uniformly nationwide by statute, but in the state higher education acts and the enrolment regulations of individual universities. Recognised grounds are typically illness, pregnancy and parental leave, caring for relatives or a study-related stay abroad. During leave of absence, the obligation to take exams generally lapses; BAföG is in principle not paid, except for certain recognised grounds.

Step by step

  1. Apply in good time before the start of the semesterLeave of absence is usually only possible before or at the start of a semester, retroactively as a rule not at all or only to a limited extent.
  2. Prove the reasonIn the case of illness, a medical certificate usually has to be submitted; the university checks whether a recognised reason exists.
  3. Inform the BAföG officeReport the leave of absence to the BAföG office; whether and to what extent funding continues during leave of absence due to illness has to be clarified in the individual case.
  4. Check health insuranceHealth insurance cover usually remains in place, but the conditions for family or compulsory insurance continue to apply unchanged.
  5. Inform the FamilienkasseWhether child benefit continues to be paid during leave of absence depends on the recognised reason and the continuing intention to train, and should be clarified in the individual case.

Deadlines

university-specific
Application deadlines for leave of absence – no nationwide deadline, regulated in the enrolment regulations of the university concernedState higher education acts
generally not possible
Retroactive leave of absence; BAföG already paid for the period concerned can be reclaimedBAföG administrative practice
Watch out – common mistakes
  • Whether a leave semester extends the BAföG maximum funding period is not an automatic consequence, but depends on the recognised reason and must be clarified individually with the BAföG office.
  • If you work more than marginally during leave of absence, you are fully subject to social insurance contributions in that period, because the working student privilege requires that studies predominate.
  • Health insurance cover usually remains, but the income limits of family insurance continue to apply unchanged.
  • Whether and how a longer leave semester affects places in halls of residence or other benefits of the Studierendenwerke is regulated differently from one Studierendenwerk to another.
In depth · legal basis, figures and practice – for advisers and professionals

Anchoring in state law

There is no nationwide statutory regulation of leave of absence; the decisive rules are the state higher education acts and the enrolment or re-registration regulations of the university concerned. As a result, deadlines, recognised grounds and obligations to provide evidence vary between universities and federal states.

BAföG during leave of absence

In principle, no training assistance is paid during leave of absence, because in this period no proper course of study is being pursued. For certain grounds, in particular illness, an entitlement can nevertheless exist in individual cases according to BAföG practice; a conclusive rule on this individually verified against the statutory text in this research is not asserted here – the BAföG office should be asked in the specific case.

Who is responsible
  • Student administration office/registrar's office of the university
  • BAföG office
  • Health insurance fund
Further reading
Applying for BAföGHealth insurance for studentsDropping out and reorientation

Quick questions

Worum geht es bei „Leave semester and illness“?
A leave semester formally interrupts your studies – what that means for BAföG, health insurance and child benefit.
Which deadlines and figures matter?
  • university-specific: Application deadlines for leave of absence – no nationwide deadline, regulated in the enrolment regulations of the university concerned (State higher education acts)
  • generally not possible: Retroactive leave of absence; BAföG already paid for the period concerned can be reclaimed (BAföG administrative practice)
What should I do first?
  • Apply in good time before the start of the semester: Leave of absence is usually only possible before or at the start of a semester, retroactively as a rule not at all or only to a limited extent.
  • Prove the reason: In the case of illness, a medical certificate usually has to be submitted; the university checks whether a recognised reason exists.
  • Inform the BAföG office: Report the leave of absence to the BAföG office; whether and to what extent funding continues during leave of absence due to illness has to be clarified in the individual case.
What do I need to watch out for?
  • Whether a leave semester extends the BAföG maximum funding period is not an automatic consequence, but depends on the recognised reason and must be clarified individually with the BAföG office.
  • If you work more than marginally during leave of absence, you are fully subject to social insurance contributions in that period, because the working student privilege requires that studies predominate.
  • Health insurance cover usually remains, but the income limits of family insurance continue to apply unchanged.
Evidence
  • State higher education acts (state-specific)
  • Enrolment regulations of the university concerned
  • Note: Individual BAföG administrative regulations on leave of absence were not conclusively verified against the statutory text, see Sources and methodology
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.