IG Metall calls for decisive steps on BAföG reform and student housing

‘Educational justice must not remain a distant promise in coalition agreements that might be fulfilled at some point. It has to be a reality here and now,’ says Thorsten Gröger, District Leader of IG Metall Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt.
‘Students are under enormous pressure: rents are exploding, the costs of food and energy are rising, and BAföG is too low and reaches too few. Anyone fobbing young people off until 2027 is robbing them of opportunities and prospects. Support has to come now – not at some point in the distant future.’

IG Metall wants the planned reforms to take effect by winter 2025/26. The union calls for:

• An immediate increase in the BAföG basic rate and the housing allowance so students can cover basic needs.
• Automatic indexation of support rates to actual price developments, so inflation does not dictate education paths.
• Simpler procedures under the ‘once-only’ principle: authorities must not ask students for data they already hold.
• Full digitalisation of BAföG beyond online forms – digital files and decisions, fast communication, and transparent processes as standard.
• An information campaign to ensure more eligible students apply.

Housing is the most urgent issue. There are political initiatives, but implementation is too slow. ‘The reality is that students often have to wait months for a room in a shared flat or pay €500 and more for tiny rooms. Having a place of one’s own has long since become a luxury,’ says Gröger. ‘But housing must not be a privilege. Programmes alone are not enough; there must be concrete new builds and refurbishments – and they must start now. The diggers need to roll, not in three years’ time.’

IG Metall also stresses the need for a functioning social infrastructure. Refectories, advisory services, psychological support, modern libraries and university facilities, and a permanently affordable Deutschlandticket (Germany Ticket) are essential for good study conditions. Without these pillars, “educational justice” becomes an empty phrase.

‘Students must not be left to experience that political promises are repeatedly postponed while they themselves grapple every day with existential worries,’ the trade unionist warns. ‘It is not enough to put concepts on paper – what’s needed is political priority, reliable funding and genuine collaboration among all stakeholders. Only then can young people receive the support they urgently need.’

This debate is about more than individual relief. ‘Education is not an end in itself – it is the foundation of a society that relies on progress, innovation and social cohesion,’ says Gröger. ‘Whether at universities, in workshops or in companies – the younger generation embodies the intellectual, creative and practical potential of our country. They bring together knowledge and craft, theory and practice, tradition and innovation – and are therefore the true wealth of our society. They are the ones who generate new ideas, broaden scientific horizons, shape cultural developments and drive social change. Anyone who fails to give them a secure basis today will tomorrow not only gamble away individual educational biographies, but also endanger innovative strength, competitiveness and trust in the reliability of our democracy. Missed investments in young people do not only mean fewer opportunities for individuals; they weaken entire regions. That is why acting now is as much a matter of economic common sense as it is of social responsibility.’