Dual-study funding — 30 seconds
Your base is the salary from your partner company (typically €900–1,600/month depending on the industry). The statutory minimum wage does not apply to dual students — pay is a matter of contract or collective agreement. BAföG is possible in theory but usually reduced to €0 by counting your salary. In return, child benefit continues (until 25) and company benefits are often generous: travel costs, laptop, semester fees — and increasingly a rent subsidy or a company-provided room.
Your building blocks
- ✓Salary: contractual or collective — when negotiating, compare with apprentice pay in the industry plus your academic workload.
- ✓Child benefit: continues until 25 during a first degree — regardless of earnings.
- ✓Housing via the company: many companies cover rent fully or partly, especially when the campus is far away. Template letter and arguments: rent takeover by the company (German).
- ✓Deutschlandstipendium: open to dual students — €300/month on top.
- ✓KfW student loan: explicitly covers dual programmes if a gap remains.
- ✓Tax: with an employment contract you can deduct work-related costs (trips to campus, equipment, possibly a second home) — often several hundred euros back.
For your employer: a room as a benefit
Worth passing on: a furnished room from €395 all-in is a cheap, predictable benefit that makes dual students recruitable from all over Germany. Info for your HR department: housing as a benefit (German) and the company brochure (PDF, German) ↗.
As of September 2026, without guarantee.
Frequently asked questions
Am I entitled to minimum wage as a dual student?
No — the Minimum Wage Act explicitly exempts dual students (like apprentices). Contract and collective agreements govern pay. Practice-integrated models with a genuine employment contract may differ — ask the union or IHK if unsure.
Is a BAföG application worth it in a dual programme?
Usually not: the salary is counted almost in full and pushes the entitlement to €0. Exception: very low pay combined with low parental income — then have it calculated.
Can my company cover my rent tax-efficiently?
Companies can structure housing costs as part of pay or via subsidies — the tax treatment depends on the model and belongs with HR/tax advisors. Our company pages provide the arguments.