Paying for a Master's Without Parental Support: 4 Ways That Work

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You have your bachelor's degree in hand and want to pay for your master's, but you can't or don't want to count on money from your parents? I know this situation from my own circle: my fellow student Laura had to pay for her master's in Cologne entirely without her parents' support. After three months she had a working system made up of parent-independent BAföG (German state student aid), a working student job and a small education loan. Today I'll show you four concrete ways that actually work in Germany.

The challenge when paying for a master's is that many traditional forms of funding, such as regular BAföG, depend on your parents' income. According to the German Student Services organization (Deutsches Studentenwerk), only about 11% of all master's students receive parent-independent BAföG. But there are alternatives, and I'll walk you through them in detail now.

Parent-independent BAföG for a master's: when you are entitled to it

The first way to pay for your master's without parental support is parent-independent BAföG. Unlike regular BAföG, your parents' income doesn't count here. You currently receive a maximum of 934 euros per month, of which 50% is paid as a grant and only 50% has to be repaid as an interest-free loan.

But watch out: the requirements are strict. You must meet one of these conditions: you have worked for at least five years after your 18th birthday, or you can show three years of employment after completing a vocational training program of at least three years. Only full-time employment of at least 20 hours per week counts as employment here.

A real-life example: after finishing high school, an acquaintance of mine, Tim, did an apprenticeship as an office management clerk, completed the three years, and then worked full time for another year. That added up to four years after the three-year apprenticeship. He received parent-independent BAföG for his MBA-style business master's at the University of Mannheim. The key point: the years must be provable without gaps through employment contracts and social security records.

Working student job: the foundation of your master's financing

The second pillar of paying for a master's is a working student job (Werkstudentenjob). Unlike a mini-job, here you may work up to 20 hours per week during the semester and full time during semester breaks. That brings you between 800 and 1,200 euros net per month, depending on your hourly wage and working hours.

The current minimum wage is 12.41 euros per hour. At 20 hours per week you earn about 1,050 euros gross per month. After social security contributions, you are left with around 850 euros net. In technical degree programs or at larger companies, 18 to 22 euros per hour is also realistic.

During my master's I earned 16.50 euros per hour as a working student at a Cologne marketing agency. At an average of 18 hours per week, that came to about 950 euros net. Important to know: as a working student you only pay reduced social security contributions, but you are covered by health insurance and build up pension entitlements. You can find a detailed comparison of the different job models in my article on the comparison between mini-jobs and working student jobs.

KfW student loan: flexible funding for your master's

The third way is the KfW student loan. You can apply for it completely independently of your parents' income. You receive between 100 and 650 euros per month, for a maximum of 14 semesters. The effective annual interest rate is currently 4.69% (as of March 2025).

What makes it special: the payout phase runs during your studies, followed by a grace period of 6 to 23 months in which you don't have to repay anything. Only then does repayment begin, over a maximum of 25 years. For a two-year master's with a monthly payout of 400 euros, you would receive 9,600 euros in total. With interest, you repay about 12,500 euros over the years.

A realistic scenario: you combine a 400 euro KfW loan with 900 euros net from your working student job. That is 1,300 euros per month for rent, food and the semester fee. A room in a shared apartment in Münster averages 380 euros including utilities, in Berlin's Friedrichshain more like 480 euros. For groceries I budget 200 to 250 euros per month if you shop smartly.

Scholarships for a master's: not just for straight-A candidates

The fourth option is scholarships. Many people think scholarships are only for overachievers with a 1.0 grade average (the top grade in Germany). That isn't true. There are over 2,300 scholarship providers in Germany, and many support students based on very different criteria: social engagement, unusual life stories, subject focus or regional background.

The Deutschlandstipendium pays 300 euros per month, regardless of parental income. More than 30,000 students currently receive it. The odds are better than many think: at RWTH Aachen University, about one in four applications is approved. The 13 German foundations for gifted students, such as the Friedrich Ebert Foundation or the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, also award scholarships of up to 934 euros plus a 300 euro study cost allowance.

My tip: apply to at least five different scholarship providers. The platform myStipendium.de lists over 2,300 programs and filters them by your profile. Smaller foundations such as the Dr. Jürgen Ulderup Foundation in Osnabrück or the Gerhard und Elfriede Wenzel Foundation in Trier also award 200 to 500 euros per month. Every application is work, but two hours of effort for potentially 3,000 euros over a year is a good deal.

Combining is the key: how to put all 4 ways together

Most master's students who pay for their degree without parental support combine several of these ways. A typical setup might look like this: 450 euros of parent-independent BAföG or a scholarship plus 850 euros from a working student job. That is 1,300 euros per month. If you don't qualify for BAföG, you top it up with 300 euros from the KfW loan.

Work out your individual costs. For a master's in Hamburg, with a shared-apartment room, semester fee, health insurance and living costs, you need about 1,100 to 1,400 euros per month. In cheaper cities like Chemnitz or Greifswald, you can get by on 900 to 1,100 euros. A well-thought-out budget helps you plan realistic income.

An emergency fund is also important when paying for a master's. I recommend at least 1,500 euros in reserve for unexpected expenses like a broken washing machine or expensive textbooks. You can learn more about how to build that reserve in my post on the emergency fund during your studies.

FAQ: paying for a master's without parental support

Can I get BAföG for a master's if my parents earn too much?

Yes, if you meet the requirements for parent-independent BAföG: five years of employment after your 18th birthday, or three years after a three-year vocational training program. In that case your parents' income doesn't count. Without these requirements, the only alternatives are the KfW student loan or a scholarship.

How much can I earn on the side as a master's student?

As a working student you may work up to 20 hours per week without losing your student status. During semester breaks, full time is also allowed. With parent-independent BAföG, you may additionally earn 6,251 euros per year without it being counted against you (as of 2025), which is about 520 euros per month.

Is a student loan worth it for a master's?

A student loan is worth it if you have no other source of funding and your master's significantly improves your career prospects. At the current KfW interest rate of 4.69%, you repay about 30% more over the years than you received. You can find more details in my article on when a student loan is really worth it.

Which scholarships exist specifically for master's students?

The Deutschlandstipendium, the 13 foundations for gifted students and numerous subject-specific foundations support master's students. DAAD programs for studying abroad or research scholarships are also open to master's students. Apply to several programs in parallel to increase your chances.

Can I also pay for my master's abroad without help from my parents?

Yes, with Auslands-BAföG (BAföG for studying abroad), DAAD scholarships or Erasmus+ funding. Auslands-BAföG has higher income allowances than domestic BAföG, so more students are eligible. The funding is up to 1,350 euros per month plus a travel cost allowance and partial reimbursement of tuition fees.

Conclusion: your master's is affordable even without parental support

You can pay for your master's even if your parents can't or won't pay. The combination of parent-independent BAföG or a scholarship, a working student job and, if needed, a small student loan gives you between 1,200 and 1,500 euros per month. In most German cities, that is enough for a solid student life.

My most important advice: start the applications early. BAföG applications take three months to process, and scholarship applications often need half a year of lead time. Find your working student job at the latest two months before the semester starts. Plan realistically and keep your monthly fixed costs as low as possible. Then nothing stands in the way of your master's.