26 years in student status: German court terminates housing allowance for “eternal listener”
6 January 20:27
An administrative court in the German city of Mainz has denied a 50-year-old man an extension of his state housing benefits, concluding that his years of study were not “purposeful and serious.” The decision was a telling example of how the state draws the line between social support and its abuse. Spiegel writes about it, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
What is known
The man has been a student for 26 years, regularly enrolling in new specialties, but has not completed any of them. Since 2019, he has been receiving housing assistance, but in 2024, local authorities refused to make further payments. The student then appealed the decision in court.
The court’s position
The Mainz court upheld the authorities, noting that the applicant
- did not demonstrate real progress in his studies;
- did not find a job and did not try to increase his income;
- has no reasonable expectation of completing his studies in the near future.
The judges also noted that back in 2019, the man claimed that he would soon receive his diploma, but the situation has not changed in five years.
The student’s arguments
The applicant himself denied the allegations of aid abuse. He explained his long studies:
- reforms in the higher education system;
- the COVID-19 pandemic;
- health problems;
- insufficient support for his current film studies program.
He also insisted that the court should have “assessed his perseverance” and not just the formal duration of his studies.
The court emphasized that in Germany, housing assistance is not intended for people who are able to work but do not do so and do not study with the real purpose of obtaining an education. A long stay in the status of a student without a result can be regarded as an abuse of social support.
