26 years as a student: German court cuts off housing benefits for “perpetual student”
6 January 20:27
An administrative court in the German city of Mainz denied a 50-year-old man an extension of state housing benefits, concluding that his long-term studies were not “purposeful and serious.” The ruling serves as a telling example of how the state draws the line between social support and its abuse. Spiegel reports on this, as relayed by "Komersant Ukrainian"
The man has held student status for 26 years, regularly enrolling in new programs but completing none of them. He had been receiving housing assistance since 2019, but in 2024, local authorities denied him further payments. The student subsequently challenged the decision in court.
The Mainz court sided with the authorities, noting that the applicant:
- had not demonstrated any real progress in his studies;
- had not found employment and had not attempted to increase his income;
- had no reasonable grounds to expect to complete his studies in the near future.
The judges also noted that as far back as 2019, the man had claimed he would soon receive his diploma, but the situation had not changed in five years.
The student’s arguments
The applicant himself rejected the allegations of abuse of assistance. He explained the prolonged duration of his studies by:
- reforms in the higher education system;
- the COVID-19 pandemic;
- health issues;
- insufficient support for his current film studies program.
He also insisted that the court should “assess his perseverance” rather than merely the formal duration of his studies.
The court emphasized that in Germany, housing assistance is not intended for individuals who are capable of working but do not do so and are not studying with the genuine aim of obtaining an education. A prolonged stay in student status without results may be considered an abuse of social assistance.
