Part-time study Part-time study

Students can apply to study part-time in the above degree courses when there is an important reason why they are not able to undertake full-time studies. Approval is granted following on-time submission of a complete application.

In order to apply for part-time studies, students must demonstrate one of the following situations:

• Employment consisting of at least 15 hours of work per week (proof required: current written confirmation from employer)
• Caregiving for a child (under 18) or relative (proof required: birth certificate)
• Disability or chronic illness which limits the ability to study or the time available to study to such an extent that regular full-time study is not possible (proof required: current doctor's certificate)
• A significant burden on time due to exceptional athletic activity that is particularly in the public interest (proof required: evidence of membership in a federal-level A, B, C or D/C squad of an elite association of the German Olympic Sports Confederation for a sport supervised by the Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein Olympic Training Centre)

Applications for part-time studies must be submitted by the following deadlines:

• For summer semester: 15 March
• For winter semester: 15 September

The application can be submitted in writing or electronically to the Student Admissions and Registration Office. It must include proof of your reason for requesting part-time status.

A processing fee of €15 will be charged for applications received after the deadlines noted above. This does not apply to first-semester students: in the first semester, applications can also be submitted after the semester has started. 

Bank account information
Recipient:    HAW Hamburg
Bank:  Deutsche Bundesbank
IBAN:  DE08200000000020101544
BIC:  MARKDEF1200

Purpose for winter semester 2025/26:
Semester code 20252 and your student ID number (please do not leave a space in between!) last name, first name (please leave a space between the student ID number and your name!), also add Teilzeitstudium
e.g.: 202522567890 Mustermann, Max Teilzeitstudium 

Part-time students have the same status within the university as full-time students. The semester fee amount to be paid per semester is not altered by studying part-time. Please pay the semester contribution before submitting your application for part-time studies.

Please note: Students with part-time status are not eligible to receive financial aid (BAföG)! If you have questions about part-time study and BAföG, please contact Studierendenwerk Hamburg.

Students who also have a job can apply to study part-time if they can prove that they work a minimum of 15 hours per week. If you work more than 20 hours per week, the responsibility for any resulting difficulties in organising your studies lies solely with you as the student. You should also be aware that if you work more than 20 hours per week you are no longer exempted as a student from social security contributions and will be required to pay them. 

Students with a residency permit
If you have a visa for educational purposes (section 16 of the Residence Act), you need to observe certain rules and limits. For example, you are only permitted to work 120 days or 240 half-days in a calendar year. If this applies to you, please contact the Counselling Centre for Social and International Affairs – BeSI.

BAföG (student financial aid) and part-time studies
Regardless of how much you work, if you are officially studying part-time you are not eligible to receive BAföG. 

Educational loan (BAföG bank loan) 
The educational loan is a low-interest loan to support students who are in the later stages of their degree. It can be applied for alone or in addition to BAföG (student financial aid). Unlike the KfW student loan, it is not possible to receive the educational loan if you are studying part-time.

Child benefits and part-time studies 
Part-time status does not impact your eligibility to receive child benefits. The regulations are the same for full- and part-time students.

Working-student status
Students are subject to different rules for health, long-term care and unemployment insurance on the one hand and old-age insurance on the other. You are only exempted from paying contributions to all types of social security if you are employed on a limited basis (low wage or temporary). If you are employed more than this you will need to pay old-age insurance contributions (based on your income).

Even if they are working more than what is considered to be limited employment, students are exempted from paying health, long-term care and unemployment insurance contributions in the following cases:

• They have working-student status (students who are employed as such for pay during their studies).
• They are in their twenty-fifth semester or lower (otherwise they can lose their working-student privileges).
• They are devoting the majority of their time and effort to their studies (this means that they generally do not work more than 20 hours per week and 26 weeks per year). 

It is possible to lose your working-student privileges due to part-time status!

Subsidies/social benefits

Whether it is possible to receive subsidies or social benefits, e.g. citizen's allowance, must be enquired about with the responsible office.

Even without officially acquiring part-time status you can still extend your studies individually and study for longer than the standard period. Please contact the Student Counselling Office or your degree course advisor for more information. You can also find information about the possible extension durations in the Hamburg Higher Education Act.