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PART Issues and Perspectives ofHigher Education

In most Lander all university entrants are required to participate in Studentenschaft (students' self-government association) of each university. Students usually join Studentenwerk (student welfare service), which is organized in every university and in every region where several universities are located. The student welfare service plays a great role in assisting students with their campus life, by managing student restaurants, managing student dormitories. Providing student counseling services, operating clubs and cultural facilities, and helping students find living accommodations. There is also a Federal association of student welfare. Students are also required to participate in the health insurance scheme, paying monthly insurance of 65 marks (or approximately 6,000 yen).

Under the Federal Training Assistance Act enacted in 1971, students may be provided with scholarships. The amount of a scholarship is determined mainly on the basis of the level of income of each student or his or her family. As of 1989, the maximum monthly amount of a scholarship was 725 marks (approximately 65,000yen) for students living outside their own home and 590 marks (53,000 yen) for students living at home. As of 1988 the number of students benefiting from scholarships accounts for slightly less than 30% of all higher education students. The average monthly amount of a scholarship was 573 marks (approximately 42,000 yen) for students enrolled in universities. Students had been provided with scholarships in the form of a combination of a loan and a grant (a certain amount of a scholarship was provided in the form of loan and the remaining sum was provided in the form of grant) until 1983 when grants were abolished. However, under the amendment to the Federal Training Assistance Act made in May 1990, a half of the scholarship is now provided in the form of grant and the other half in the form of loan.

According to a survey conducted every three years on the living standard of students enrolled in universities and Fachhochschulen, the average monthly income of students was 1,002 marks (approximately 90,000 yen) in 1988, and 62% of all students were earning their own income from part-time jobs. The recent increase in higher education enrollment has been aggravating the shortage of living accommodations for students. How to secure adequate reasonable accommodations for students is one of the acute problems for university authorities. According to the same survey, the average monthly amount of rent paid by students was 302 marks (approximately 27,O00 yen) in 1988. While 11% of higher education students were living in student dormitories, 27% of university students and 39% of students enrolled in Fachhochschulen were living with their parents in the same year.