Funding your studies

Student funding and loan options for BA and MA students

Below is a list of funding bodies that have supported Catalyst students in the past. Funding for third level courses is often dependent on your country of citizenship or long-term residence, so we have grouped them accordingly. You can find out about the eligibility criteria and application process for each by clicking into their website:

Some good news about BAföG: The German state funding stream is open to citizens of other EU countries and some non-EU citizens too, depending on personal circumstances.

We recommend submitting your course application to Catalyst before our first deadline on Friday 28 March 2025, so that you have lots of time to apply for funding afterwards.

About BAföG

BAföG funding is needs-tested, depending on an assessment of the financial and social situation of students and their families or partners. Its purpose is to assist with living expenses, rather than course fees. Half of the funding is usually given in the form of a grant, with the rest in the form of an interest-free loan. The website of studierendenWERK BERLIN has more detailed information about BAföG in both English and German. You can also call them for advice: +49 30 93939 6000.

Applying for BAföG as a Catalyst student

Applications must be submitted via the BAföG digital portal (which is in German). To begin, you’ll need to find the unique identifier number of your course – click here and look for Catalyst under “AUSBILDUNGSSTÄTTE”.

During the BAföG application process, you will be prompted to search for your desired programme of study, rather than the school. As shown in the screenshot above, do not search for “Catalyst.” You must instead search for the name of the course you’ll be studying here, such as:

  • Creative Production (Music)
  • Creative Production (Film)
  • Electronic Music Production & Performance 
  • Creative Audio Production & Sound Engineering 
  • Film Production
  • Music & Sound Design for Visual Media 
  • Screenwriting
  • Acting
  • Visual Effects*

*The title of our VFX course is Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation, but it’s listed here as simply "Visual Effects".

After submitting your application, you may be waiting 2-3 months for a decision from BAföG, so do plan in advance! If you need to know whether your funding will be in place by August (when your tuition fee is due), you should apply before our final deadline on Friday 30 May 2025 at the latest.