Dear @sigermany44,
Welcome to the Wefugees Community and thank you for your question.
I am not too familiar with the details of the voluntary return programs. I made some research and found the following information on the "Handbook Germany" website:
In principle, you are entitled to REAG/GARP if you cannot personally finance your trip from Germany AND you belong to one of the following groups:
- Persons whose asylum application is ongoing, individuals who have a tolerated stay ("Duldung") or those obliged to leave Germany – provided they withdraw their asylum applications or refrain from seeking further legal remedies.
- Persons who are recognised, according to the Geneva Convention, as a refugee – and have a German residence permit.
- Persons who are entitled to reside in Germany according to international law or for humanitarian or political reasons.
- Victims of forced prostitution and/or human trafficking.
According to their explanations, (former) students might not be entitled to receive that kind of support. However, I would recommend you to contact a specialised voluntary return counselling office to get some individual advice. You may find such an office close to your current place of stay through using the search engine on this website ("Returning from Germany").
I hope this helps and please don't hesitate to get back to us with any further questions.
All the best,
Meike