How Much Does It Cost To Study In Germany – In 2014, the 16 states in Germany stopped charging undergraduate student tuition fees. This means local and international students looking forward to pursuing an undergraduate course can study in any public university without paying a penny. All they have to pay is little money to cater for administration costs and study in Germany.
However, things seem to be taking a new direction after the Baden-Württemberg state started charging tuition fees again for all students who are not from EU. This happened in 2017, but other states are likely to follow in their footsteps in the future. International students who are not from the EU have to pay €3,000 in Baden-Württemberg annually. Those who want to go for another degree; it costs them a fee of 1,300 annually.
At the moment, the availability of affordable university education in Germany makes it one of the most attractive options prospective students can have. In fact, this country was ranked number four among the most popular destinations for students from the UK, Australia, US and other parts of the world.
Living Expenses as a Student in Germany
Students can find a free university education in Germany, but they have to cater for their living expenses. Some parts of the country are pretty expensive; for example, Munich is one of the expensive cities you can live in Germany. The average cost of living is €12,000 annually. On average, living expenses for a student in Germany can be as high as €10,200 per year.
Rent takes most of your money; but there are shared flats for students where you part with up to €280 monthly. Another option is the hall of residence for students where you pay €234 per month. They are the affordable housing students can use unless they have plenty of financial support from parents or guardians.
According to DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, on average, a student has to meet the following costs every month.
• Food expenses- €168
• Clothes- €42
• Transport costs €94
• TV, internet, and telephone- €31
• Work and study materials €20
• Leisure activities €61
You can check online using tools such as Numbeo to find out the living costs of a specific city in Germany. The best thing is that any student from the EU doesn’t require a visa, including Norway, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Iceland.
However, for all other students it costs up €60 for a student visa. Students from Schengen get waivers and fee reductions. The rest have to prove they can access up to 8,700 annually or €725 monthly for living costs expenses to get the student visa. You must also have health insurance before join any university in Germany.
If it’s a public insurance cover, it should cover you even in Germany. Students with insurance that becomes invalid once they get to Germany should be ready to pay up to €80 monthly to cover their health needs. Luckily, those from EEA or EU can benefit from a social security agreement between Germany and their country.
Cost of an Undergraduate Course in Germany
Germany tuition fees for international students – Studying at a German public university is free, but there are some costs that you have to meet every semester. They include enrolment, administration, and confirmation. The cost is less than €250 or US$290; it varies from one university to the other.
In some schools, you may have to buy a “Semesterticket”; this refers to the cost of covering your public transport for half a year. Again, the amount you spend on this depends on the Semesterticket you decide to use. The free university education ends at four semesters. It is the standard study period in Germany, so any other semester you extend from there requires you to pay fees, which can be as high as €500 per semester.
The good thing is that majority of German universities are public. On the other hand, private institutions depend on the tuition fees paid by students to fund their activities. Some of these private schools receive some support from different foundations. But you can expect to pay €20,000 or more every year.
Federal Student Financial Aid Program
This grant is referred to as Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz or BAföG. It is available to German students and EU nationals, along with foreigners who meet their selection criteria. The financial help is for students below 30 years or anyone below 35 years going for a master’s degree. The BAföG aid splits your tuition fees by half. 50% is a grant from the state, and the rest is a loan without interest, which you pay back in installments after your maximum assistance period, expires.
The Cost of Postgraduate Study
German universities offer master’s degrees for free as long as they are classified as consecutive. This means a student joins a master’s class after completing their undergraduate course in a German college. However, students still have to pay a small amount for admission, confirmation, plus administration expenses.
Students who want to undertake a non-consecutive postgraduate degree after attaining a bachelor’s degree elsewhere worldwide pay from €20,000 annually in public colleges and as much as €30,000 in private institutions. For example, a non-consecutive master’s degree for a Master’s of Arts in American Studies will cost you from€2,500 at the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg states fees for a postgraduate course from €2,500.
Ph.D. students are not charged anything for six months after joining any university in Germany. Like all other levels of university study, the students must also pay for enrolment, confirmation, and administration costs, which amount to about €250.
Scholarship for University Studies in Germany
Students from Germany and other parts of the world can use the German Academic Exchange Service or Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Diens or DAAD to get funding to study and live in Germany without paying anything or at an affordable cost. Students of different levels can apply for this scholarship, along with researchers and academics.
Another great resource for scholarships is Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung or Federal Ministry of Education and Research. It hosts a website that provides information regarding scholarships in Germany.