Germany - Cost of Study

Cost of study in a foreign country should be ideally included within the cost of living in that country. Since you are staying away from your family and you have to take care of almost everything form the laundry to the food bills to house rent, you should take into account all these expenses while calculating the cost of study.

In Germany, especially, you should include the cost of other expenses like transport, accommodation, food, leisure activities and health insurance while charting out your cost of study. This is because tuition fees are not charged in the German universities as they are state-funded. Though talks are on for adding tuition fees of 500 euros, every semester, at present tuition fees are not charged by state-funded universities. However, if you have enrolled in a private university, you have to obviously pay for the tuition fees.

Though it is difficult to exactly say how mush will a student need for studying in Germany as it depends upon personal expenses. Students who can find inexpensive accommodation can make a living with 600 euros per month.

Rent: Rents differ widely from city to city and from student’s personal choices. Rents range from 180 euros to 325 euros per month. Rents in cities like Munich, Hamburg, Frankfurt/Main are higher than other cities. As a student if you wish to cut down on expenses, you can opt for shared accommodation.

As a student, you can take use of several student discounts. State museums, theaters, opera houses offer special rates to students. Magazines and journals are also available at a discount if you subscribe for student copy. You can also use a “semesterticket” for traveling within the university town.

Note:
Semesterticket: If you have a “semesterticket”, you can travel in trams, buses, local trains and suburban trains without having to pay extra. For example a “semesterticket” in Ruprecht Karls University, Heidelberg is € 15 per month which can be used for public transportation. However, a “semesterticket” is not available at all higher education institutions.

Semester Fee and Re-registration Fee

All students are charged a Semester Fee which they have to pay every semester and which can change from one university to the other. A semester fee includes social contributions, student representation, and semester ticket.

Tuition Fees

Though most universities have no tuition fees, some federal states are gradually including tuition fees in their semesters. These fees will differ from one federal state to another it is better to contact the university where you have applied to know if they are including tuition fees in their courses. The federal states which have included tuition fees are given below:

Federal state	General Tuition Fees from first semster onwards (up to 500 Euros)	Long-term fees (up to 800 Euros)	Administration fees (approx. 50 Euros)
Baden-Württemberg	yes	no	yes
Bavaria	yes	no	yes (until summer term 09)
Berlin	no	no	yes
Brandenburg	no	no	yes
Bremen	no	yes	yes
Hamburg	yes	no	yes
Hesse	no	no	yes
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania	no	no	yes
Lower Saxony	yes	yes (additional)	yes
North Rhine-Westphalia	yes	no	no
Rhineland-Palatinate	no	yes (student accounts)	no
Saarland	yes	no	no
Saxony	no	no	no
Saxony-Anhalt	no	yes	no
Schleswig-Holstein	no	no	no
Thuringia	no	yes	yes

Health and Accident Insurance: If you have decided to study in a higher education institution in Germany it is mandatory to have health insurance cover. You can choose between private (PKV) and statutory public health insurance (GKV) carriers and companies in Germany. Till the age of 30 or up to the 14th full study semester you must be insured by a statutory health insurance carrier. Only in exceptions will you be allowed to take out private insurance.

A public health insurance cover has reasonable rates and if you shop around a little you will find that some even offer substantial discounts to students and you can even have the liberty to choose your own doctor. A statutory health insurance currently amounts to 50 euros per month and your spouse and children are also covered within this insurance.

If you are privately insured in your country, then you have to check if the same insurance can be valid in Germany or not.

Important Tip: Always carry your Versichertenkarte or health insurance card with you. It will serve as an entry ticket to all medical services.