Choosing to study abroad is a big decision. Probably one that requires an extra work being put in place compared to schooling in your local country. More importantly, it’s one that is most likely going to cost you more money.
For whatever country you choose to study in, as long as it involves going abroad, you’d most likely spend more for obvious reasons.
Regardless of these reasons, students tend to prefer studying abroad. Perhaps as it broadens their horizon or as a result of better educational system. If you are curious to knowing why students prefer to study abroad, we recommend reading Reasons Why You Should Study Abroad.
Germany happens to be one of these sort after destinations for students wishing to study abroad. If you happen to be considering studying in Germany, it’s important you have an idea of how much it costs to study in Germany and that’s what this post is about.
In relation to Germany, we will divide the cost of studying in the country into three categories:
- Tuition Fees
- University Fees
- Cost Of Living
Now, let’s talk a bit more on these.
1. Tuition Fees
Tuition fees is basically how much the school charges you to study. If however, you are seeking to pursue your bachelor studies from Germany, the cost of tuition fees to study in Germany is Zero. Yes, you read that right. Zero.
This is because there is no tuition fees for undergraduate courses in Germany. This however, is only applicable for universities in Germany being run by the states. For private universities in Germany, you will need to pay tuition fees. The good news is, there are only a few private universities in Germany.
If you are seeking to pursue your masters program in Germany, you may be required to pay a tuition fee. While some of the universities being run by the state still do not have tuition fees even for their masters program, some might charge a nominal fee. This fee is not regulated and the cost can vary from university to university and course to course.
For this reason, it is advised that you check in with the school you aim to study with. To however give you a benchmark, the cost can be anywhere around €1000 for the first year.
2. University Fees
As mentioned above, there is no tuition fees for undergraduate courses in state-owned universities in Germany. That doesn’t mean you are free from paying any money whatsoever. There may be administrative costs and these are categorized under university fees. This university fees also include social contribution of the students and the semester fees.
Semester fees differ from university to university in Germany and this is applicable to both undergraduate and postgraduate graduate courses.
According to some of the top universities in Germany, these are the semester fees:
| University | Semester Fee (In EUR) | Semester Fee (In INR) |
| Technical University of Munich | 111.00 | 7,538.01 |
| Ludwig Maximillian’s University Munich | 111.00 | 7,538.01 |
| University of Stuttgart | 165.00 | 11,205.15 |
| RWTH Aachen University | 200.00 | 13,582.00 |
| University of Kiel | 120.00 | 8,149.20 |
Asides these fees, another mandated expense for students studying in Germany is health insurance charge. The cost of this varies but it is usually around the range of €100 per month or less. Asides these, the school may charge registration fees, cultural contribution, et cetera. We recommend doing more research as per the university cost fee for your preferred school of choice.
3. Cost Of Living In Germany
The really cool thing about studying in Germany is the low fees across all sections. While the tution fees is free or low, the cost of living is also relatively low. It is possible for a student to live within €670 a month in Germany. This however, greatly depends on how prudent the student is.
The main areas of concentration when it comes to calculating cost of living in Germany includes but not limited to:
- Food and Drink
- Rentals
- Books and stationary
- Transportation
- Recreation
From the list mentioned, the major things you cannot do without is Rentals, food and drinks. Cost of accommodation in Germany ranges from city to city. A student will most likely need books and stationary if the books are not available online.
As for recreation, it’s probably not something to maintain on a monthly basis, especially if you are on a relatively tight budget. Transportation would depend on a lot of factors including proximity from home to school.
But all in all, germany is considered one of the best places to study abroad if looking for a relatively economical alternative while still studying from one of the top university abroad.
