National Information

Select country Toggle

OVERVIEW

There are no tuition fees in either first- or second-cycle in any German Länder. The payment of administrative fees is at the discretion of the Länder. In a number of Länders this is not required.
There is no official part-time student status.
There are no short-cycle higher education programmes.
International students defined as students from outside the EU and EEA countries, are liable to pay fees in some Länders while in others they are subject to the same policies as home students.
Fee differentiation informed by the filed of study or the programme is not applied except for distance learning and continuing study programmes which can be subject to study fees.
Waivers and reductions to fees are not applicable.
Direct financial support is offered in the form of grants and loans which can be combined.
Indirect financial support to students and their parents is provided through tax benefits and family allowances. Students' parents receive EUR 250 for every child, or a lump sum tax relief of EUR 3012 per annum, per child, per parent, until students are 25 years old. Tax benefits for students with an income (first and second cycle) - increase in the basic tax-free allowance from EUR 9984 to EUR 10347 with retroactive effect from the start of 2022.

Academic year
Type of support

Compare to

Minimum, maximum, and most common annual fee amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students

FEES

In eight Länder, administrative fees ranging from EUR 50 to 75 are charged to all students. In Sachsen, HEIs may charge examination fees ranging from EUR 25 to 150. In three Länder, HEIs may charge administrative fees or fees/charges for learning materials and use of HEI facilities. Students in four Länder are liable to pay fees of EUR 500 (in Saarland, up to EUR 400) per semester when exceeding the regular study period. In Rheinland-Pfalz, students have to pay EUR 700 per semester, if the they study for a second degree.
International students are liable to pay EUR 1 500 per semester in Baden-Württemberg. In Bayern the fee policy for students from outside the EU and EEA is based on the Bavarian Higher Education Act, into force as of January 1, 2023. Some HEIs might not apply this policy, while others would do as of the winter semester 2024/2025. In all other Länder, international students pay the same fees as home students.
Students with extended length of studies (first and second cycle) are required to pay fees of EUR 500 in four Länder (Saarland, up to EUR 400) per semester.

Annual grant amounts (in EUR)

Cycle
Type of Students
Status of Students
Type of Grants

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - GRANTS

Grants are available to full-time and part-time home and international students and are paid in monthly instalments for 12 months period
Need-based grants are offered to full-time home students in first and second cycles and, under certain conditions, also to international students.
Need based grants ("BAföG"), are public student support including one half of the individual amount awarded as a grant, and for the other half an interest free loan. Need based grants ("BAföG") are available to third country nationals only with long-term residence permits, not for in-coming students for study purposes. For those eligible, the same conditions and amounts apply as for home students.
Merit based grants are available to home and international full and part-time students in first and second cycles. Merit-based grants in the format of national support for talented students in studies are offered through the following scholarship programs:
- Deutschlandstipendium: merit-based grants for home and international full- and part-time students immatriculated in Germany
Begabtenförderungswerke: merit-based grants for home full-time students
- Aufstiegsstipendium: merit-based grants for home full- and part-time students with professional experience
- Weiterbildungsstipendium: merit-based grants for young home part-time students after completion of vocational training
There are DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) merit-based scholarship programmes for study stays as well as for internships abroad for students from German universities (irrespective of their nationality) of all academic disciplines on a Bachelor's and Master's level. Part-time students at a German university may also apply, as long as they will study full-time during their scholarship stay abroad.
DAAD scholarship programmes are offered for students from abroad of all academic disciplines in second cycle and in some programmes in first cycle.
Data on share refers to DAAD outgoing scholarship programmes..
The age limit for access to grants is mostly 45 years with certain exceptions. The “Deutschlandstipendium” and the “Aufstiegsstipendium” have no age limits. The “Weiterbildungsstipendium” is for young professionals up to the age of 25.

Annual loan amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - LOANS

Loans are available to home students only and, under certain conditions, also to international students.
An education loan (Bildungskredit) provides financial support for students in advanced stages of their education. It secures and accelerates the education or provides financial support for extraordinary expenses. The maximum amount that can be taken out is EUR 7 200. Students can choose between monthly instalments of EUR 100, EUR 200 or EUR 300 or a one-time payment of EUR 3600.The Federal Government guarantees the repayment credit and the interest. The minimum amount is EUR 1000. Repayment of EUR 120 per month must start four years after the start of the loan.
The "Bildungskredit" is available to third country nationals only with long-term residence permits and permanent residence in Germany, not for in-coming students for study purposes. For those eligible, the same conditions and amounts apply as for home students.
No data is available for share of loan borrowers.

Eurydice

National Information

OVERVIEW

Minimum, maximum, and most common annual fee amounts (in EUR)

FEES

Annual grant amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - GRANTS

Annual loan amounts (in EUR)

DIRECT FINANCIAL SUPPORT - LOANS

Further readings

Research

Stay up-to-date

Site Information