Study and research in Germany

Tuition fees on their way

To gain admission to higher education in Germany, our scout Mai also had to present proof of how she intended to finance her studies. So, she went to the DAAD Information Centre in Hanoi to ask about the details. The staff told her that international students need to be able to prove that they have at least 643 euros per month available to them. That amounts to 7,716 euros per academic year. But Mai already noticed in her first semester that 643 euros per month is actually not that much. The cost of living in Germany is quite high in comparison with many countries in Asia, Africa or Latin America. "That's why it's important to keep a bit of money in reserve for any unexpected costs that turn up," advises Mai.
Don't forget the study materials: Tomás experienced much the same. When calculating his monthly budget he forgot to include the costs for study materials and excursions: "I originally thought that I would able to borrow all the textbooks and other specialist literature from the university library. But that often proved impossible, because the books were constantly out on loan," he remembers. That's why he had to buy some of the textbooks himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't have managed to write his first seminar paper on time. But because Tomás was able to buy the books second hand, he only had to spend 100 euros rather than 250. A company excursion with his seminar group left another 150-euro hole in his pocket. "But that was really important, because I was able to make contacts there for my next internship."

Remember to include the tuition fees in your budget: Tomás has meanwhile revised his budget and has also earmarked a sum for tuition fees. Because his university plans to introduce tuition fees of 500 euros per semester as from the coming winter semester (2006/2007). That's not new to our scout Mai. She already had to pay tuition fees of 650 euros for the first semester of her Master's programme. But Mai will not have to pay any fees when she moves into the doctoral programme.

Always account for these costs

When calculating your budget, you must make sure that you include the fixed costs of studying. These generally include:

• the semester fee (once per semester)  
  
• expenses for study materials and excursions (as needed)   
  
• health insurance contributions (monthly)
  
• tuition fees (once per semester: not at all universities and not in all programmes).

Semester contributions: The semester fee is due each semester. You have to pay it on time whenever you register or matriculate and each time you re-registration (which you are required to do at the start of each semester). If you miss the payment date, you will have to pay a late-payment fee or may even be struck off the university registry (exmatrikuliert). Depending on your institution and your federal state, the semester contributions can amount to between 50 and 250 euros. The fees collected can be used to pay for university administration services (e.g. registration and re-registration), student services and the Student Council. At some universities, the fee includes the costs of the semester ticket. The semester ticket is really useful, because it allows you to use all public transport in and around your university town without having to pay any extra. So, remember that semester fees are not identical with tuition fees.

Additional study materials: How much you spend on study materials and excursions will depend strongly on what subject(s) you are studying. Many subjects (above all, arts and humanities) only require you to buy books. Although the university libraries do essentially hold the key textbooks for you to use, important standard works can often not be taken out on loan and can often only be read in the (reference) library. If you are studying one of the very popular subjects (for example, business administration or law), you will have to reckon with longer waiting times before you can borrow a book. So, it may make sense to buy the specialist books and literature that are important to you. You can buy many books second hand at reasonable prices, for example, via offers posted on the noticeboard in your faculty or in a second-hand bookshop. On average, you should reckon with costs of around 200 euros per semester for books. 

Cost-intensive subjects: You will generally find that artistic subjects and medical courses are much more cost-intensive (requiring about 50 euros per month). For example, a student studying interior design will have to budget for the following costs per semester: modelling: 50 euros; blueprints/construction plans: 140 euros; drawing utensils/copies: 60 euros; specialist journals: 22 euros; books: 40 euros; printer cartridges: 56 euros. Another cost factor is the purchase of a personal computer plus software for use throughout your studies, amounting to an additional 2,000 or so euros. If you do not need constant access to a computer, you can use the PC workstations in the libraries and computer centres.
To ensure that you realistically assess your costs, you should first go to the departmental student advice service or to the departmental student society responsible for your programme.
Health insurance

Students: All students are obliged to have health insurance up to the 14th full study semester (Fachsemester) or up to a maximum age of 30 years. This means that the statutory (public) health insurance fund has to insure you at favourable student rates up to this point in time. Statutory health insurance premiums for students lie at around 280 euros per semester. You must pay the sum to the health insurance carrier before you register at your institution. If you are older than 30 years of age when you enter Germany, you must make sure that you insure yourself with a private health insurance company.

Participants of pre-study language courses: If you belong to this group, you must take out private health insurance. To help with such cases, the Association of German Student Services Organisations  has reached  a special agreement with a private insurance company: insurance costs around 40 euros per month for men, and around 80 euros per month for women. If you start a degree programme after finishing the language course (and are younger than 30 years of age), you can then switch to the statutory health insurance.

Studienkolleg participants: The rules for these students differ greatly throughout Germany. Your best option is to ask the Studienkolleg of your choice direct.

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