Cost of Studying in Germany See Tuition, Living, Medical Insurance and Visa Fees

Cost of Studying in Germany See Tuition, Living, Medical Insurance and Visa Fees.

Cost of Studying in Germany: This certainly would sound too good to be true, that higher education in Germany is FREE!!! Yes free, just perhaps you didn’t know about that,

in as much higher education is free in Germany, you will need to budget for other vital expenses you will be making while during your stay studying in Germany.

The cost of studying in Germany ranges from the accommodation fee to the medical insurance, transportation, and visa fee and we have just the right information about these costs to keep you just on track while and when you decide to study abroad.

Education System in Germany

The responsibility for the education system in Germany lies primarily with the states (Länder), while the federal government plays a minor role. Optional Kindergarten (nursery school) education is provided for all children between one and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory.

The system varies throughout Germany because each state (Land) decides its own educational policies. Most children, however, first attend Grundschule (literally meaning ‘Ground School’) from the age of six to eleven.

Germany’s secondary education is separated into two parts, lower and upper. Lower-secondary education in Germany is meant to teach individuals basic general education and get them ready to enter upper-secondary education. In the upper secondary level, Germany has a vast variety of vocational programs.

The format of secondary vocational education is put into a way to get individuals to learn high skills for a specific profession.

Higher education in Germany recently converted to the three-tier degree system of the European Higher Education Area established under the Bologna System. Rather than the old one-tier ‘long’ programs, Germany now offers undergraduate courses which result in a Bachelor’s degree and postgraduate courses which result in a Master’s or Ph.D. (Doctorate).

This system is designed to be the same throughout Europe, facilitating international educational mobility and enhancing flexibility in educational objectives.

Cost of Tuition Fee in Germany

If you want to study in Germany, you’ll be happy to know that public universities do not charge tuition fees for Bachelor’s and Master’s programs (except if you plan to pursue a Master’s degree that focuses on a different subject than the one you studied as a Bachelor’s student). The German free tuition system is available for all foreign students, regardless of their country of origin.

Most of the German universities are public, so you will only have to pay an administration fee which usually costs around 100 – 200 EUR/year. This fee covers the Student Organisation services and your enrolment. Also, you will have to re-enroll every semester and pay this tax.

Private universities from Germany are financed from tuition fees, so some international students will have to pay between 3,000 and 20,000 EUR/year for their degree programs. Fees are set depending on each university and field of study, as some degrees such as Engineering or Business usually have higher tuition when compared to degrees in fields like Education or Social Sciences, for instance.

German PhDs follow the format of the Bologna Process, they are very individual in nature; Germany doesn’t see the Ph.D. purely as the third phase in a course of studies, instead, it is a separate research achievement.

The doctoral degree – based upon independent research towards the submission and examination of a thesis – was a German innovation. This format is still offered at most universities, but some also offer more ‘structured’ programs:

• The Wintersemester (WiSe) – runs from 1 October to 31 March with a two-week break at Christmas and Easter
• The Sommersemester (SoSe) – runs from 1 April to 30 September with a break from July to September

At the doctoral level, tuition is free across all public universities in Germany for up to three years (six semesters) of study. You may be required to pay tuition fees for any extension period beyond the standard length for your Ph.D.

Though you won’t pay fees, you will need to make a semester contribution of €150-200. This covers administration costs, student governance, and student services.

Cost of Accommodation in Germany

Renting an apartment can cost anywhere between 210EUR and 360EUR. To reduce this cost, many students opt to share apartments with other students or live in dormitories. Dormitories and campus residential homes are always in high demand and hence should be applied for well in advance.

Cost of Medical Insurance in Germany

One of the first things a student will have to do in Germany is, get health insurance. Most international health insurance policies are not recognized inside Germany. For students below the age of 30 years, health insurance typically costs around 80EUR.

Students over the age of 30 years will have to pay double that amount; 160EUR for health insurance. This is a non-negotiable expense in calculating the cost to study in Germany.

Cost of Transportation in Germany

Public Transport in Germany and Europe is usually excellent. It is very practical to live in any large German city or metropolitan area without owning a car. Even medium-sized cities have good public transportation networks that use buses, trams, and urban/suburban rail lines to move people around. 10% of the total monthly student budget is spent on transport.

A public transport pass for students is between 30 and 60 EUR/month, depending on the city. You can easily get around with a bicycle throughout any city in Germany. Rates for renting a bicycle is around 15-20 EUR/day. Use Germany’s Deutsche Bahn train system and visit any German city you want; fares are between 20 and 70 EUR.

Cost of Visa in Germany

In order for your Germany visa to be processed, you will have to pay a fee, prior to attending your interview appointment for a visa. The fee payment is a crucial requirement for your visa application.

The cost of your depends on the type of visa you are applying to get because Germany Visa fees differ depending on the type of visa you are applying for thus the motif of your travel.

Germany and Europe visas, in general, are quite cheaper than visas to the US, Canada, or even India. Moreover, with a single visa, you will be able to explore most of the old continent.

In general, a Germany short-stay visa fee is EUR 60 whereas a long-stay visa is EUR 75. However, you should check it out since there are some visa fee exemptions for a few categories of applicants and countries.

StudentsandScholarship Team.