How Much Does It Cost to Study in Germany? Tuition, Fees and Housing
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
The short answer: at a public university in most of Germany you pay no tuition for a first degree, whatever your citizenship. What you do pay is a semester contribution, and in a few places a fee for non-EU students. Rent is the real cost.
Tuition at public universities
Public universities charge no tuition for a first degree. That is true for German, EU and non-EU students alike, and it covers the large majority of the 4,435 programmes in our catalogue.
There are two exceptions, and both concern only citizens of countries outside the EU:
- Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU students €1,500 per semester. This is the state of Heidelberg, Freiburg, Tübingen, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe.
- Bavaria lets its universities set their own fees for non-EU students. TU München charges €2,000 to €3,000 per semester depending on the programme, TH Nürnberg €1,000 and TH Ingolstadt €800.
In the rest of the country, non-EU students pay the same as everyone else: nothing. Across our catalogue the highest fee a non-EU student meets at a public university is €6,000 a year.
The semester contribution
Every student pays a semester contribution, roughly €100 to €300 per semester depending on the university. It funds student services and the student union, and it often includes a public transport ticket for the region, which makes it better value than it sounds. It is not tuition, and nobody is exempt.
Private universities
Private universities set their own fees, and these run to several thousand euros a year. They are a small part of the German system. If a programme you like is at a private institution, the price is on its own website.
Housing
Student dormitories in Germany are run by the local student services organisation, the Studierendenwerk. They are the cheapest option and the hardest to get: waiting lists in large cities are long, so apply the moment you have an admission letter.
Our catalogue holds published prices for 273 student residences in Germany. The typical range runs from about €214 to €535 a month, with large differences between cities and between a room in a shared flat and a single apartment. You will find the residences and their prices on each city page.
A room on the private market costs more, and in the big cities much more.
Proof of funds for the visa
Non-EU students have to show the German embassy that they can support themselves, usually with a blocked bank account holding a set amount for the first year. The embassy in your country states the current figure. Check it there, since it is revised regularly.
How to keep costs down
- Study outside Baden-Württemberg and the Bavarian universities that charge, if you are a non-EU citizen and the programme exists elsewhere.
- Choose a mid-sized city. The teaching is the same; the rent is not.
- Apply for a dorm room early, and to more than one residence.
Where to look next
Official sources
- DAAD: German Academic Exchange Service, costs and funding
- Study in Germany: official portal for international students
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.