What studying in Germany really costs
Germany really does charge no tuition at most public universities, including for international students. That headline is accurate, and it is also the reason many applicants arrive with a budget that is short by several thousand euros.
The costs that matter are the ones attached to living there and to the visa process itself.
What you pay the university
- Semester contribution: roughly €150–350 per semester at public universities. It is not tuition — it funds student services, and it usually includes a regional public-transport ticket that would otherwise cost more on its own.
- Baden-Württemberg is the exception: its public universities charge non-EU students around €1,500 per semester.
- Private universities charge €5,000–20,000 per year. They are a small minority of institutions and rarely necessary.
The blocked account is the real gate
For a student visa you must show a blocked account (Sperrkonto) holding a year of living costs — €11,904 at the current rate. You do not spend it up front; it releases to you in monthly instalments. But you must have it in full before the visa is issued, which makes it the largest single hurdle for most families.
The figure is revised periodically in line with the German student maintenance rate, so check the current amount rather than the one a friend used two years ago.
Monthly living costs, honestly
Budget €850–1,100 per month. Rent is the variable that decides where you land in that range — and it varies far more than any other line item.
- Rent: under €300 in a student hall in a smaller city; €600 or more for a room in Munich, Frankfurt, or central Berlin. Student halls are dramatically cheaper than the private market, and waiting lists are long — apply the day you are admitted.
- Health insurance: public student insurance runs around €120–140 per month and is mandatory. It is not optional and not skippable.
- Food, transport, phone, and study materials: €250–350 combined for most students, with the semester ticket already covering local transport.
- The broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag) of about €18.36 per month per household — a small cost that surprises nearly everyone.
The one-off costs nobody budgets for
- Visa fee, document translation, and certification: several hundred euros in total, before you travel.
- Blocked-account opening and monthly administration fees charged by the provider.
- Rental deposit: typically two to three months of cold rent, paid before you have any income.
- Flights, initial furnishing, and the first month of living costs before your blocked-account instalment arrives.
What part-time work can and cannot cover
International students may work 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year, and student-assistant roles at your own university generally do not count against that quota. At a minimum wage around €12.82 per hour, part-time work can cover a meaningful share of monthly costs.
What it cannot do is fund the blocked account or replace it. Visa authorities do not accept expected earnings as proof of funds, and building your plan around finding work quickly in a new country and language is how budgets fail.
Rates cited here are published figures that change — treat them as a planning baseline, then confirm the current numbers before you commit money. Every programme in our catalogue carries its own financial breakdown so you can compare total cost, not just tuition.