What is the cost to study in Germany?
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Updated on: Jan 2023
TL;DR: The cost to study abroad is the sum of the tuition fee and living expenses. For a typical Bachelor’s degree (3.5 years), the sum will be roughly €40,000 or about RM185,000. Most public universities in Germany do not charge a tuition fee. Students are advised to budget €934 monthly for their living expenses. This includes rent, food, health insurance as well as personal use. Based on this recommendation, students will need €11,208 yearly, which is close to RM52,000 per year.
The cost to study abroad is the sum of the tuition fee and living expenses. Since many German universities do not charge a tuition fee, the total cost to study in Germany will just be the living expenses. For a typical Bachelor’s degree (7 semesters), that sum will be roughly €40,000 or about RM185,000. However, this is a simplified calculation. Read more below to understand how we work the numbers.
Is it really free to study in Germany?
Tuition fee in Baden-Württemberg for non-EU international students: €1500 per semester.
Tuition fee in other states (including non-EU international students): €0 per semester.
We get asked this question over and over again – “what is the cost to study in Germany?”. While it seems difficult to believe, it really is possible for Malaysians to study in Germany without paying tuition fees. In fact, this applies to all international students and it’s true for most public universities in Germany. Only the state of Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU international students a €1500 semester fee. There are two semesters in a year so that adds up to €3000 or about RM15000 yearly.
A typical Bachelor’s degree will take between 6 to 7 semesters. That means a student will need to set aside €9000 to €10500 (about RM45000 to RM52500) for their tuition fees to study in Baden-Württemberg. Luckily, other states including Berlin, Hamburg and Bavaria (where Munich is located) still offer courses to international students without charging a tuition fee.
Semester Contribution
€100 to €350 per semester
Both international and German students do need to pay what is called a “semester contribution” to their university. Typically it’s €100 to €350 depending on the university, and it has to be paid at the beginning of each semester.
The semester contribution will be used for student services and students will also receive a semester ticket.
The semester ticket allows students to use public transportation within the region without needing to buy an additional ticket. In some ways, you can consider the semester contribution as part of your travelling expenses. For most students, the semester contribution is within the recommended cost of living in Germany.
Cost of Living
€11208 per year
Students are advised to budget €934 monthly for their living expenses. This includes rent, food, health insurance as well as personal use. This amounts to €11,208 yearly, which is close to RM52,000 per year. You can read more about the cost of living breakdown here.
The actual cost to living in Germany will depend on the student’s lifestyle as well as the city the student is studying in. Accommodations will cost more in larger cities compared to smaller towns. The example below shows the cost of living index of different cities in Germany.
Source: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Germany
Calculating the cost to study abroad
For many countries, the simple calculation for cost to study abroad will be:
Cost to study abroad = Tuition fee + Cost of living
If we were to compare this to other popular study destinations like Australia, the US, and the UK, you will find that the cost to study in Germany is lower. In fact, it cost about the same to study at a private international university in Malaysia!
Source: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Germany
Learning the German Language
For students who want to study in Germany, there is an additional cost which is the cost to learn the German language.
If you are planning to study your Bachelor’s degree in Germany, it’s likely that the course is offered in German. Even if you are planning to study one of the courses which is taught in English, you will want to learn some basic German so that you can communicate with other people outside of campus.
German Educare offers comprehensive preparation programmes to help students prepare themselves for Germany. You can learn more here.
So in conclusion, how much does it cost to study in Germany?
Cost to study in Germany = Tuition fee (€0) + Cost of living (€11208 yearly) + University Preparation Programme*
*Note: Contact us to find out which programme suits you
Taking all of the above points into consideration, it costs around RM221,000 to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Germany. However, it’s possible for students to earn some allowance by working part-time. Students from Malaysia are allowed to work 120 full days or 240 half days yearly. Most students are also required to do industrial training with a company for up to 6 months. Interns will be receiving an internship allowance and it should be able to cover their living expenses during the duration of their internship.
We hope that this article sheds some light so that students (and parents) are able to understand how much money to set aside to study in Germany.
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