Germany is one of the most popular countries for international students. There are many universities and colleges that offer degree programs in Germany, However, there are some misconceptions about the cost of studying in Germany. In this article, we look at the cost implications of studying in Germany.
It is not expensive to study in Germany as schools in Germany are tuition-free. However, there are exceptions such as private schools where you need to pay for tuition. In this case, you can also find private schools with low tuition. You can study at a low cost in Germany especially when proper financial plans are made before the study.
Germany is one of the highly sought-after countries for international students who are looking to further their education in Europe. You can study in Germany at a decent cost without having to take student loans.
Studying in Germany can be one of the many means to get a reputable degree without spending a fortune. Most international students shy away from making plans because they already think that studying in a European country such as Germany is a feat for wealthy families or families who have saved up a fortune to send their child or ward to school abroad.
There are usually scholarships offered by the German government for students. The most popular of such scholarships is the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) scholarship in Germany where foreign students are offered two years’ professional experience and the chance to take a postgraduate degree at a state or state-recognized German university. There are also many other scholarships in Germany available for international students.
There are also low-cost schools in Germany that you can apply to so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on tuition. We will examine them in the next section of this article. Applying to such schools can considerably reduce your study costs in Germany.
Now, let’s take a look at the study costs in Germany and other costs that you may not know about. We will also take a look at the cost of studying in other countries and how they compare to the cost of studying in Singapore. Keep reading to find out more.
Tuition fees
After you have gotten an offer or admission into a school in Germany, you will be required to pay the tuition upfront before your admission is finalized. You may be required to pay the full amount or part of the fee for the first year or first semester. Either way here is some useful information about average tuition fees in Germany.
It usually costs about $160-$1600 per year to study in a German school. In schools such as the Technical University of Munich, the tuition fee is about $145 per year. They can also be up to $1600 per year depending on different factors and the type of school.
If you are looking to enroll in a private business school, you may pay up to $15,000. Schools such as Gisma Business School usually offer programs at $13000-$15000 depending on the program you want to apply for.
If you are looking to pursue STEM programs, tuition fees will be much higher than tuition fees for other programs. You should consider applying to public universities since they are tuition-free as decided by the German government in 2014. You may only be asked to pay an administrative semester fee which is usually about €150-€250. If you also go for programs outside of science and technology, you can get low tuition costs since these types of programs may not cost so much.
You can decide to pay your tuition in installments to make for a much easier payment plan as allowed by the school. If you can pay per semester, you should have enough time to look for the next installment payment as semesters usually last for about six months.
I once contacted a business school in Germany about their business programs and tuition. They said I could pay the tuition fee in installments. The fee was about $13,000 because it was a private business school. They said I could spread the payment over a year and pay $2,000 every 2 months which was reasonable and very easy to follow.
They also mentioned that there are free German courses that I won’t have to pay extra for. They even offered a 20% scholarship off the tuition fee if I was ready to start processing immediately. Indeed, studying in German is not a Herculean task in terms of tuition fees. You can make arrangements with the school
Now let’s take a look at the living costs needed while schooling and living in Singapore.
Living Costs
When I contacted the business school, they mentioned that I will also need to get funds for my living expenses while schooling in Germany.
When you apply to a program in a German school, like most countries, you are required to have enough money in a blocked account to cover your living expenses. To show proof of financial stability, you need to have €10,332 in your block account as required by the German government. And you are limited to withdrawing just €861 each month till your studies in Germany are over.
This shows that living expenses in Germany will be around this amount and you need to have at least €10,332 in your account before getting your student visa or student residence permit. This should serve as a guide in determining your living costs in Germany.
Your living expenses include things such as your accommodation, feeding, transportation, and others.
With €800-€1000, you can cover your living costs in Germany. This includes transportation and personal expenses.
The standard of living in Germany is not as high when compared to other European countries. However, you can cut costs on your expenses if you manage your money well by making proper and realistic plans. Accommodation is often the highest expense that you have to take care of as an international student in a new country especially if you don’t have friends or relatives that you can stay with. You may want to start cutting expenses down from your rent so it can positively affect the rest of your living costs.
You can get accommodation in school halls for about €300-€350 and €400-€500 per room in shared houses. It is advisable to avoid expensive cities such as Munich and Frankfurt as accommodation can go up to €700 per room.
You can decide to go for on-campus lodging where you get to share with two or more other students. Residents share bathrooms, kitchens, and other common areas. This can be another affordable option for you when it comes to finding low-cost accommodations.
It is not expensive to get food in Germany as food is incredibly cheap there. You can get a liter of milk for less than €1 in Germany. Basic foodstuffs are between €1-€10 which means that you can budget up to €40-€50 weekly to get your groceries and basic food needs. This is an estimate for students who don’t eat out as opposed to those who eat out frequently. Eating out can cost you about €10 per day. You can also get a decent meal for as low as $10 if you decide to eat out sometimes. However, cooking at home can help you save much more than eating out so you can get groceries and make food at home.
You can budget around €100-€120 per month for transportation as a one-way ticket usually costs about €3 in Germany. You can also cut transportation costs by getting accommodation in school dormitories or on-campus lodging. This way, you won’t have to take buses or trains since you only have to walk a few minutes to the school. However, you will need transportation to go to other places that are not close to the school.
Other Expenses
Apart from living expenses, there are other expenses that you’d need to cover. These include miscellaneous and emergencies such as health issues. It is important to get your health covered through health insurance.
You can either budget for public or private health insurance. Most international students need to register for public health insurance. You can get a special discount on public health insurance in Germany as an international student. Students under the age of 23 pay €105.05 per month while students above the age of 23 pay €106.03 per month. This is an affordable plan for international students in Germany.
All international students must have health insurance which can be either public or private as required. You want to ensure that you have yourself covered in case of medical emergencies. This is an equally important cost in your study in Singapore. When you have your health insurance covered, you will be able to take care of your health regardless of how unexpected health issues arise.
Wifi is also another expense that you have to prepare for. Not all accommodations have wifi covered in the rent so you may have to pay additional fees for wifi to be able to use the internet. You can budget as low as €30-€40 per month for the internet with unlimited data.
Comparison to Other Countries
Now that you already have enough knowledge about the costs of studying in Germany, we can take a look at the comparison between the cost of studying in Germany and other popular countries.
United Kingdom
The lowest tuition you can find in the U.K schools starts from about $10,000-$12,000. There are lots of prestigious universities in the United Kingdom which partly explains why the tuition is on the high side, unlike Germany where you can get schools as low as $150 per year.
Most schools are tuition-free in Germany especially public universities while in the United Kingdom, you have to pay your tuition fee upon acceptance into the university.
Living expenses can be high in the United Kingdom as a result of the high standard of living while essential things in Germany are inexpensive.
United States
Schools in the United States are not free as you have to pay for your tuition and other expenses while most schools in Germany are tuition-free
The United States usually requires students to go back to their home countries immediately after their studies while you can extend your residence permit to up to 18 months in Germany while you look for a job. Germany encourages international students to stay back after school.
You can work for up to 20 hours as an international student in the United States while you can only work 16 hours as an international student in Singapore.
Norway
Living expenses in Norway can be high than in Germany. In Germany, basic food needs cost so little that you don’t need to spend much to feed. You may need to have as little as $50 per week for feeding in Germany while the same amount in Norway may not get you past few days.
Schools are free in both Norway and Germany, but you have to pay for living expenses in Norway.
It is often said that it is easier to find a job in Germany than in Norway after studying in either country.
Conclusion
Studying and living in Germany can be affordable. You only need to budget your money carefully and make sure you are aware of all the costs associated with your study. Germany is one of the least expensive countries to study in so make good use of the information in this article and start planning for your study and life in Germany.
