Is studying in Germany really free?
Mostly no tuition, but the year does not cost zero. Below: who pays what, the NRW advantage, and a rough year, every figure from an official page.
On this page
At state universities the rule is no tuition for bachelor's and most master's programmes. Two exception lines matter: Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU/EEA students 1,500 EUR per semester state-wide; in Bavaria the decision is the university's, and TUM charges newly enrolled non-EU students 2,000 to 3,000 EUR per semester for bachelor's and 4,000 to 6,000 EUR for master's since 2024/25. Some continuing-education master's programmes and private universities charge too. North Rhine-Westphalia dropped its non-EU tuition plan in 2019. What everyone pays: the semester contribution (70 to 430 EUR), health insurance and living costs (900 to 1,200 EUR a month); the visa needs proof of financing, 11,904 EUR a year if a blocked account is used.
In NRW, Berlin, Hamburg and most states. No tuition. The year is contribution + insurance + living; in Essen the contribution is 367.80 EUR per semester, Germany-wide transport ticket included.
If you aim at Bavaria. It depends on the university: TUM charges newly enrolled non-EU students, with waivers and scholarships on application. Read each university's own fee page.
If you aim at Baden-Württemberg. 1,500 EUR per semester, 3,000 a year. Exemptions are narrow: EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German-equivalent school qualification, doctoral students, Erasmus, 15 months of legal residence in Germany.
Who it applies to
Non-EU applicants planning a bachelor's or master's in Germany who want the real cost of a year.
Key facts
Tuition, most states
0 €
bachelor's and most master's at state universities [1]
Baden-Württemberg
1,500 €
per semester for non-EU/EEA students [2]
Living
900-1,200 €
a month, insurance included (DAAD) [1]
Blocked account, if used
11,904 €
a year, 992 EUR released monthly; other proofs of financing are accepted [11][9]
Figures from the DAAD, a state ministry, universities, an insurer and a German mission; all checked on 10 September 2026.
Who pays what
Item, who pays and the amount as the source states it.
| Item | Who pays | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition, most states | Nobody (bachelor's and most master's) | 0 € [1] |
| Tuition, North Rhine-Westphalia | Nobody; the non-EU plan was dropped in 2019 | 0 € [4] |
| Tuition, Baden-Württemberg | Students entering from outside the EU/EEA | 1,500 € / semester [2] |
| Tuition, Bavaria (TUM) | Non-EU students newly enrolled since 2024/25 | Bachelor's 2,000-3,000 €, master's 4,000-6,000 € / semester [3][1] |
| Semester contribution | Everyone; student services, student body, usually a transport ticket | 70-430 € / semester; Duisburg-Essen 367.80 € [1][5] |
| Health insurance | Valid cover is needed; the amount depends on insurer, age and situation | TK student tariff example: 141.16-146.29 € / month [6] |
| Living | Everyone; rent, transport, food, insurance included | 900-1,200 € / month [1] |
| Proof of financing (visa) | Non-EU student-visa applicants; blocked account, declaration of commitment, scholarship, parents' income or bank guarantee | With a blocked account: 11,904 € / year, 992 € a month; search visa 1,091 € [11][9][10] |
The blocked account is a deposit, not a cost: the money is yours and one twelfth is released each month; the Federal Foreign Office also accepts a declaration of commitment, scholarships, parents' income and a bank guarantee. Banks charge 70 to 150 EUR to open an account (DAAD).
Bottom line
For most non-EU applicants Germany is "tuition-free but not free": the real items are living costs and the deposit, while tuition is the one item the choice of state can set to zero. [1][4][11]
The DAAD states there are generally no fees at state universities and names the two exceptions; NRW dropped its non-EU fee in 2019. Living and blocked-account figures do not depend on the state.
Read the target university's own fee page (in Bavaria without exception) and the mission's current blocked-account amount on the day you apply.
What free means, and what it does not
"Free" refers to tuition (Studiengebühren): at state universities there are generally no fees for bachelor's and most master's programmes. It does not cover the semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag), which everyone pays at every university: 70 to 430 EUR, for student services and the student body, in many places including a public-transport ticket. At Duisburg-Essen it is 367.80 EUR for winter 2026/27, of which 226.80 EUR is the Germany-wide student ticket.
Health insurance is planned as its own item; the amount depends on insurer, age and situation. Example: Techniker Krankenkasse's student tariff is 141.16 EUR a month under 23 and 146.29 EUR from 23, care insurance included, from 1 January 2026; the tariff ends with the semester in which you turn 30. The DAAD's 900 to 1,200 EUR a month already covers rent, transport, food and insurance. [1][5][6]
Baden-Württemberg state-wide, Bavaria per university, NRW without
Baden-Württemberg has charged students entering from outside the EU and EEA 1,500 EUR per semester since winter 2017/18. There are legal exemptions; the most common are EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German higher-education entrance qualification, doctoral students and Erasmus students. Check your own case on the university's fee page.
In Bavaria the fee is the university's decision. TUM charges non-EU students newly enrolled in bachelor's and master's programmes since winter 2024/25: usually 2,000 or 3,000 EUR per semester for bachelor's, 4,000 or 6,000 EUR for master's; exempt are graduates of a German bachelor's, students from the German education system, doctoral and exchange students, and waiver scholarships for performance or need can cancel the fee entirely. The DAAD's sentence is "tuition fees may also apply in Bavaria, several thousand euros per semester"; only each university's page says whether it charges.
North Rhine-Westphalia went the other way: the state government dropped its plan for non-EU tuition on 28 November 2019, to the universities' approval. In Essen, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Bochum and Aachen there is no tuition for non-EU students; the year is contribution, insurance and living. [2][3][1][4]
A rough year
The totals below are our multiplication; the sources give single items, and each university's own contribution is used. Living: the DAAD's 900 to 1,200 EUR a month is 10,800 to 14,400 EUR over twelve months, insurance included. Duisburg-Essen: 735.60 EUR contribution for two semesters (Germany ticket inside), no tuition. Heidelberg: 189.80 EUR contribution, 379.60 for two semesters, plus 3,000 EUR tuition. TUM: 97 EUR contribution, 194 for two semesters, plus 4,000 to 6,000 EUR bachelor's tuition.
So a year is roughly 11,500 to 15,100 EUR at Duisburg-Essen, 14,200 to 17,800 EUR at Heidelberg, 15,000 to 20,600 EUR for a TUM bachelor's. Visa financing is separate: with a blocked account 11,904 EUR a year is shown, not spent, with 992 EUR released each month as the living budget itself; a declaration of commitment, a scholarship, parents' income or a bank guarantee are accepted too. The study-place-search visa sets a higher monthly threshold: 1,091 EUR. [1][5][8][7][2][3][11][9]
Two costs you cannot pin down for 2027 yet
Which Bavarian universities charge tuition?
Not in the official source ·
The DAAD only says fees "may also apply in Bavaria" and gives no list; TUM publishes its own rule. Neither of the two pages read carries a state-wide list. [1][3]
What we tell applicants
Open the fee page of every Bavarian university you consider; if there is no "tuition fees for international students" heading, ask the admissions office in writing.
What will the blocked-account amount be in 2027?
Not in the official source ·
The Federal Foreign Office writes that the amount depends on the purpose of stay and follows the BAföG maximum rates, without a figure; the mission page's 992 / 11,904 EUR is dated 10 April 2025. No 2027 amount is published. [10][11]
What we tell applicants
Open the account right before applying, at the mission's amount of that day; an account opened early with a shortfall gets the application returned.
Start in a tuition-free state, on the right route
In five questions we take your diploma and your goal and tell you, in one plan, whether it is direct admission or a Studienkolleg, in which state and at what cost. Our school is in North Rhine-Westphalia, in Essen and Düsseldorf: in the state without tuition, your advisor carries the application through to uni-assist and fits your German course into the same calendar.
- Route and state: tuition or not, for your own case
- Application file and the uni-assist process with an advisor
- German course, placement test free
Our fee includes uni-assist's handling fee, and your documents are checked before you pay anything.
The figures belong to the universities and authorities; admission and visa decisions are theirs.
How can you apply to Germany?
About 2 minutes · No password required
Before you build the budget
- Target state: tuition (Baden-Württemberg), per university (Bavaria), or none (NRW and the rest)
- The university's semester contribution and whether a ticket is inside it
- Insurance: student tariff, age limit 30
- Blocked account: the mission's amount on the day you apply, opening fee 70-150 EUR
- Monthly living budget by city: where you sit in the 900 to 1,200 EUR band
Frequently asked questions
Is university in Germany free for non-EU students?
No tuition at most state universities; Baden-Württemberg charges 1,500 EUR per semester state-wide, in Bavaria the university decides and TUM charges. The semester contribution, insurance and living costs apply to everyone.
What is the semester contribution?
The amount every student pays for student services and the student body, usually including a public-transport ticket: 70 to 430 EUR, 367.80 EUR at Duisburg-Essen.
How much are monthly living costs?
According to the DAAD 900 to 1,200 EUR depending on the city; rent is the largest item, insurance is included.
How much goes into the blocked account?
If you use one: 11,904 EUR a year for the student visa, 992 EUR released monthly; 1,091 EUR a month for the study-place-search visa. A declaration of commitment, scholarship, parents' income or bank guarantee are accepted instead. The amount is updated yearly, confirm it on the day you apply.
Is there tuition in North Rhine-Westphalia?
No. The state dropped its non-EU tuition plan in 2019; in Essen and Düsseldorf only the semester contribution is paid.
Sources
- [1]DAAD, Costs of education and living · Last reviewed:
- [2]Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Tuition fees for international students · Last reviewed:
- [3]TUM, Tuition fees for students from non-EU countries · Last reviewed:
- [4]University of Cologne, NRW drops non-EU tuition plan (28.11.2019) · Last reviewed:
- [5]University of Duisburg-Essen, Semester contribution (WS 2026/27) · Last reviewed:
- [6]Techniker Krankenkasse, Student tariff contribution (2026) · Last reviewed:
- [7]TUM, Study fees and costs (semester fee) · Last reviewed:
- [8]Heidelberg University, Semester fees · Last reviewed:
- [9]Federal Foreign Office, Financing FAQ · Last reviewed:
- [10]Federal Foreign Office, Blocked account · Last reviewed:
- [11]German Embassy Paris, Proof of financing for a study stay (10.04.2025) · Last reviewed:
Want to know what your route would cost?
Our fee includes uni-assist's handling fee, and your documents are checked before you pay anything.
Find my routeUniversity ApplicationWinter 2026/27 and summer 2027. The blocked-account amount and the contributions change yearly.