Funding options for studying abroad in Germany

(Almost) Everything in life has its price: The rent, food, clothes, insurances and hobbies – even while studying abroad. Most of the students only have a limited amount of money per month to cover the essential expenses but also do not want to feel pressured to check their bank account every single day. In your country of origin you are aware of your financial resources and the possibilities of financial aid you can receive in case of need. What about your semester abroad in a foreign country like Germany with different restrictions and rules? What about possible grants, the opportunity to work besides your studies or other financial aid you can possibly receive in Germany?

First of all, you should have in mind all the costs you have to cover each month while studying in Germany. The costs mostly depend on the city you are studying in and on your personal preferences for food, clothes and leisure activities. The numerical values below should therefore only be an intended guidance for you to have a general overview about German cost relations:

The German city you study in is decisive for the rent you have to pay each month for a single room or a whole apartment. For example: Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Stuttgart or Berlin are very expensive cities to live in. You have the possibility to rent a room in a shared flat to save some money or in case that you need more private space, can rent a small apartment for yourself. Including incidental expenses, electricity, internet etc. the costs for your accommodation can vary from 230€ up to 550€ (more or less).

As an enrolled student at a public university, you mostly just have to pay a fee once a semester. This can vary from 100€ up to 300€ wherein a large share is already included for the so called semester ticket. This ticket is a special train-, subway- and bus ticket for students in a restricted area around the place or city you study in. It is quite affordable for students, because you can use public transport the whole semester and save a lot of money. At public universities you do not have to pay any additionally tuition fees.

If you have the semester ticket mentioned above, you do not have to pay much besides the ticket for means of transportation. This is just necessary if you want to go to places outside of the restricted area of the semester ticket (which is in most of the cases a quite wide area) or while traveling. Therefore you have to pay up to 50€ or not a penny at all.

Compared to other countries in Europe, Germany is one of the cheapest regarding costs for food. Especially products like milk and cheese are much cheaper. You have to pay 130€ up to 200€ per month in average. Tip: The canteens of the universities in Germany offer a variety of affordable food every day. If you are not in the mood to cook anything or are in a hurry – you can consider the canteen as an inexpensive alternative.

The taste in clothes is very individual and subjective and so are the costs. High-fashion brands, quantity, quality – these are aspects you should have in mind while calculating the costs for your monthly shopping-trip. Good news: There are all kinds of clothes and brands in Germany: Secondhand-Shops, popular brands like H&M and Zara, but also expensive boutiques and top-brands. In average you can calculate with 50€ up to 160€ or more per month.

You like working out, playing football or hockey? You love to go to the cinema or a small café to hang up with your friends? You like to party a lot? For example: Gym tariffs for students are available for 15€, gym classes at the university cost more or less 10€ per semester, you can party for 15€ up to 50€ or more and an average meal in the restaurant costs more or less 15€. You can calculate with 50€ up to 70€ per month for your leisure activities.

If you are living in a shared flat, you can save a lot of money because of the shared costs of telephone and internet. Often, you just have to pay an amount of more or less 10€ per month for these costs. The radio license fee for all the public-law broadcasters on the contrary is obligatory for every citizen in Germany (with a few exceptions) and amounts to 17,50€ every month.

Wenn du aus dem Ausland kommst, solltest du unbedingt vorher an das Abschließen einer umfangreichen You should be aware of the fact that you need to get a health insurance that covers your medical care before going to study in Germany. These are extra costs that highly depend on how much the insurance package you choose is offering. We as an insurance broker for example can offer you health insurance packages from 29,50€ up to 75,00€. Furthermore, you should consider to get an accident insurance and liability insurance in case you plan to have a longer stay in Germany.

In some subjects you need to read many books to prepare yourself for exams or essays. Books can cost much if you need to buy all of them each semester and therefore are a matter of expense you should not forget while studying abroad in Germany. A cost-saving alternative for students who necessarily use books would be the library every university has. You can lend books there for a period of time, pay nothing and still learn efficiently for your upcoming exams. You still should bring some necessary things, like a simple notebook, pens and markers to your courses. For all your learning materials you should calculate with 10€ up to 60€ each month.

All in all, your monthly costs for everything you need for living and studying in Germany should range from 627€ up to 1492,50€ - which leads to the next part: What can you do to afford all these essential things? What are your financing options?

No matter if you are studying in your country of origin or are studying abroad, in case of financial problems the easiest way would be to ask your parents or family to help you out. Most of the time, parents generally help their children to cover the monthly costs while studying and therefore could also be able to help out in case of urgent aid.

Foreign students from the European Union and from the countries Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland are following the same rules as Germans regarding to obtain a part-time-job. The only restriction that counts is that you cannot work more than 20 hours a week, because if so – you would have to insure yourself in another way and pay more. Foreign students from other countries have to follow different rules: You are allowed to work 120 full or 240 half days a year. This does not include self-employers or freelancers. Moreover, you still have the chance to work as a student-assistant (in German called Hiwi) at your university. As a student-assistant you have no workload-limit, because you are an employee of the university. If you are looking for a part-time-job that perfectly fits your personal interests, please check out the specific formalities and rules you have to follow as a foreign student, for example here.

As a student from abroad you have great opportunities to receive a grant in Germany while studying or doing research here. There are plenty of offers that are directly addressed to students with different kinds of subjects and from different parts of the world. Especially the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) annually offers many scholarships for students from abroad who plan to study in Germany and rely on financial aid. Besides the DAAD there exist many other institutions and programs that also offer scholarships – most of the scholarships are very specific and you definitely should check out the individual rules and criteria of each offered scholarship. The advantage of those very specific addressed scholarships is the chance to receive money even if you study or do research in a very unexplored and specified area. Scholarships are primarily based on from which country you are from, the duration of your stay and the status of your studies – bachelor or master. Most of the scholarships include a monthly amount of money, a fixed yearly contribution that should cover the study expenses in general and additional fees for your health-, accident- and liability insurance as well as for your travel costs. Be aware: Some of the scholarships include some necessary basic preconditions like excellent grades in your studies, a high level of German language skills and great social commitment. 

BAföG (German Federal Training Assistance Act) is a state aid for students in Germany. In general, everyone who is studying in Germany can apply for this state aid. If your application eventually will be granted primarily depends on the income of your parents, your own possible income (in case you have a part-time-job), your current place of residence and your training facility/university. At the end of your studies you have to pay back one half of the financial support, the other half is a grant you can keep. One disadvantage of BAföG is that its application is very restricted, detailed and kind of complicated. For foreign students the rules you have to follow and criteria you have to fulfill are even more restricted. Just a few foreign students fulfill the qualifications to apply for BAföG. You still should consider this as a possibility, so inform yourself before starting your semester abroad in Germany about the criteria of this special state aid – maybe you are the lucky one who is allowed to receive this governmental financial support. Get more information about the restrictions and necessary criteria at the responsible “Studentenwerk”, the public center for students at your German university.

In case that none of the funding opportunities mentioned above are worth considering or possible for you, you still have the possibility to take out a study loan. Be careful: This should only be an option if you do not have any other options to finance your study abroad but really need money to cover all your expenses. You always have to make the full repayment of the loan and additionally all included  interest rates after graduating. If you still plan to receive a study loan, you should inform yourself soon enough in your country of origin about the given options and conditions of a study loan.

You always should think through your plan to study abroad well enough, not at least because of the important question of how to finance it. Which possibilities of funding do you have in a personal way? Which financial support or aid can you receive in case of need? Hopefully this article could give you a short overview about German cost relations and possibly makes you start your semester abroad in Germany more calm and organized.