Discusses free university education policy in Germany for international students as at October 2016. Original research by The Free School.

1. Free university study in Germany:
free@thefreeschool.education
Original content analysis research
The Free School

2. Aim
This presentation aims to:
● Debunk popular myths and misconceptions about free university
education in Germany from the perspective of international applicants;
● Summarize the status of total fees payable by German citizens,
European Union citizens and others who study at German universities.

3. Method
This research project triangulates primary (10 samples) and secondary (10 samples)
data to draw inferences. No inconsistencies were found in this data set.
Primary data dated 2016: German university websites (7); German Academic
Exchange Services Organization (DAAD) website (1), Das Konsortium für
Internationales Hochschulmarketing policy document (1) and the Bavarian State
Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts website (1).
Secondary data dated 2013 to 2016: Mainstream news articles published in the
English language (9) and peer-reviewed scholarly research (1).

4. Conclusion
German universities offer free tuition for academic award study programs for all local
and all international students. All local and international students must pay an annual
fee to their host university to cover basic administration services and amenities. This
fee averages around 250 euros per annum. This fee is the same rate for local and
international students. International applicants must be able to demonstrate that their
non-German academic credentials are equivalent to those required of German citizen
applicants. Most university courses are conducted in German. International applicants
must demonstrate proficiency in this language if they are studying in German.

5. Background to this confusion
There remains much confusion in the public domain about Germany’s policy of
offering free university education. I cite examples of questions that are frequently
posed on Quora.com and Reddit.com. The most common recurring questions are:
1. Is is true that German universities offer free education for all students?
2. Are only European Union citizens and German citizens eligible for free tuition at
German universities?
3. Is it true that Germany offers free university tuition for persons of all
citizenship, but only for students enrolled in the hard sciences and applied
sciences such as engineering?
4. Is it true that Germany offers free education only for PhD students, and persons
of all citizenship are eligible for this scheme?
5. Is it true that Germany offers free education only for PhD students in
engineering but only if they can document German or European Union
citizenship?

6. Background - explanation
This confusion that prevails in the public arena is understandable.
For those who do not speak the German language, there is a virtual absence of
documentary policy evidence published in the global lingua franca (English) and
other global lingua franca (e.g. French) that provides official government
clarification of Germany’s university fee structure for local (German) students,
European Union citizens and international students.
Official education policy sources such as German Hansard (Federal and Provincial),
government minister speeches and policy documents are overwhelmingly published
in German only. These sources are not European Union Parliament documents.
Therefore, they do not require translation into common EU languages.

7. What German university websites say
Several German universities have a web page published in the English language that
supports international applicants who speak English. The fee structure at Free University
Berlin (2016) is the same for local and international students.
“Fees and Contributions: For the winter semester 2016/17, the total required is € 304,29
broken down as follows:
€ 50,00 as the enrollment / re-registration fee (Immatrikulationsgebühr or
Rückmeldegebühr, respectively),
€ 51,69 as the social contribution (Sozialbeitrag) to the student union
(Studierendenwerk),
€ 8,70 € 7,50 as a contribution to the student government (Studierendenschaft) and €
1,20 for financing Semester Ticket Office
€ 193,90 for the semester ticket transportation pass (Semesterticket), Fee Zone ABC,
including € 5,00 for the social fund (Sozialfond).”

8. What German university websites say
The researcher analysed web content published in the English language at six other German
universities. These universities were randomly selected from Google Searches.
Selected examples: University of Bonn, University of Magdeburg, University of Regensburg.
The content published on these websites is consistent with the content cited on the previous
slide from Free University Berlin and stories published in mainstream global media outlets
such as Forbes (United States/global) and the BBC (United Kingdom) since 2014.
This consistency causes the researcher to tentatively conclude that German universities
offer free tuition to all domestic and all international students. Universities that impose an
amenities fee charge the same rate to local and international students.

9. “Germany’s commitment to higher education is so strong that even Americans can get
a college degree in the country.
In Germany, students do have to pay some registration fees each semester — they vary
from campus to campus, but usually average about 250 euros (about $273 according
to current conversion rates), said Nina Lemmens, the North America director for the
German Academic Exchange Service. That’s less than $600 each year, a paltry fee
compared to CSU’s $5,472 annual fees.”
The LA Times October 29, 2015
Secondary source policy evidence: The LA Times

10. “German universities in most federal states have traditionally been free for German citizens
as well as many foreigners, including many American, Chinese and British students. One
reason German taxpayers foot the bill is to help attract more skilled workers to the country.
In recent years, German companies have been unable to fill thousands of jobs because of a
lack of qualified applicants. Although Germany has one of the world's most generous
welfare systems, its resources are increasingly strained as more workers retire. The central
European economic powerhouse also has one of the world's lowest fertility rates -- making
the problem even worse.” The Washington Post February 20, 2016
Secondary source policy evidence: The Washington Post

11. “If you want a world-class education without the hefty price tag it usually carries, it’s
time you pack your bags and head to Germany. The country's federal state of Lower
Saxony became the last region to scrap tuition fees in mid-October [2014], which
means that studying in Germany is now completely free even for international
students. So wherever you come from, doors of elite institutions like the University of
Heidelberg and Technical University of Munich, both among the world’s top 100
universities are flung wide open if you're a gifted student” (CNN, October 29, 2014).
Secondary source policy evidence: CNN

12. “While the cost of college education in the US has reached record highs, Germany has
abandoned tuition fees altogether for German and international students alike. An
increasing number of Americans are taking advantage and saving tens of thousands of
dollars to get their degrees.
Each semester, Hunter pays a fee of €111 ($120) to the Technical University of Munich
(TUM), one of the most highly regarded universities in Europe, to get his degree in
physics. Included in that fee is a public transportation ticket that enables Hunter to
travel freely around Munich. Health insurance for students in Germany is €80 ($87) a
month, much less than what Amy would have had to pay in the US to add him to her
plan.”
(British Broadcasting Corporation, June 3, 2015).
Secondary source policy evidence: BBC News

13. The majority of university courses taught at German universities are conducted
exclusively or mostly in the German language.
International students’ reading, writing, listening and speaking German language
skills must be sufficient to be able to pass university level studies in the program that
they select (e.g. Bachelor, Master, Doctor Degrees.)
A minority of courses are offered in the English language. Some universities may refer
to these courses as ‘International Studies Programs’. CBS News, October 3, 2014;
e.g. see University of Magdeburg 2016.
Factors to consider before applying and enrolling

14. Germany’s free university education system is not a random ‘open-door’ policy that
allows any foreign student to receive admission and free tuition merely because they
have applied for admission and meet minimum published admission criteria.
International applicants will have their qualifications benchmarked against German
standards and they must compete with local (i.e. German) applicants.
Das Konsortium für Internationales Hochschulmarketing (2016);
e.g. Technical University of Munich (2016); University of Bonn (2016).
Germany’s universities are world-class and admission is very competitive.
Shachar & Hirschl (2013); e.g. University of Heidelberg (2016).
Approximately 10% of university students enrolled in Germany were international
students in 2015 (German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, 2015).
Criteria for admission: general observations

15. “Admission requirements: Anyone with an international university degree/higher
education qualification is generally permitted to study in Germany. However, the
recognition of the qualification is linked to certain requirements. Anyone wanting to study
at a university in Germany needs a so-called "Hochschulzugangsberechtigung" (HZB), or
higher education entrance qualification. This lets applicants show that their educational
background or professional qualification allows them to study in Germany, i.e. they have
the necessary higher education entrance qualification to register for a course. An
international higher education entrance qualification lets you study at a German university,
provided that the international certificate of education is recognised as higher education
entrance qualification in Germany.”
Primary data policy evidence: www.daad.de (DAAD, 2016)

16. Selected data references
Bavarian State Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts (2016), Applications process,
<http://www.uni-assist.de/regulation-fees.html>. October 5, 2016.
BBC (Franz Strasser) (2015), How US students get a university degree for free in German,
<www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32821678>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
CBS News (2014), Where to get a free college degree,
<www.cbsnews.com/news/get-a-free-college-degree-passport-required/>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
CNN (2014), Want a top notch college degree but can't afford it? Head to Germany,
<www.cnn.com/2014/10/22/world/europe/want-education-cant-pay-germany/>. Accessed October 5,
2016.
DAAD (2016), German academic exchange service: Admission requirements,
<www.daad.de/deutschland/nach-deutschland/voraussetzungen/en/6017-admission-requirements/>.
Accessed October 5, 2016.

17. Data references
Das Konsortium für Internationales Hochschulmarketing (2016), National code of conduct on foreign
students at German universities, <www.uni-regensburg.de/ur-international/why-
regensburg/medien/11_code_of_conduct_german_universities.pdf>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
Forbes (Christopher Denhart) (2014), There is no such thing as a free college education,
<www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2014/10/03/there-is-not-such-thing-as-a-free-college-
education/#175265264c6e>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
Free University, Berlin (2016), Fees and contributions,
<www.fu-berlin.de/en/studium/studienorganisation/immatrikulation/gebuehren.html>. Accessed
October 5, 2016
Huffington Post (Sunny Freeman) (2014), Germany scraps tuition fees. Should canada follow?
<www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/10/01/tuition-fees-germany-canada_n_5915500.html>.
Accessed October 5, 2016.

18. Data references
Los Angeles Times (2015), Why you can get a free college education in Germany but not in California,
<www.latimes.com/local/education/community/la-me-edu-free-college-education-in-germany-but-not-
in-california-20151029-htmlstory.html>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
Shachar, A., & Hirschl, R. (2013), Recruiting “Super Talent”: The New World of Selective Migration
Regimes, Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 20(1), 71-107.
Technical University of Munich (2016), International affairs at TUM informatics,
<https://www.in.tum.de/en/international-affairs.html>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
The Washington Post (Rich Noak), (2016), Americans can study in Germany for free, in English. An
increasing number are doing it,
<www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/02/20/americans-can-study-in-germany-for-
free-in-english-an-increasing-number-are-doing-it/:>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
University of Bonn (2016), International students: Degree programs,
<www.uni-bonn.de/studying/international-students/degree-programs>. Accessed October 5, 2016.

19. Data references
University of Freiburg (2016), International student admissions,
<www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/studienbewerbung-en/international-en>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
University of Heidelberg (2016), Application procedure information,
<www.uni-heidelberg.de/courses/prospective/admission_ger/procedure.html>. Accessed October 5, 2016
University of Magdeburg (2016), Prerequisites,
<www.ovgu.de/en/International/Incoming/Applicants/Prerequisites.html>. Accessed October 5, 2016.
University of Regensburg (2016), UR International,
<www.uni-regensburg.de/ur-international/index.html#content_toggle_1>. Accessed October 5, 2016.

20. Call for further research
The researcher calls for scholars to explore the same objectives of this project. A
limitation of this mini research project is that it does not consult multiple official
higher education policy documents published by German authorities. This should
not undermine the conclusions drawn in this project which triangulates 10 primary
data sets and 10 secondary data sets gathered from independent multinational
agencies. Future research that inspects German policy documents may strengthen
the reliability and validity of the inferences drawn in this document.
Jay Jericho B.Com Adel, Grad Cert Ed B.Ed (Prof Hons) Tas, M.Ec (Hons) D.Soc.Sc Syd
jay@thefreeschool.education