You might want to consider brushing up on your German. All public universities in Germany are now completely tuition free for everyone, including international students.
Earlier this month, the country’s federal state of Lower Saxony was the last state to abolish tuition across the board. That’s good news for German students, who were previously paying a mere $700 per term, but even better news for American students who on average graduate with $29,000 in students debt. Now, a debt-free world-class education is just a transatlantic flight away.
In explaining why this move was made, Gabriele Heinen-Kljajic, minister for science and culture of Lower Saxony explained, “We don’t want higher education which depends on the wealth of the parents.” Calling tuition fees socially unjust, her Hamburg counterpart Dorothee Stapelfeldt added, “It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany.”
Don’t want to learn German? Some universities in Germany are beginning to offer international degrees, wherein the classes are taught primarily in English.
Even though the education in Germany is free, cost of living is not. Cost of living for an International student in Germany is anywhere from $500 a month, all the way up to $1375 a month, according to topuniversities.com.
In addition, the college experience in German Universities is expectedly different than most in the United States. Academic advising is virtually non-existent, and lectures routinely top out around 200 students, according to an article on slate.com. Students in Germany are also expected to know what they want to get degree in and then proceed to do so, with almost no help along the way. Many students live with their parents or share an apartment with a friend or two, making it difficult to create a new social circle as an international student.
If free tuition outranks any of the other differences then a German education might just be the right match for you.
Tim Cachelin | The Broadside
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