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Germany Tuition Fees by State in 2026: All 16 States for Non-EU Students

Germany Tuition Fees by State in 2026: All 16 States for Non-EU Students

Shikha Gupta

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October 12, 2026

Germany Tuition Fees by State in 2026: All 16 States for Non-EU Students

TL;DR: Tuition fees in Germany by state, as of 12 October 2026: Baden-Wuerttemberg is the only state with a general fee for non-EU students at its state universities: EUR 1,500 per semester. In Bavaria the law lets each university decide, so TUM charges now and FAU Erlangen-Nuernberg starts in summer 2027. The other 14 states have no general tuition fee for non-EU students, and the AfD bills in Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Thueringen are not law. Everyone, in every state, pays the semester contribution.

Is Germany still tuition free in 2026?

Mostly. At German public universities, tuition is free for one case: a first degree or a consecutive master's. That holds for non-EU students in 14 of the 16 states. Each state writes its own higher-education law, so the state, and sometimes the university, decides. Private universities set their own prices (see public vs private universities), and many non-consecutive or continuing-education master's programmes charge in any state (see free-tuition English master's programmes).

Germany tuition fees for international students 2026: the 16-state table

"No" means no general tuition fee for non-EU students was in force on 12 October 2026, based on each state's law, parliament records or main university fee pages (see Sources). "None found" means our checks turned up nothing.

State	Non-EU tuition fee now	Planned or proposed	Other fees to watch
Baden-Wuerttemberg	Yes: EUR 1,500 per semester since winter 2017/18 (details)	Coalition promises a review; no bill	Second degree: EUR 650 per semester
Bavaria (Bayern)	Set by each university: TUM since winter 2024/25, FAU from summer 2027, several others (details)	TUM rates rise from winter 2027/28	None state-wide found
Berlin	No	None found	None found
Brandenburg	No	None found	None found
Bremen	No	None found	Long-term fee scrapped from winter 2020/21
Hamburg	No	None found	None found
Hessen	No	None found	None found
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	No	AfD bill rejected 3 June 2026 (details)	None found
Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)	No	None found	Long-term fee: EUR 500 per semester after the standard period plus 6 semesters
Nordrhein-Westfalen	No	RWTH Aachen asked for the option; not in the July 2026 law	None found
Rheinland-Pfalz	No	None found	Second-degree fee abolished from winter 2025/26
Saarland	No	None found	Second-degree, guest and senior fees possible, set per university
Saxony (Sachsen)	No (law allows a fee with a scholarship scheme; none found charging)	AfD bill, at least EUR 1,500: in committee, not law (details)	Long-term fee: EUR 500 after the standard period plus 4 semesters; second-degree fee set per university
Sachsen-Anhalt	No	Debated in June 2025; no bill found	Second-degree fee set per university (Uni Halle: EUR 500)
Schleswig-Holstein	No	None found	None found
Thueringen	No	AfD bill rejected 25 June 2026	Long-term fee: EUR 500 after the standard period plus 4 semesters

Where non-EU students pay: Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria

Baden-Wuerttemberg

Since winter 2017/18 the state's universities have charged students from outside the EU and EEA EUR 1,500 per semester. A German school-leaving qualification exempts you, doctoral study is free, and the EUR 650 second-degree fee doesn't come on top. The Greens-CDU coalition agreement for 2026 to 2031 only says the government will review the fees for international students. That's a promise to look, not a bill. More in Baden-Wuerttemberg's EUR 1,500 fee explained.

Bavaria

Article 13 (3) of the Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG) lets each university charge foreign students. EU and EEA citizens and holders of a German university entrance qualification are exempt. So it goes university by university (overview: Bavaria's non-EU tuition rules):

TUM: since winter 2024/25, usually EUR 2,000 or 3,000 per semester for a bachelor's and EUR 4,000 or 6,000 for a master's. TUM says: "Tuition fees for international students from non-EU/EEA countries at TUM will increase for the winter semester 2027/28." New rates: EUR 2,300 or 3,400 and EUR 4,600 or 6,800. Students already enrolled keep their rate. See TUM tuition fees.
FAU Erlangen-Nuernberg: from summer 2027 for non-EU students enrolling for the first time or changing subject: EUR 1,000, 2,000 or 3,000 per semester for a bachelor's, EUR 2,000, 4,000 or 6,000 for a master's. FAU says: "This will not affect students who are already enrolled." See FAU's fees from 2027.
Others: a Bavarian science ministry answer to parliament (Drucksache 19/7884, August 2025) lists tuition of EUR 500 to 1,500 per semester charged or planned at several universities of applied sciences, such as HAW Coburg (EUR 1,500) and TH Nuernberg (EUR 500), plus service fees of EUR 50 to 500 elsewhere. It predates FAU's decision, so check each university's fee statute.

Bills and debates that are not law

Saxony: an AfD opposition bill (Drucksache 8/4703) proposes at least EUR 1,500 per semester for non-EU students, refundable after five years' work in Saxony (full story). The committee heard experts on 27 April 2026 and still has to finish its deliberation before any final vote. Separately, section 13 (3) of the Saxon higher education act already lets a university charge non-EU students if it runs a scholarship scheme for them. We found no university using it: TU Dresden says it has no general tuition fees, and TU Chemnitz lists none.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: an AfD bill (Drucksache 8/6316) asked for EUR 1,500 per semester, EUR 3,000 in human medicine. The Landtag rejected it on 3 June 2026. There's no planned fee now.
Thueringen: an AfD bill (Drucksache 8/3459) asked for EUR 1,500 to 5,000 per semester. CDU, BSW, SPD and Die Linke voted it down on 25 June 2026.
Nordrhein-Westfalen: RWTH Aachen's student union says the university's leadership asked for the option to charge non-EU students, and it didn't make the government's draft. The reformed university law passed on 15 July 2026 with no such fee. RWTH now says: "RWTH Aachen University continues its policy of not charging additional tuition fees for international students from non-EU countries."
Sachsen-Anhalt: the CDU group called a June 2025 debate questioning free study for non-EU students (Drucksache 8/5597). We found no bill.

Long-term and second-degree fees

Universities define "second degree" differently, so if you already hold a master's, ask before you assume.

Long-term fees: EUR 500 per semester, whatever your nationality, once you pass your standard study period (Regelstudienzeit) by more than four semesters in Saxony and Thueringen, or by more than six in Lower Saxony. Bremen and Sachsen-Anhalt scrapped theirs from winter 2020/21.
Second-degree fees: EUR 650 per semester in Baden-Wuerttemberg for a second bachelor's or master's. In Saxony and Sachsen-Anhalt each university sets its own (TU Chemnitz EUR 350, Uni Halle EUR 500), and Saarland leaves it to each university. Rheinland-Pfalz abolished its fee from winter 2025/26.

The semester contribution: everyone pays it

The Semesterbeitrag isn't tuition. It funds student services, the student union and usually a transport ticket, and you pay it every semester whatever your passport. For winter 2026/27 the University of Rostock charges EUR 352 and Kiel University EUR 403; TU Dresden says about EUR 360. See the semester fee explained and the full cost of studying in Germany.

What this means if you're applying from India or Nepal

Read the fee page of the exact programme; Bavarian universities price each one separately.
Check your start semester: FAU's fee applies to anyone enrolling from summer 2027.
A Studienkolleg won't get you out of TUM's fee; TUM says its final exam doesn't count as a German entrance qualification.
Multiply by semesters. Four semesters in Baden-Wuerttemberg cost EUR 6,000 in tuition before the semester contribution.

Not sure which states fit your budget?

Tell us your marks and budget and we'll match them to programmes in fee-free and fee-charging states. Start with a free profile evaluation.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Largely, yes. In 14 of the 16 states, public universities charge non-EU students no general tuition fee for a first degree or a consecutive master's. Baden-Wuerttemberg charges EUR 1,500 per semester, and in Bavaria each university can set a fee. You pay the semester contribution everywhere.

Two. Baden-Wuerttemberg charges non-EU students at its state universities EUR 1,500 per semester, with some exemptions. Bavaria lets each university decide; TUM, several universities of applied sciences and, from summer 2027, FAU Erlangen-Nuernberg charge.

Not as things stand. Both proposals came from the AfD opposition, not the state governments. Saxony's bill is still in committee and is not law. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's Landtag rejected its bill on 3 June 2026.

Not for a regular consecutive master's at a public university. The reformed university law that took effect on 4 August 2026 added no fee for non-EU students.

No. It funds student services, the student union and usually a transport ticket. Every student pays it, German or international.

There's no bill to do that. The coalition agreement signed in May 2026 commits only to reviewing the fees for international students, so plan for EUR 1,500 per semester.

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