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First-month budget calculator →
Deposit, insurance, mobile: your first weeks in numbers.
Arrival and Enrolment
Enrolment happens on site: the semester fee (€100–400, usually incl. transit pass), insurance — and student status with all its discounts is live.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
› Details and tips
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Max recommends:
Enrolment ran online, but the semester ticket activated only after city registration: the visa-registration-ticket chain is strict — plan the first two weeks in that order.
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Lea recommends:
The Studentenwerk is the underrated ally: cheap meals, counselling, rental-law advice and emergency loans. Make the first visit during orientation week, before the queues.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How much can I work on a student visa? ▾
140 full or 280 half days per year without extra permission; university jobs (HiWi) do not count toward the quota. More only with immigration office consent.
What is the semester fee — and why not tuition? ▾
The 100–400 € cover student services and often the transport ticket — it is not tuition, which most public universities do not charge. Due every semester.
Do I pay tuition as a non-EU student? ▾
At public universities usually no — studying is free. Exception: Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU students €1,500/semester, and a second degree or some master's programmes can carry fees. Check the state and programme.
I am 32 — does the student tariff apply? ▾
The student public tariff ends at 30. Beyond that: voluntary public insurance or student PKV — compare in our calculator.