What a Master's in Germany actually costs in tuition

Germany’s reputation for free education is mostly earned. Across the 2,655 Master’s programs in our catalogue:

Just under two thirds of German Master’s programs cost nothing in tuition. That is a genuinely unusual offer among study destinations, and it is the single biggest reason to look at Germany at all.

The other third is where the planning happens, and it does not split the way most applicants assume.

This is the part that costs people money. The usual shorthand is "public means free, private means expensive." Half of that is exactly right, and half of it is wrong.

Two facts fall out of that table.

• Every free Master’s program in our catalogue is at a public university. Not one private university program is free. So if tuition-free is your requirement, public is not a preference, it is the only option.
• 699 programs at public universities still charge tuition. That is 29% of all public programs. Choosing a public university does not settle the question on its own.

Where those public fees come from

Almost all of them come from two states rather than from individual universities deciding to charge.

Baden-Württemberg bills non-EU students 1,500 EUR per semester. The effect is visible in the data: of the 360 fee-charging Master’s programs in that state, 341 are at public universities and only 19 are at private ones. That is a state policy, not private education.

Bavaria has allowed its public universities to set their own non-EU fees since the 2024/25 winter semester. Bavaria still has the most free programs of any state at 332, but it also carries 122 programs above 1,500 EUR per semester, so the state name alone tells you nothing. You have to check the program.

The practical rule: treat tuition as a per-program fact, never as a per-state or per-university-type fact. Our program catalogue records it for each one.

Split by the state the university sits in, sorted by how many programs each state has. The 16 states below account for 2,612 programs; the remaining 42 are at universities whose state is not recorded in our catalogue.

Baden-Württemberg is the outlier. Only 45 of its 406 Master’s programs are free, by far the lowest share in the country, and 162 sit in the under-1,500 band, which is the 1,500 EUR per semester non-EU charge showing up in the data. If you are a non-EU applicant, the same degree in Baden-Württemberg and in Berlin can differ by 6,000 EUR across a two-year Master’s.

Saxony, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are almost entirely free. Thuringia has 48 free of 49. Saxony has 119 of 134. These states are also less crowded with international applicants, so they are worth a serious look rather than an afterthought.

A free program is not a free year. Three costs apply whatever your tuition says.

The semester contribution

Every enrolled student pays one, including at tuition-free universities. It funds student services and administration, and it usually includes a regional public transport pass. Across the 2,600 Master’s programs in our catalogue that record one, the median is 300 EUR per semester and the middle half falls between 104 EUR and 379 EUR. You pay it twice a year, so budget roughly 600 EUR annually rather than 300.

It is genuinely good value when it carries a transport pass, since that alone can be worth more than the contribution in a large city.

Application fees, if you go through uni-assist

Per uni-assist’s handling fees page, checked 26 July 2026: 75 EUR for your first chosen course of study and 30 EUR for each additional one in the same semester. Three programs comes to 135 EUR. Applying again in a new semester restarts the fee at 75 EUR.

Not every program uses uni-assist. Most take applications directly, so check the route on each program before you budget for it. Our uni-assist and VPD cost tool works out the total for your own shortlist.

Living costs and the blocked account

These are the largest numbers by far and they do not change with your tuition. Both are covered properly on their own pages: cost of living in Germany and the blocked account guide.

Where these numbers come from

Every count on this page is from our own catalogue of active, published Master’s programs at active universities, queried on 26 July 2026. Program data was last verified on 22 July 2026. Fees change and a university’s own page is always the final word, so confirm on the program page before you budget. Check any specific program in our course catalogue, or see when applications close.