5 reasons why you should consider studying in Germany

Follow up from my last post Why I chose Germany for studying abroad? This time I'd like to share with you the perks of being a student in Germany, in a more detailed way! 

If you're thinking about coming to Germany for an exchange or a degree, be sure to read this one :D

1. No high tuition fee

Maybe you've heard that studying in the US could cost you a small fortune, but studying in Germany is not the case! 

In many German states, no tuition fee is charged because public universities are funded by federal states. And the best thing is this applies to both national and international students, no matter you come from Germany, the EU, or *outside the EU. 

In my case, I pay slightly lower than €300 per semester, which is really good, even lower than the amount in my country. The semester fee is mainly for the social contribution and your student transportation ticket. 

With this feature adding their reasonable living costs, studying in Germany won't really be too burdensome, compared to some mainstream countries of studying abroad.

*In a few states they do charge a different price for students coming outside of the EU.

2. Complete the study in English

Wanna enjoy German free education but worrying about the language? No problem at all! Depends on your major and degree, some universities now offer English-taught programs, especially for Engineering Master's programs, and this trend is going higher and higher.

To make sure if your study will be taught in English, just check each university's website. Or simply check on DAAD:  https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/courses-of-study-in-germany/

On this website, there's a database for international programs in German universities, so you could find the programs in English (in German too of course, if you're familiar with both languages.)

3. Travel to many European cities free or low-costs

A privilege of  being a student in Germany is the "semester ticket." With this, you can travel inside a specific region unlimited for free, by using all kinds of public transportation, namely buses, trams, metros, and trains (except high-speed ones like IC or ICE).

And this specific region depends on which state your university is in. It could be the city or the whole state. For example, my university (RWTH Aachen University) is in North Rhine-Westphalia state, and students in this state are allowed to use the semester ticket to travel through the whole state, meaning I could go to big cities like Cologne, Düsseldorf, Münster, and so on, completely free. 

With this, the transportation cost of traveling can be very low. There are constantly cheap flights from Cologne or Düsseldorf airport to European big cities (ex: London, Barcelona, Copenhagen,...)

4. Work part-time

Being a student could usually mean living on a tight budget, but as a student in Germany, you are allowed to work part-time, under some restrictions. 

Students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland could work freely, just like German students. If the working time exceeds 20 hours per week, then taxes and security contributions might apply.

For international students coming from other countries (the ones not mentioned above), special rules are to be complied with. "Non-EU/EEA students are also able to work in Germany alongside their studies, for 120 full days or 240 half days per year." Normally employers also ask you to not work more than 20 hours per week, just like the EU students. 

For more detailed rules, I recommend visiting DAAD's website: https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/first-steps-germany/side-jobs/

5. Beer! 🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻

Last but not the least, how could someone not mention German beer when talking about Germany?! 😉

In Germany, there's tons of opportunity to drink beer! Heard of the famous Oktoberfest? It's the world's largest beer festival held annually in Munich. During these two weeks, people come from everywhere to enjoy the atmosphere, some wear traditional costumes, some drink until vomiting; no one can leave without having lots of fun. Maybe you've noticed my profile photo, which was taken when I held a "one-liter Oktoberfest Bier"!

Sadly in 2020 Oktoberfest will be canceled due to coronavirus, but it's still possible to enjoy beer either from restaurants, bars, or supermarkets. Oh, did I mention we have student bars just right inside our dormitories?!