Financing Your Studies

How much does it cost to study at TU Berlin?

There are no tuition fees to pay at TU Berlin. The only exceptions to this are continuing education master’s programs.

Each semester, students are required to pay a semester fee, which can vary slightly from semester to semester. All students are required to pay this fee, which is made up of a number of sub-fees. One of these is the fee for the Semesterticket, which provides you with unlimited public transport travel in Berlin.

Advising for financing your studies

Please contact Studierendenwerk’s office for social counseling or the TU Berlin General Students' Committee (AStA) for all general questions and questions relating to social law. This also applies to grants or loans provided in exceptionally urgent situations or possible financial support from the state. The AStA social fund also provides grants to help you pay for your Semesterticket.

Please note that different rules and regulations for funding options listed on this page may apply for EU citizens and students of other nationalities. Detailed information can be found on the website of the respective funding organization.

Parental support

Parents are legally required to financially support their children until the completion of their first professional qualification. It is even possible to sue your parents if they fail to do so. If your parents’ income is too low, however, it is generally possible to receive BAföG funding.

With regard to the amount of parental support payments, the Higher Regional Courts in Germany base their decision on a monthly maintenance requirement of 735 euros plus the contribution to health and long-term care insurance. The classification of the amount of parental support is based on the so-called "Düsseldorfer Tabelle". The actual amount to which you are entitled, however, is based upon parental income. For their part, parents can require that their child provide proof that they are conducting their studies in accordance with the relevant study regulations.

Child benefit, which can be paid up to the age of 25, is deducted from the parental support.

Working to finance your studies

A further option to finance your studies is to take a job. You can find jobs directly at TU Berlin (job postings).

In general, the following applies: As a student you are not required to pay social welfare contributions if your  monthly salary is below the marginal earnings threshold or if your employment is on a short-term basis. You can find out about current regulations by contacting TU Berlin’s Staff Council for Student Assistants.

Useful information: As a student employee you have the same duties and rights as all other employees, such as the right to receive the minimum wage, to continue to receive your salary if ill, paid leave, maternity leave, etc. Our team is happy to help you with all your questions concerning social and employment law.

BAföG state support

Students can apply to receive funding via the Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) for first degrees or first master’s degrees. Half of this funding is provided in the form of a grant which does not need to be repaid and the other half as an interest-free loan.

Applications should be submitted to the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung (office for the promotion of education and training) as soon as possible (6-8 weeks before the start of the semester), as the processing of applications takes some time to complete. Financial support is generally provided for one year at a time and you need to reapply thereafter.

BAföG is only paid from the time you apply; in other words retroactive payment is not possible. It is also not possible to “save” funding for subsequent semesters or a future degree program by not applying for funding in a semester. From the moment you enroll, each semester counts as a funded semester, whether you apply for funding for that semester or not. No funding is available for semesters during which you take a leave of absence.

As a rule, funding is available for the standard period of study for a degree program. If you change your program, there is, then, the chance that you will lose your funding. You should check informations from the "Studierendenwerk Berlin" before changing your program to clarify the situation. Should you need to continue studying beyond the standard period of study as a result of difficult extenuating circumstances, you can submit a special application to continue to receive funding.

Your academic achievements will be checked between the fourth and fifth semesters. You will need to demonstrate that you have obtained the credits required for your degree program. In certain circumstances you can apply to the Amt für Ausbildungsförderung to defer this for a commensurate period of time. This is only possible, however, if there are genuine extenuating circumstances, such as pregnancy, illness, disability, or if you work for a student governance body such as AStA.

Grants and support provided by foundations

Grants and support provided by Begabtenförderungswerke provide an opportunity to finance your studies or a part of your studies, such as internships or stays abroad. Generally, funding is provided as a grant and does not have to be repaid. The support available includes purely financial assistance as well as continuing education and certification programs.

Useful information concerning grants is available from:

Begabtenförderungswerke

The Begabtenförderungswerke programs for the promotion of talent are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Funding is available for students in all disciplines and programs. Funding is based on BAföG payments, both in terms of the maximum funding period available as well as the amount of funding provided. The best established Begabtenförderwerke programs in Germany are:

  • Avicenna-Studienwerk
  • Cusanuswerk
  • Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk - ELES 
  • Evangelisches Studienwerk e.V. Villigst 
  • Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 
  • Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom 
  • Hanns Seidel Foundation
  • Hans Böckler Foundation
  • Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung
  • Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
  • Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft und Studienförderwerk Klaus Murmann
  • Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

Deutschlandstipendium

The German federal government awards Deutschlandstipendium grants to particularly talented students achieving outstanding grades. Funding is provided jointly by private donors and the federal government and can be combined with BAföG. Further information about Deutschlandstipendium grants are available from the TU Berlin Career Service.

Aufstiegsstipendium

The  Aufstiegsstipendium  grant supports people with professional experience to do a first university degree. It is targeted at people who have already proven themselves professionally and are looking to strengthen their career opportunities by doing a degree.

Research fellowships and funding of junior scholars

The DAAD’s RISE  program finances research work worldwide for natural sciences and engineering bachelor’s students.

Students preparing a doctorate or who are about to complete their dissertations can apply to receive an Elsa-Neumann-Stipendium from the state of Berlin . The prerequisites are that the applicant’s academic achievements are well above average and that the scientific projects can be expected to make an important contribution to research. Further funding options for doctoral projects can be found on the website of TU-DOC - Office for Doctoral and Posdoctoral Services.

Erwin-Stephan-Preis

The Erwin-Stephan-Preis is awarded biannually to graduates completing their degrees particularly quickly and with excellent grades. The prize is scaled according to the type of degree and awarded for specific purposes. It is intended to provide support for research, teaching, or continuing education stays abroad.

Financing stays abroad

If you would like to go abroad during your studies, for example to do an internship, complete a project, take part in a language course, or attend lectures, you, too, have the chance to apply for funding. The following is a selected list of programs and funding organizations:

Programs and funding organizations

The DAAD short-term grant program provides funding for internships in: international organizations such as the UN; EU institutions, departments, and organizations which organize EU programs; German foreign representation organizations such as the German embassy; Max Weber Foundation German humanities institutes; Goethe Institutes; as well as German schools abroad.