The semester fee even includes insurance for injuries sustained while on the premises of a German university
As Deutsche Welle notes, the semester fee (Semesterbeitrag) is a mandatory condition for starting and continuing studies in Germany for both German and international students. Twice a year, they receive an invoice that must be paid by the specified deadline.
The same rule applies to doctoral students and international students who have come to study in Germany on an exchange program. However, the fee amount is often slightly lower for these groups of students.
Universities often remind students of this by email a few weeks before the end of the current semester. By paying the fee, the student informs the university of their intention to continue their studies (Rückmeldung). Only after this are they issued a student ID and other documents for the next semester.
If the money is not paid on time, the university imposes a fine, the amount of which varies significantly. For example, at the University of Bonn, such an oversight costs 5 euros, while at the Berlin Institute of Technology, it costs 20 euros. If two weeks pass after the start of classes and the invoice remains unpaid or not fully paid (installment payments are not allowed), the student is automatically expelled.
If the fee has been paid but the student decides not to continue their studies, the money is refunded. Universities often exempt students with severe disabilities from paying the fee. Some universities make concessions and reduce the fee amount if the student takes a leave of absence, for example, to care for a child or study abroad on an exchange.
The amount of the semester fee is the same for all students at a given university and does not take into account the income or financial situation of the students. Depending on the university, this amount ranges from 70 to 300 euros. For example, in the winter semester 2018/2019, at the University of Applied Sciences Stralsund, it is 88 euros for first-year students and 71 euros for all others; at the University of Bayreuth, it is 107 euros; and at the University of Hamburg, it is 325 euros.
In some cities, students at all public universities located there pay the same fee amount. For example, in Munich, it is 129 euros per semester.
There is no correlation between the amount of the fee and the geographical location of the university or its size. The difference is explained solely by the range of services covered by the fee. What are these services?
As a rule, the main part of the amount is the cost of a student travel pass (Semesterticket), which allows the use of public transport within the city and often between cities within the region and even the entire federal state. At some universities, students have the option to opt out of paying for the travel pass and thereby reduce the amount of the semester fee. At others, the transport benefit does not apply during holidays. There are also universities where the travel pass is not included in the mandatory fee at all, and students must pay full price for transport, which significantly hits their wallets.
In addition, the fund into which semester fees are paid covers administrative work, including, for example, record-keeping and issuing student IDs (whether in the form of a small piece of paper or a substantial electronic card), as well as the work of the Student Services Organization (Studentenwerk). A certain portion of the expenses goes to organizations such as the student parliament or the student committee AStA, which deal with university policy issues, represent student interests, and provide advice on study-related topics.
The semester fee partially covers the costs of running the university cafeteria, as well as organizing cultural events, sports sections, and language courses, for which students are not charged.
And one more advantage: the semester fee includes insurance for injuries sustained while on the university premises, as well as liability insurance for damage caused to third parties. The insurance paid for by the semester fees also covers theft of bicycles parked at the university and clothing from cloakrooms.