Tuition fees
Dieser Artikel in Deutsch
In Germany, the days when anyone wishing to study could do so free of charge seem to be over once and for all. Now that a number of Federal Länder have already introduced fees for students taking an excessive amount of time to complete their courses (10th to 13th semester), tuition fees are also being discussed for first-semester students.
Whether it was a student of German language and literature in his 22nd semester earning his living with a sideline job as a bookseller or a retired teacher at a secondary school imparting his wartime experience to a history seminar, studying in Germany had basically been free of charge for both of them until just a few years ago. From the first degree course through the second degree course to courses for senior citizens in higher education, the only costs involved were a student welfare contribution with which, for example, the canteen meals were subsidised. Nowadays, students who have exceeded the standard period of study are charged an average of 500 euros a semester in almost all Federal Länder. Debates are still underway on breaking with the last remaining taboo - fees from the first semester on. "Most of the Länder have agreed on introducing tuition fees," explains Heinz-Peter Weitlich of the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder. "Again, 500 euros is being considered." Financing models such as low-interest loans are to be created for students facing financial hardship through studying. Champions of the reform are reckoning with improved study conditions. Critics of the scheme warn that less well-off students would be disadvantaged and fear that the Länder could view the new sources of revenue in higher education as an opportunity to reduce its budget.
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