Can I apply for a deferral or waiver of the tuition fee and consequently a refund of the paid tuition fee (for international students and for a second degree) for the winter semester 2023/24?
On 28 July 2020, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science provided extra information on deferral, waiver and refund of tuition fees already paid and to be paid. The Covid-19-Pandemic has a significant impact on students. The responsible office at the university therefore examines applications for deferral or waiver of tuition fees with special consideration of the current situation in order to avoid individual hardships. In this context, a refund of already paid tuition fees is also being examined.
The prerequisite is a timely application:
- Until 30.09.2023 in case of financial emergency: An application is only possible for international students who are already enrolled in the summer semester 2023 and cannot pay the tuition fee for the following winter semester 2023/24. For new students, the study financing must be secured at the beginning of the study.
- Until 31.10.2023 in case of inequity. There is an individual restriction of studies due to the pandemic, e.g. own previous illness and thus belonging to the risk group, parenting / child care, care of people in need of care, no entry to Germany possible or insurmountable technical problems with online offers.
Information on how to apply for a deferral or waiver of the tuition fee will be sent by e-mail on request. For further information, please contact: studiengebuehren@zv.uni-tuebingen.de
Please note that re-enrollment for the winter semester 2023/24 usually requires payment of all tuition and semester fees due. If you have not yet paid the tuition fee, then due to the system you will not receive a certificate of enrollment for the winter semester 2023/24 if a decision on your application is still pending.
Please also note the possibility of a leave of absence, which also leads to an exemption from the tuition fee, provided that the application for leave of absence is received by Student Administration by 16.10.2023 (start of lectures) at the latest (https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/848).
Information to the students:
The Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts has delegated the possibility of deferral and waiver of tuition fees to the universities on a case-by-case basis with regard to the financial constraints caused by Corona for fee-paying international students and for fee-paying students of a second degree program. I ask for the understanding of those concerned that this can lead to noticeable delays in the processing of applications. Therefore, if you have not yet received an answer to your inquiries and applications, I must ask you to be patient. No decision has yet been made.
The regular consequence of non-payment of tuition fees for the winter semester 2023/24 is exmatriculation. I can assure you that this will not be carried out before a decision has been made on your application. If you are exmatriculated unintentionally because the receipt of your application has not yet been recorded, please contact us immediately; in this case the exmatriculation will be cancelled. Please understand that, due to the system, you will not yet receive a certificate of enrollment for the winter semester 2023/24 if a decision on your application is still pending.
In urgent cases - please only in such cases - contact the e-mail address studiengebuehren@zv.uni-tuebingen.de. Only at this address can we give priority to urgent cases. The responsible staff members do everything possible with full commitment.
Please address complaints directly to me: thomas.bonenberger@uni-tuebingen.de.
Many thanks for your understanding.
With kind regards,
Thomas Bonenberger, Head of Division
Tuition fees for international students and those seeking a second degree
Legal basis
Universities in Baden-Württemberg have levied tuition fees for international students and students taking a second degree since winter semester 2017-18.
The information below is intended to outline the relevant law and the related procedures. The sole legally binding document is Landeshochschulgebührengesetz of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. The relevant amendment to the state law governing tuition fees at institutions of higher education and other laws, 09.05.2017, is published in the Gesetzblatt für Baden-Württemberg, 16.05.2017.
Tuition fees for international students
International students (=students who are not citizens of an EU/EEA member state) will be charged a tuition fee of 1,500 euros per semester starting with the winter semester 2017/2018. This is valid for studies in a Bachelor’s degree program, consecutive Master’s and Staatsexamen programs, and for full Theology programs culminating in an academic or ecclesiastic qualification. This is in addition to the general semester fees of currently 158.30 euros per semester.
Tuition fees for a second degree
Students who, having already completed degree studies in the Federal Republic of Germany, commence a second or further first degree program or a second or further consecutive Master's program, will be charged a tuition fee of 650 euros per semester. This is in addition to the general semester fees of currently 158.30 euros per semester.
Transitional arrangements
International students and students taking a second degree – i.e. who have been enrolled at the University of Tübingen since the summer semester 2017 - may complete that degree program at the University of Tübingen without having to pay tuition fees (reliance on existing law). This is valid also if they were enrolled in two or more degree programs prior to the introduction of the new law.
In the case of multi-disciplinary programs, one change of one subject in the program remains free of tuition fees.
International applicants, who, in the academic year prior to the start of the winter semester 2017/2018 were enrolled at a Baden-Württemberg college of preparatory studies for the Feststellungsprüfungassessment test, will not be charged tuition fees for the first degree program which they commence directly after successfully completing the assessment test.
International applicants who, prior to this law going into effect, had been given written approval for a scholarship by a publicly-financed sponsor will not be charged tuition fees for a first degree program which they commence directly after receiving approval for the scholarship.
Cooperative degree programs
Students who, due to the provisions of exam regulations, study at more than one institution of higher education in Baden-Württemberg at the same time must pay their tuition fees at the institution which is home to the greater part of their syllabus.
The University of Tübingen will therefore not charge tuition fees to students enrolled in the Künstlerisches Lehramt in Stuttgart.
The University will charge tuition fees in the cooperative programs Medical Technology (with Stuttgart) and Science and Technology (NwT) (with Esslingen) and Care (with Esslingen). No tuition fees will be charged at the other locations.