Study in Germany in 2026: what it costs and how to fund it

HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO STUDY IN GERMANY IN 2026?

To get a German student visa in 2026, you need to prove you have EUR 11,904 for your first year, sitting in a blocked account that releases EUR 992 a month for living expenses — and Prodigy Finance can fund that account for you, so you don't need to have the cash saved yourself. Separately, tuition at most public universities is free.

You'll pay a semester contribution of roughly EUR 85 to EUR 400, though a few institutions, including TU München and certain universities in Baden-Württemberg, do charge non-EU students higher fees.

The catch? Most students spend more than EUR 992 a month. Budget EUR 1,000 to EUR 1,300 depending on location. Munich and Berlin sit at the top end; Leipzig, Dresden and most of eastern Germany sit comfortably below.

What is a German blocked account, and how much do you need in 2026?

A blocked account, or Sperrkonto, is a German bank account that holds your living costs and releases them to you in monthly instalments. For 2026 you need at least EUR 11,904 in it, and it releases EUR 992 a month. That's 1/12 of your total deposit, and it's how you prove to the German embassy you can support yourself for a year, per the Auswärtiges Amt's Sperrkonto rules.

The amount isn't arbitrary. It's pegged to the maximum BAföG rate - the German state's own student support benchmark, which is why EUR 992 a month appears everywhere in German student finance, including in most scholarship stipends. It has been EUR 11,904 since September 2024 and is unchanged for 2026; before that it was EUR 11,208, and EUR 10,332 in 2023. Because it's reviewed against the BAföG rate it can move, so always check the figure your own German embassy is publishing before you transfer anything.

One distinction that catches people out: if you're applying for a student applicant visa (Studienbewerbervisum), the one you use to travel to Germany to look for a study place rather than arriving with an offer, the monthly requirement is higher, at EUR 1,091 a month, or EUR 13,092 for the year, per current visa guidance from Germany's embassy and consulates in India. More money, not less, for the less certain route.

The blocked account vs an education loan

The two aren't interchangeable, but with Prodigy Finance they don't have to be separate pots of money either.

The blocked account is what the embassy actually checks: a fixed, monthly-release account that proves you can cover a year of living costs, capped at EUR 992 regardless of what you actually spend. It's required for the visa, and it doesn't stretch to cover private tuition, flights or setup costs.

An education loan is structured differently — borrowed money, repaid after you graduate, sized to what your programme actually costs rather than a fixed monthly cap, and not itself something you show the embassy. But where your Prodigy Finance loan includes a living-costs portion, we can fund your blocked account directly, through our partner Expatrio, in the same monthly instalments German visa rules require. So the money the embassy sees in that account can be Prodigy's, not money you had to save yourself. Tuition, and anything the blocked account doesn't cover, is handled separately once your visa is granted.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you need to save the full EUR 11,904 yourself before you can even apply for a Prodigy Finance loan. You don't — where your loan includes a living-costs portion, we can fund the account directly through our partner Expatrio

• Assuming the blocked account covers tuition. It doesn't, it's for living costs only.

• Waiting until or after you have your admission letter. You could open a blocked account earlier if you want, but the visa appointment queue is your real bottleneck.

• Assuming a part-time job replaces it. It doesn't — the embassy wants the money shown up front, per Make it in Germany.

What studying in Germany actually costs

Most public universities in Germany charge international master's students no tuition, just a semester contribution of EUR 85 to EUR 400.

Two exceptions stand out: Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU students EUR 1,500 per semester at state universities, and TU München introduced fees for non-EU students starting winter 2024/25 (the amount varies by programme).

The good news: both offer exemptions and scholarships for eligible students. Private universities operate differently, charging EUR 30,000 annually and upwards.

Tuition: What you'll pay, and where

• Most states: Berlin, NRW, Hesse, Saxony, Lower Saxony and others: no tuition, just the EUR 85–400 semester contribution.

• Baden-Württemberg: Heidelberg, Stuttgart, KIT, Mannheim, Freiburg: EUR 1,500 a semester on top of the contribution, with wide exemptions.

• TU München: usually EUR 4,000 or EUR 6,000 a semester for a master's, set per programme — and only for non-EU students newly enrolled from winter 2024/25.

• LMU Munich: no tuition, just the EUR 85 semester contribution.

• Private universities and business schools: EUR 30,000–40,000 or more for the full programme, varies by school.

Who actually pays these fees?

Baden-Württemberg The EUR 1,500 is set by state law and applies across all state institutions, per Heidelberg's own tuition fee page. The exemption list is broad. You might qualify if you have a German school-leaving qualification, are a doctoral candidate, exchange or Erasmus student, double-degree student, recognised refugee, family member of an EU or EEA citizen, or have lived legally in Germany for 15 months or more. Universities can also waive it on hardship grounds. Second-degree students pay a separate EUR 650 instead. Check your own case before you budget for it.

TU München TUM's own tuition page states the fee as "usually EUR 4,000 or EUR 6,000 per semester" with the amount set per programme. Check your programme page rather than assuming. The fee applies only to non-EU and non-EEA students newly enrolled from winter semester 2024/25 onwards. EU and EEA students are exempt, as are anyone already enrolled in the same programme before that date, doctoral students, exchange students, and visiting students. Some programmes charge nothing. TUM runs waiver scholarships on achievement or need grounds, applied for in your first or second semester. These can cover the full fee, making the real cost for some students EUR 0. Worth applying.

A note on outdated claims You may see online that the Baden-Württemberg fee has been completely abolished. It hasn't. Heidelberg and Stuttgart both still publish EUR 1,500 a semester as of August 2026, and the state ministry still sets it.

DAAD publishes an all-in average of EUR 842 a month covering every category above, including rent and insurance — but that figure sits below what current rent data alone suggests for 2026 (see the rent row above), so we've budgeted this page's total toward the more current, higher end rather than DAAD's average.

2 things worth saying that others don't: the visa minimum of EUR 992 a month sits at the bottom of the realistic range, not the middle, plan for more than the embassy asks for. And if you're studying in Munich, budget separately for transport: LMU stopped bundling a semester ticket into its fees, so its EUR 85 semester contribution is genuinely just EUR 85.

One-off costs to budget for

• APS certificate (India): INR 18,000

• Uni-assist: EUR 75 for your first course choice, EUR 30 for each one after, per semester

• Student visa: EUR 75, plus a non-refundable service-provider fee

• Blocked account: EUR 11,904, plus the provider's setup and monthly fees

How do you fund a master's in Germany without a co-signer or collateral?

Prodigy Finance lends to international master's students based on your future earning potential, not your family's assets - no co-signer, no collateral, and no home-country credit history needed. Loans go up to USD $220,000*, and can cover up to 100% of your tuition and living costs where permitted, sized to your specific school and programme, with rates from 11.80%%* interest. Check your eligibility to see your personalised loan amount and rate.

Most students studying in Germany aren't choosing between a loan and a blocked account — with Prodigy Finance, the loan can be what fills the blocked account. Get matched with funding, open your account with our partner Expatrio, and we release your living-costs portion into it in the same monthly instalments the visa rules require. That funded account is what gets your visa issued; your final loan agreement and tuition disbursement follow once the visa is granted.

What to do first, and what can wait

1. Check your eligibility early, you don't need an admission letter to do it.

2. Get your APS certificate started, if your degree is from India, China or Vietnam. It's the longest lead time in the chain.

3. Apply through uni-assist or direct, by 15 July for winter or 15 January for summer.

4. Once you have your admission letter, complete your loan application and go through verification.

5. Once you're matched with funding, open your blocked account with Expatrio and pay the processing fee — this gets your loan approved and lets us start funding the account.

6. Book your visa appointment using your funded blocked account as proof of funds. This is usually the tightest constraint, so book as soon as you can.

7. Once your visa is granted, sign your final loan agreement — tuition is paid to your school from here.

Which universities in Germany are best for a master's?

TU München is the highest-ranked university in the European Union, 25th in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2027. Europe's overall leaders such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and ETH Zurich all sit outside the EU. Whether a university charges non-EU tuition varies enormously by state.

Business schools

• WHU – Otto Beisheim — a leading German private business school. Tuition: EUR 33,000 for 90 ECTS, EUR 40,400 for 120 ECTS.

Which German universities does Prodigy Finance fund?

Prodigy Finance funds international master's students at German institutions including TUM School of Management, Mannheim Business School, WHU, HHL Leipzig, Goethe University Frankfurt and Saarland University. Each school page shows the loan amount available and lets you check your eligibility for that specific programme.

• TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich

• Mannheim Business School, University of Mannheim

• WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

• HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management

• Goethe University Frankfurt

• Saarland University

• Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen

• Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg — Computing Science, Business, Economics & Law

• Northern Institute of Technology Management, Hamburg University of Technology

• Constructor University, Bremen

• University of Potsdam

• University of Regensburg

• University of Siegen

Top reasons to study in Germany

From Master's and MBAs to Ph.D.-level programs, German universities offer exceptional academic opportunities across a broad range of disciplines. Each institution provides a unique academic, professional, and cultural experience.

Getting into a German master's programme

You'll need a recognised bachelor's degree, proof of language ability in the language your programme is taught in, and an APS certificate if your degree is from India, China, or Vietnam. Common deadlines are 15 July for the winter semester and 15 January for the summer semester, but master's programmes often close months earlier.

Do you need an APS certificate for Germany?

If your degree was issued by an institution in India, China, or Vietnam, yes. It's an academic verification check required as part of German student visa documentation. It follows your degree, not your passport. If you studied in India, you need APS India regardless of your nationality.

For India it costs INR 18,000, is non-refundable, and takes at least 2 weeks, often longer depending on your university's response time, per APS India's own process guide. Start it before you apply to universities, not after.

Exemptions include degrees from institutions outside these three countries, certain doctoral routes, an international qualification like the IB as your highest qualification, and some scholarship holders. Note: India recently added a dMAT requirement (a mathematics assessment from g.a.s.t.) for specific applicants. Check current APS India guidance to see if this applies to you.

Uni-assist

Many German universities process international applications through uni-assist. It costs EUR 75 for your first programme choice and EUR 30 for each additional choice per semester. Reapplying for a later intake means paying again, regardless of outcome. Some universities cover applicants' fees. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for processing, and submit at least 8 weeks before the deadline.

Do you need to speak German to study in Germany?

Not if your programme is taught in English. Many master's programmes are. If your programme is taught in German, most institutions require at least B2 level. TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache) at level 4 across all sections satisfies unrestricted admission to any degree programme. DSH-2 is an alternative standard assessment.

For English-taught programmes there is no national threshold. TU München and RWTH Aachen set requirements per course. As a rough guide, expect IELTS 6.5–7.0 or TOEFL 88–95. Frankfurt School, for example, asks for TOEFL 90 or IELTS 7.0, and waives it if your bachelor's was taught entirely in English. Check your programme page.

One catch: RWTH Aachen doesn't accept TOEFL MyBest scores. You need the minimum in a single sitting.

For the visa itself, the German embassy wants B1 for a preparatory course and C1 for degree study.

Your timeline for a winter 2027 start

Here's a realistic sequence, cross-checked against DAAD's own application-process guidance:

1. Now – Dec 2026: start your APS certificate. Longest lead time in the whole process.

2. Dec 2026 – Feb 2027: shortlist programmes, sit your language test, draft your SOP and gather your LORs.

3. Early May 2027: winter semester applications open.

4. By mid-May 2027: submit through uni-assist, 8 weeks before the deadline, as they advise.

5. 15 July 2027: hard deadline for most winter-semester programmes. Many close earlier.

6. Aug – Sept 2027: admission decisions.

7. On admission: complete your loan application, open and fund your blocked account.

8. Immediately after: book your visa appointment. This is usually the bottleneck.

9. Sept/Oct 2027: semester starts.

Can you study in Germany without IELTS?

Often, yes. Germany has no national English requirement, each programme sets its own, and many will waive an English test entirely if your bachelor's degree was taught in English.

German-taught programmes don't need IELTS at all; they need TestDaF or DSH instead. What you can't do is skip proving language ability altogether.

The routes, plainly

1. Your bachelor's was taught in English. Many programmes accept a medium-of-instruction letter from your university in place of a test. Frankfurt School, for example, waives its TOEFL 90 / IELTS 7.0 requirement on exactly this basis.

2. Your programme is taught in German. Then IELTS is irrelevant — you need TestDaF TDN 4 or DSH-2.

3. The programme accepts another test. TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo and Cambridge are accepted by some programmes and not others.

4. The programme has no English requirement. Some don't. You still need to satisfy the embassy's language expectation for the visa.

Even where a university waives an English test, the German embassy asks for a language certificate as part of the visa documentation. "No IELTS" doesn't mean "no language proof."

Your German student visa, step by step

You apply for a national D visa at the German embassy in your country, before you travel. It costs EUR 75, and you'll need your admission letter, proof of EUR 11,904 in funds, health insurance, a language certificate and, for Indian, Chinese and Vietnamese degrees, an APS certificate.

Which of the two student visas do you need?

The 9 documents you'll need

• Valid passport, issued in the last 10 years, with at least 2 blank pages

• School-leaving certificate and degree certificates

• Language certificate such as B1 for a preparatory course, C1 for degree study

• APS certificate, if your degree is from India, China or Vietnam

• University or Studienkolleg admission letter

• Motivation letter

• CV

• Health insurance certificate

• Proof of financial means — a blocked account, a scholarship award, an education loan, or a Verpflichtungserklärung from a sponsor in Germany

On processing times: Appointment availability and processing vary by embassy, so check your local German embassy's current information and book as early as you can.

Can international students work in Germany?

Yes. Non-EU students in Germany can work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or alternatively up to 20 hours a week during lecture periods with no limit during semester breaks. A shift of 4 hours or less counts as a half day. Student assistant jobs at your own university don't count against either limit.

You don't need Federal Employment Agency approval for either option. Internships during your studies are allowed. Self-employment is different — that needs approval from the foreigners' authority.

One thing worth knowing for later: when you renew your residence permit, documented student income of EUR 992 a month counts towards showing you can support yourself, and you don't need a permanent contract for it to count.

Part-time work will help with your monthly costs. It will not satisfy the embassy's proof of funds. The German embassy wants to see the money before it issues the visa, not a plan to earn it afterwards.

The 140/280 allowance replaced the old 120 full days / 240 half days limit from 1 March 2024, so any information still quoting 120 days is out of date, per Make it in Germany's guide to studying and working.

What scholarships can international students get to study in Germany?

The big ones are DAAD study scholarships, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters and the political foundation scholarships from Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and Heinrich Böll. Most pay around EUR 992 a month, because German student funding is pegged to the same BAföG benchmark as the blocked account.

• DAAD study scholarships: around EUR 934–992 a month, plus a travel allowance and health insurance. Varies by programme — search the DAAD database. Deadline: per programme.

• Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters: EUR 1,400 a month for the full 12, 18 or 24 months, with no tuition, application or participation fees. Open worldwide to anyone holding a bachelor's, or in their final year and graduating before the start. Consortia typically open October–January.

• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: up to EUR 992 a month for 2 years, plus up to EUR 120 insurance, EUR 276 spouse allowance, EUR 250 per child. For international master's students with B2 German. Deadline: 15 July, 12:00 noon CET.

• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: EUR 992 a month, health insurance covered, EUR 160 a month per child. For non-German students enrolled at a recognised German university with very good German, strong grades and civic engagement. Deadline: 30 November for winter, 31 May for summer.

• Heinrich Böll Foundation: contact studienwerk@boell.de for current stipend amounts. For graduate students from DAC countries, with priority given to those not yet in Germany. Fall 2026: 15 July – 1 Sept 2026. Spring 2027: 15 Jan – 1 Mar 2027.

• Deutschlandstipendium: EUR 300 a month, awarded by each university. Eligibility for non-EU students varies by institution, so check with your prospective university. Deadline: set by each university.

Think of these as scholarship and loan, not scholarship or loan. Most of these stipends land around EUR 992 a month — enough to live on, not enough to also cover private tuition, relocation or a blocked account top-up. Several also require German at B2 or better — if you're heading for an English-taught programme, KAS and FES are probably not realistic routes.

Can you stay in Germany after your master's?

Yes. After graduating you can apply to extend your residence permit for up to 18 months to find qualified work, and you're allowed to take any job to support yourself while you search. From there, an EU Blue Card needs a graduate-level salary of EUR 45,934.20 for 2026, and once you're working, permanent residence can come after just 2 years.

From graduation to permanent residence

Per Make it in Germany's guidance for graduates, here's how the stages stack up:

1. Job-seeking permit: up to 18 months after graduating. You have to apply for the extension before your student permit expires — it isn't automatic. You can take any work to support yourself, though the search itself must be for a job matching your qualification.

2. EU Blue Card: gross annual salary of EUR 50,700 generally, or EUR 45,934.20 if you graduated within the last 3 years, for 2026. Shortage occupations also qualify at the lower figure but need Federal Employment Agency approval. Needs a job offer of at least 6 months matching your qualification. Thresholds reset annually.

3. Permanent residence, German-university graduate route: 2 years holding a skilled-worker residence permitafter you graduate — not 2 years from graduation. Plus B1 German, 24 months of pension contributions, a job matching your qualification, adequate housing and self-sufficiency.

4. Permanent residence, Blue Card route: 27 months with A1 German, or 21 months with B1. Separate timeline from the graduate route.

5. Permanent residence, general skilled worker route: 3 years, with B1 German and 36 months of pension contributions.

Lead with the 2-year graduate route, worded carefully: German degree, qualifying job, permanent residence 2 years later is one of the fastest routes to settlement in any major study destination. The clock starts when you're working on a skilled-worker permit, not from graduation itself.

Common questions

Questions about our loans

The questions people ask us most often before they apply.

Exploring German universities? You don't need €11,904 in the bank to start.

No co-signer, no collateral, no credit history in Germany. And, you don't need an admission letter to check your eligibility and get a provisional offer.

^*Loan and promotion offers are subject to our eligibility, funding, and credit assessment criteria.

^*Loan amounts are subject to the cost of attendance limits set by schools.

^*The purpose of this guide is to provide prospective students with a general overview of the international student visa process and should not be regarded as legal or immigration advice, or as a substitute for official guidance from government authorities, embassies, or consular offices. While we’ve taken care to compile accurate and up-to-date information, Prodigy Finance Limited does not accept liability for any inaccuracies, omissions, or outdated details. We strongly encourage all prospective students and readers to consult the official government websites and immigration authorities relevant to their study destination for the most accurate and current information. Prodigy Finance Limited is not authorised to provide immigration services and cannot offer personalised visa advice or assistance.