Free education in Germany for all, here's why

By Vidhya

Germany has been known for having low and affordable tuition costs, but last week it officially stated to make college education free for everyone including international students.

In explaining the reason for such move, Stapelfeldt, a Hamburg senator, called tuition fees "unjust" and added that "they discourage young people who do not have a traditional academic family background from taking up study. It is a core task of politics to ensure that young women and men can study with a high quality standard free of charge in Germany."


Though the experience of studying in a German University isn't any different from studying in an American one, there are several cultural and infrastructural differences between the systems of these two nations.

The campus life in German universities consists entirely of classroom buildings and libraries. They do not have any fancy gyms, water-parks or team sports facilities and others like in the American counterpart.

Academic life in Germany is quite different too. Students in Germany are typically accepted into particular majors and nothing beyond that. No expanding horizons beyond the programme's requirements.

Another major difference in the German education system is that, a lecture in Germany might have an assembly of 200 or so students, which is ever changing. Students can also show up when it suits them and leave at any point during the lecture. The students of the upper-level courses are often allowed to register until the end of the semester.

Free education in Germany for all, here's why

The tuition might be free in Germany, but if students are not highly self-motivated learners and not fully fluent in German and who has a social life based elsewhere than the campus, he/she will still have to pay the price.

Education in Germany is for ideal, mature, self-motivated learners. For those autonomous students who cannot afford prestigious public institutions, Germany is the place to go.

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