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Costs & Financial Support

Organisation of the Stay

Campus der Universität Bielefeld
© Bielefeld University

Costs & Financial Support for International Students

Financial Support

For international students there are several opportunities to finance their studies at Bielefeld University. Next to scholarships and jobs, there are several student loans and grants that you can apply for as an international student.

Scholarships are a financial and/or non-material grants provided to students by several different organizations. It is often linked to requirements, such as good to excellent academic achievements at University (or at school, if no study credits have been obtained yet) and/or voluntary work.

There is a variety of scholarships awarded by different sponsors (such as the scholarship programs of the Studienfonds OWL), which are aimed at all students of Bielefeld University. You can find further information here:

For a short amount of time, Bielefeld University may also award limited scholarships to particular groups of individuals: 

  • Degree completion scholarships for students in the final phase before their BA, MA degree, or state examination (application 2x/year).  Here, you can find further information.
  • Scholarships for international students with a refugee background, more information can be found here.

If you find yourself in a financial emergency, you should seek consultation and can apply for financial support:

  • The social counselling service of the General Students' Committee (AStA [Student Union]) offers advice to all students. You can also apply for social loans there or have your semester fee refunded should you have limited financial resources.
  • Both the Protestant Student Community (ESG) and the Catholic University Community (KHG) can support international students with small contributions to help getting over financial emergencies. You do not have to be a member of the churches.
  • As an international student, you can also apply for emergency aid at the International Office, provided by funds from the Association for International Students in Bielefeld (ViSiB). Register at visib@uni-bielefeld.de.

Please seek consultation at an early stage, should you find yourself having difficulties with financing your studies.

Only few international students are eligible for financial support under the BAföG (state financial assistance for education). It is possible for certain groups of refugees, or if you are a citizen of an EU country and have worked in Germany for a certain period of time in the exact field that you are studying in depth at University. It is highly recommended to seek early consultation at the BAföG office and the BAföG counselling service of the AStA [Student Union].

With the residence permit, international students who do not come from the EU/EEA/Switzerland, also receive a work permit that allows them to work for 140 days as part-time employees. This means that they can work 140 full days (8 hours per day), or 280 half days (up to 4 hours per day). Employment as a student or research assistant and compulsory study internships are not included.

The number of hours worked, working days per year and the amount of remuneration have an impact on the payment of taxes, pension insurance contributions, the type of health insurance, etc. Please refer to the information provided by the Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs] for international students.

The University's Career Service supports students in their job search and career planning with a wide range of services: information, events, counselling and a database with job offers for the time during and after their studies.

Costs during the Stay in Bielefeld

During your stay abroad, you will incur living expenses and a small social fee for services of the Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs] and the use of public transport.

Since tuition fees are no longer charged, only a social fee, the so-called semester fee, is to be paid. This social fee is charged once per semester. Part of the payment will go to the academic achievements of the Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs]. The semester fee also includes the payment of the costs for the semester ticket and NRW-Ticket, which area of validity covers the whole of NRW.

More information on the ticket is available from Bielefeld Universities transport group on its homepage.

Information for the social fee can be found on the pages of the Student Office.

Studying in the Federal Republic of Germany is relatively expensive because the cost of living is high. According to a study, following costs are incurred on average:

  • 260-390 euros per month must be calculated for rent at the Studierendenwerks [Association for Student Affairs] halls of residence, private halls of residence, rooms and flats.
  • For health insurance and doctor's fees, you have to calculate about 100 euros per month.
  • Depending on your lifestyle, you can expect to spend about 200 euros a month on food.
  • In total, monthly expenses including food, clothing, leisure time, semester fees, travel costs, telephone and the above-mentioned expenses amount to approximately 900 euros. However, it should be noted that these are average costs throughout Germany.

In Bielefeld, there are various ways to save money. For instance, you can live in halls of residence for as little as about 260 euros, and you can get meals in the university’s canteen for about 2.70 euros per meal (the canteen is open Monday to Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.). Because of the demands of studying, it is difficult to work during the lecture period. It is therefore absolutely necessary to clarify the financing of your studies before entering the Federal Republic of Germany.

Further information on the average cost of living in Germany can be found on the homepages of the Deutsches Studentenwerk [German Academic Exchange Service] and the DAAD [German Academic Exchange Service].

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