THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
One of Germany’s leading universities has announced that it would start charging foreign students from the so-called third countries tuition fees. Generally, public universities don’t charge tuition fees in Germany.
The Technical University of Munich (TUM) in a statement on 5 September that it would reintroduce tuition fees for all students from non-European Union countries as from October 2023.
“At the Technical University of Munich (TUM), starting in the winter semester 2024/25, international students from third countries who newly enrol in a degree program will be charged fees,” the university said.
The university said how much it would charge as tuition fees depends on the field of study. For Bachelor’s programs, the fee per semester will generally be between 2,000 and 3,000 euros, and for Master’s programs it will generally be between 4,000 and 6,000 euros.
TUM said the fees will be used to improve teaching quality and expand advisory and support services for students.
The university also said that with the introduction of fees for international students, opportunities for waivers or scholarship programs would be created for talented students.
About 30 per cent of the around 50,000 students enrolled at TUM will be affected by the reintroduction of tuition fees for students from non-EU countries.
With the exception of Baden-Württemberg and Saxony, almost all public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees. Students do however have to pay administrative fees (Semesterbeitrag) of around 150 to 250 euros per semester.
Sola Jolaoso
