International Students
Reasons to study at the University of Erfurt:
· Bachelor/Master-system, continuous assessment
· no tuition fees (except for further study programmes)
· campus university with on-campus accommodation and student restaurants
· affordable cost of living in a centrally located, culturally lively and historically interesting city
Cost of Living
Living costs are currently estimated by the authorities to be about 670 Euro per month. You must provide relevant proof to authorities that this amount of money per month is available for your stay in Germany.
Please take the following costs into consideration:
· Rent for a room in a student residence hall or for private accommodation (from 160 Euro to 250 Euro)
· Security deposit for a room in a residence hall (300 Euro), which is returned after the lease has expired
· Semester contribution (approx. 220 Euro per semester) including the semester ticket, which enables travel free of charge on all local public transport in and around Erfurt
· Health insurance contributions (approximately 80 Euro per month for students under 30 years old). Be prepared to pay for the whole duration of your study period by the second month!
· Costs for books and learning materials
· Living costs
Keep in mind that you will need a big sum of money in cash at the beginning of your stay (room deposit, semester contribution, health insurance, phone card, shopping). Before you depart for Erfurt, inform your bank that you will be spending one or two semesters abroad, and find out if there is a daily or weekly limit for withdrawals. Bring enough cash and/or traveller cheques.
Shopping
Supermarkets are generally open between 8:00 and 20:00 from Monday to Saturday. There are outlets with large supermarket chains at the terminus of tram number 6 (Rieth) and at the Thüringenpark tram stop of the number 3 tram (Europaplatz). You can also buy good quality fresh fruit and vegetables at very reasonable prices at the local market on the Domplatz from very early on in the morning to approximately 13:30. In Germany, all shops are closed on Sundays. Petrol station shops and the shops near the train station are the only places that remain open during the night as well as on Sundays and public holidays.
You can plan your budget with the following supermarket prices in mind:
| Costs | |
| Product： | Price (Euro) |
| Bread (1 kg)： | 1.50 to 3 |
| 1 Brötchen： | 0.20 to 0.50 |
| Butter (250 g)： | 1.20 |
| Milk (1 l)： | 0.80 |
| Yogurt (100 g)： | 0.25 to 0.50 |
| Wurst (100 g)： | ca. 1 |
| Coffee (500 g)： | 3 to 5 |
| Potatoes (2,5 kg)： | 1.50 |
| Pasta (500g)： | 0.50 to 1.50 |
Mandatory Health Insurance
Every student is required to have adequate health insurance coverage at all times. Documentation for health insurance must be provided when enrolling at the University. As a student, you have the right to statutory health insurance at the lowest rate of contribution (at present appr. 78 Euro per month).
The following health insurance options are available:
· for students up to 30 years old: a health insurance contract with a general local health insurance fund (AOK; see below) at student rates (approx. 78 Euro per month)
· for students over 30: a health insurance contract with a private health insurer (Compare the prices of various statutory and private insurance companies for the best offer!)
