NRW: No fees for non-EU students

The state government increases funds by more than €50 Million per year to ensure a better support at universities

Exemption from tuition fees for non-EU students - Minister Pfeiffer-Poensgen: Safe financial perspectives for universities and better terms for students

The state government increases funds for further improvements of quality as well as terms and conditions of studies at universities by more than €50 Million per year. The money enables universities to employ additional professors or scientific employee to achieve a perceptible improvement of student support at universities. In return the state government relinquishes the introduction of fees for non-EU students. This is the result of analysis from Baden-Württemberg that introduced fees for non-EU students of the amount of €1,500 per semester in 2017.

In 2021 the funds for universities will be increased from €249 Million to €300 Million per year. The funds are from Zukunftsvertag Studium und Lehre (ZSL; Future agreement on studies,) a successor of the present Hochschulpakt. ZSL is financed by the German Confederation and the States and comes into force in 2021. The funds are permanently available for universities to improve the quality as well as the terms and conditions of studies. In 2011 the former state government introduced the Qualitätsverbesserungsmittel (QVM; Quality Improvement Funds) to compensate cancelled tuition fees. Those funds have not been adjusted to the higher number of students yet. They will be adjusted now.