Project Budget

In comparison to paying out-of-state tuition, studying aboard in Germany is unbelievably cheap. I paid a mere €28 for the entire semester tuition. Since the German higher education system is government subsidized, the tuition charges are almost non-existent. Buying books was also a concept that did not exist. Lecture notes were the only "required" texts, and they cost around €6, per manual. The only real costs were paying for insurance, housing, food, and entertainment. Insurance was €55 per month and housing in the student dorms was approximately €200, per month. The real wallet destroyer was definitely food and entertainment. Since the euro was stronger than the dollar (on average €1 = $1.25), everything cost more to Americans. I spent easily €10 to €15 on food per day when being conservative and probably an equal amount per day on entertainment. On top of that I spent a lot on travel during the entire time, but I had absolutely the time of my life. I do not regret spending a single euro. I would definitely recommend bringing at least €1500 to €2000 for a semester's budget. I believe that I could have spent a lot less, but it would not have been as enjoyable and I would not have had nearly as much fun. I also want to mention that I received a $1500 scholarship and the Engineering Fellowship also paid for airfare to and from Germany, which was a huge contribution for which I am very grateful.