Fees can vary between different programs, so ensure you check this before applying

Tuition fees

Student Services offers information & advice relating to fees and funding. Tuition fees cover the cost of your registration, teaching, assessment and operating university facilities such as the library, IT equipment and other support services. When you accept the offer of a place in a program you are accepting responsibility for the payment of your tuition fees. This applies even if you are being sponsored and your sponsor fails to pay.

At KLU, financing issues for the whole course of studies need to be settled before commencement of studies. KLU’s budgeting support for tuition goes by the annual intake and offers no scheme for students already on the program.

Costs of living

Students of the full-time programs should budget around 13,042 per year of study (excl. travel expenses). An amount of at least 10,332 per year has to be deposited or proven when applying for a student visa at German embassies or consulates. Estimated expenses for a single person per year in Euro:

Students’ requirements may vary significantly depending on choice of housing, living or travel expenses. For further information check also the website Studying in Germany.

Tax savings

In Germany, tuition can be claimed on tax returns and the tax savings can be used to partially finance students’ degrees.

All master’s degree students can claim all the costs of their degree program as anticipated income-related expenses before graduating and after completing their vocational training, and carry them forward over their time enrolled as cumulative losses assuming they had no or very little income in that time. Loss carry-forwards make this possible: the losses that students incur because they are studying are offset from their incomes after graduation in subsequent years. This reduces the income for which taxes are due. The costs associated with the semester abroad and tuition easy payday loans West Point are deductible.

It is only possible to take advantage of loss carry-forward if the degree program is a second degree (master’s degree after the bachelor’s or a bachelor’s degree after an apprenticeship). The costs of first degrees can be deducted as a special expense up to a limit of 6,000. Study-related expenses only have an effect in the same year and only result in tax benefits for people whose incomes are high enough that they actually pay income tax in Germany. The Federal Constitutional Court is reviewing the regulation regarding the costs of the first degree. For this reason, students should always claim their study-related expenses as income-related expenses on their income tax returns.

If students participate in the Brain Capital plan and defer payment of tuition fees, the fees can be deducted as soon as payment is initiated (outflow principle).

Brain Capital financing

Brain Capital is an innovative tuition financing concept. Students participating in these models do not or only partially pay tuition fees during their studies at KLU. However, they commit themselves to make income-dependent payments upon completion of their studies. The total amount of payments is linked to the income earned. The model is based on a solidarity principle: students with higher income repay more than students with lower income. There are limits for maximum annual and maximum total payments (about twice the tuition fee amount adjusted for inflation).

If you are admitted at KLU and wish to finance your tuition fees at KLU partly via the Brain Capital scheme, please fill in the Brain Capital application form and send it to admission the-klu.org by ount that is necessary to cover part of the tuition fees. Please keep in mind that the scheme may not allow a full coverage of your tuition. Applications for Brain Capital are only accepted before commencement of studies. Only admitted candidates participate in the selection.

The selection committee meets at the beginning of every month deciding on all applications received until the last date of the previous month. A positive decision on the application depends on various factors. In any case the number of applications received as well as a regional quota is considered.