Germany

GENERAL INFORMATION
Germany is a big country, placed next to the
Netherlands. The language spoken is German. Living in
Germany is about the same as in the Netherlands. The
Big Mac Index of 2014, so how much a big mac costs is, is
3,65 euros, which is 22 cents more expensive than the
Netherlands(3,43). The average milk price in the
Netherlands is 41, 35 euros per 100 kg and in Germany
38,97. So the prices for provisions are about the same.

TRAVELLING
The country is part of the Schengen agreement, so easy to travel to. For public transport in the
city or country you dont have something like the OV, but you can just buy a ticket. Germany
knows many local bus, train and metro networks, so prices vary. One of the biggest is the DB
(Deutsche Bahn). To give an idea: you can travel with a maximum of 5 persons through the
whole of Germany for 42 euros on a Saturday. On weekdays its cheaper. You can plan your
trip online (http://www.bahn.de/p/view/index.shtml). If you want to stay in Germany for a
longer period of time you only have to register at the register office (Einwohnermeldeamt),
since it is part of the EU. You dont need a visa. If you want to go and study in another country
for a while, you have to check with your insurance company if you can keep your Dutch
insurance. Also, because Germany is in the EU, you can ask an EHIC card, which gives you the
right to get immediate medical care if necessary and will give compensation in case of
emergency medical costs. It might be handy to have these when you go abroad.

UNIVERSITIES
In total Germany has about 70 universities. The courses are more focused on theory than in the
Netherlands and the system is about the same as in the Netherlands. You have the higher and
academic education. College in Germany is cheaper than in the Netherlands. You pay between
50 to 300 euros per semester to study, this varies per university. You can take your Dutch
study grant to Germany if you are still registered at a Dutch university and if the time abroad is
part of your Dutch study. In Germany they dont really have a study grant, since the studies are
way cheaper. You can get a scholarship if you follow an Erasmus course on the university. This
scholarship can range from 150 to 250 euros. This money is given to the university though and
they can divide it over the foreign students. Ill give more information about the University of
Berlin, the Technical University of Mnchen and the University of Hamburg later on. These
universities are in the top ten of biggest universities in Germany, are in the top 200 of best
universities in the world and are spread through the country. You can find a list of all the
universities in Germany on: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_universities_in_Germany.



HOUSING
If you want to buy a house, it is cheaper than in the Netherlands, although the prices are rising
in Germany and declining in the Netherlands. You pay between 700 to 4000 euros per square
meter, varying from place to place. Buying a house is a little different though, since you have
no purchase option or purchase agreement. Renting a house varies a lot per region in
Germany. The German student service (DSW) offer subsidised rooms. These are usually on
campus or shared apartments.

FREE UNIVERSITY OF BERLIN
The Free University of Berlin was built in 1948 and is the biggest university of Berlin with 12
faculties and more than 33.000 students. Its ranked 86
th
of the World rankings and 4
th
of
Germany in 2013. Travelling to Berlin by plane will cost about 139 euros for
one trip if you take the cheapest flight
from Schiphol. It is cheaper to go by
train. If you want to go from Amsterdam
to Berlin, a single train ticket will cost
about 79 euros if you book on time.

It offers 150 courses. A Bachelor study
lasts 6 semesters and each semester lasts
for 6 months, so three years in total and
the bachelor is usually given in German. The university works with the European Credit
Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which means you have to get credits. One credit
stands for 30 hours of school. You have to get 30 credits per semester (half a year). This means
you have to spend 30 x 30=900 hours of school per semester on for example lectures, self-
study, practicum, etc. For the whole bachelor course you have to get 180 credits in 6 semester
(3 years). You can follow a combi bachelor or just a single bachelor at this university. The offer
is enormous, some examples are: History (&culture), chemistry, languages, informatics,
theology, medicine, vet and phycology.

The school works together with, amongst others, ESN (Erasmus Student Network). They help
you to study abroad in other countries and universities from 3 months to a year. So it is
possible to study the bachelor course you are doing on the Free University of Berlin for a few
months. You can check out the Erasmus program at: http://www.esn.org/content/erasmus-
programme. You can also follow one of the 23 master courses in English on this university. You
have masters in for example science, art and public health. You dont need to have a good
degree in German to follow these classes and it is not required. A master lasts between 2-4
semesters(so 1 or 2 years). You still have to get 30 credits per semester, so 60 or 120 per master.
For more information on the courses and university: http://www.fu-berlin. de/






TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MNCHEN
The Technical University of Mnchen was built in 1868 and has over
32.000 students. It focuses mainly on the technical studies. It was
ranked 11
th
on the Academic Ranking of
World Universities in 2014 and 53th of the
world in the QS World Rankings. It has 12
faculties. Travelling to Mnchen by plane
costs about 155 euros for one trip. The train
costs about 99 euros for a single ticket.

They have 150 study courses you can follow in
the categories: natural sciences, engineering,
medicine, life sciences and economics. It has
170 partner schools all over the world, so you
can study in another country. Like the other
universities it works with the ECTS, so you have to get credits. One credit or study point
stands for 30 hours of school. You have to get 30 credits per semester(half a year). This means
you have to spend 30 x 30=900 hours of school per semester on for example lectures, self-
study, practicum, etc. For the whole bachelor course you have to get 180 credits in 6 semester
of half a year or 3 of a year (3 years in total). Some programs have semesters of half a year and
some have a semester of a year(then you have to get 60 credits per semester), it varies per
course. The university offers 29 masters which you can follow in English and another 35
masters and bachelors taught in English and German. You are not required to speak German
for these courses. A master lasts between 2-4 semesters (so 1 or 2 years). You still have to get 30
credits per semester, so 60 or 120 per master. For more information on the courses and
University: http://www.tum.de/

UNIVERSITY OF HAMBURG
The university of Hamburg was built in 1919 and
has more than 41.000 students. They were ranked
186
th
of the world on the QS World Rankings. They
offer more than 160 courses and it has 6 faculties:
law, economics & social sciences, medicinal
sciences, education & psychology & Human Movement, Humanities and Mathematics &
computer science & natural sciences. They are also part
of the Erasmus exchange program, so you can study here
for a period as well. Like the other universities it works
with the ECTS, so you have to get credits. One credit or
study point stands for 30 hours of school. You have to get
30 credits per semester(half a year). This means you have
to spend 30 x 30=900 hours of school per semester on
for example lectures, self-study, practicum, etc. For the
whole bachelor course you have to get 180 credits in 6
semester (3 years). They offer 19 masters in English and
another 10 in English and German. You are not required to speak German for these masters. A
master lasts between 2-4 semesters (so 1 or 2 years). You still have to get 30 credits per
semester, so 60 or 120 per master. For more information on the courses and university:
http://www.uni-hamburg.de/