International students International students

Most HAW Hamburg degree courses (with a few exceptions, such as the Master of Public Health*) do not charge tuition fees. You will only have to pay a ‘semester contribution’ (Semesterbeitrag) of €331 per semester. About half of this sum is for your semester ticket, which allows you to use public transport services throughout the HVV area. The remainder is shared among the AStA (the student representative body), the Studierendenwerk and HAW Hamburg itself, and is used to cover various administrative expenses.

Studying itself isn’t expensive, but living in Hamburg can be. Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city and among those with the highest average cost of living. Here’s an overview of the typical average expenses you can expect to have to cover as a student (they will, of course, vary according to the lifestyle you choose):

As a student in Hamburg, you will need about €992 per month to have a reasonable lifestyle (not extravagant, but not extremely frugal).

Ideally, you will have saved up some money before coming to Hamburg, or secured a scholarship, or your family will provide you with financial support. However if you are funding your studies, we recommend you come to Hamburg with money to last you at least a year (about €10,000). Most students take on paid work alongside their studies. The jobs most frequently done by students are part-time casual roles (for example, in shops, as waiting staff or bartenders, or as delivery staff), or work as student assistants in their institute or faculty. None of these jobs pay a great deal of money, and it can be hard to find a job when you’re in your first two semesters, especially if your German isn’t very advanced yet. Don’t forget that you will need a lot of time for your studies – usually around 40 hours per week. This means that the more paid work you do alongside, the less time you will have for your academic work, and your grades may even suffer. In later semesters, when you’ve gained some knowledge and experience, you may be able to find a job in a company connected to your field – as what’s called a Werkstudent*in – or apply for a scholarship for high-achieving students. However you meet these challenges, it’s always the case that studying gets harder if you find yourself having to worry about money on top of everything else.

There are also important rules that international students need to be aware of. Students from non-EU countries are allowed to take on paid work of up to 20 hours a week, to a maximum total of 140 full days or 280 half-days in each calendar year. In semester breaks (non-teaching periods), you are permitted to exceed the 20-hour-a-week limit, but the 140-day limit still applies. Make sure you document the hours and days you work and stick to the limits – otherwise you and/or your employer could end up in trouble with the authorities.

The International Office awards scholarships to high-achieving international students, and/or those who spend time volunteering to help others. You have to be at least in your third semester to be eligible as a Bachelor’s degree student and at least in your second semester if you are doing a Master’s course. We also award grants to students in the final phase of their degree courses. Visit our scholarships page to find out more.

The HAW Hamburg is also a participant in the Deutschlandstipendium programme.

There are numerous other foundations and organisations which award financial support to international students. You can search for opportunities in scholarship databases, like this one: https://www.stipendienlotse.de/

Sometimes things don’t go to plan and you end up in unexpected situations. You might lose your job suddenly, or become ill and take some time to recover. These problems may cause you financial difficulties through no fault of your own. An association affiliated to HAW Hamburg, the Verein der Förderer Ausländische Studierende (VDFAS), can grant emergency financial help to international students in these situations, so you won’t have to starve, lose your home or be forced to give up your degree. You can get help here. 

Unfortunately, €200 and €500 notes are often forged (faked). Even when they are real, you’ll find it very difficult to use them, because most staff in shops won’t accept them. We urgently recommend that you avoid these notes. If you use money transfer services like MoneyGram and Western Union, make sure you insist on being given smaller-value notes (up to €100).