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Bavaria expands tuition fees for non-EU students
Most German public universities still charge no tuition. Bavaria is the exception to watch. From the summer 2026 semester, Ingolstadt University of Applied Sciences (THI) starts charging non-EU/EEA students tuition — becoming the latest Bavarian institution to use powers it gained under the state’s Higher Education Innovation Act, following Technical University of Munich (TUM).
What changed
- THI’s non-EU/EEA students face €800 per semester at Bachelor’s level and €1,200 per semester at Master’s level, starting the 2026 summer semester, according to reporting on the change.
- Bavaria’s Higher Education Innovation Act lets individual institutions decide whether — and how much — to charge non-EU/EEA students. It doesn’t set one statewide rate. DAAD notes fees under this law “can amount to several thousand euros per semester, depending on the degree being sought.”
- TUM was the first mover, introducing fees for international students from the 2024/25 winter semester. THI’s move suggests other Bavarian institutions may follow the same path over time.
- Bavaria isn’t the only state doing this: Baden-Württemberg already charges non-EU/EEA students €1,500 per semester at every public university in the state, according to DAAD.
Who it affects
- Prospective non-EU/EEA applicants to Bachelor’s or Master’s programmes at THI for summer 2026 intake or later.
- Current non-EU/EEA students at Bavarian universities weighing a transfer or a new enrolment, since fee liability depends on exactly when and where you enrol.
- Anyone comparing costs across German states before applying — Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are no longer safe “tuition-free” assumptions.
What you should do
- Before applying to any Bavarian institution, check that specific university’s current fee policy directly. The state law is permissive rather than uniform, so fees vary institution by institution and can change between intakes.
- Factor semester fees into your budget alongside living costs — see our cost of living in Germany guide for the wider picture.
- If tuition-free study is a priority, most of Germany’s other states still charge no tuition at public universities. Compare institutions on our Germany institutes page before narrowing down a state.
What hasn’t changed
According to reporting, students already enrolled at THI before the change are expected to be exempt — but confirm this directly with the university rather than assuming it applies to your situation. Public universities outside Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg remain tuition-free for most degree programmes.