Financing your Studies

Citizens of the European Union, migrants and refugees living in Germany can receive BAföG as financial support during their studies or schooling. The basic rule is: if foreign nationals have prospects of remaining in Germany and are socially integrated, they are considered eligible for support.

Attention: If you have a residence permit for study purposes (§ 16 AufenthG) you are not eligible for BAföG! Legal basis concerning nationality:  § 8 BAföG

The maximum period of BAföG funding at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences is seven semesters.

Further information and how to apply

Students at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences can submit their BAföG application to the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart.

BAföG funding usually takes the form of a 50% grant and the other half as an interest-free loan.

BAföG for foreign nationals

Scholarships and grants are not as common in Germany/ Baden-Württemberg as they are in other countries. Nevertheless number of funding options are available.

Basic information on grants

Grants are provided by foundations. Universities themselves usually do not offer scholarships. Foundations aim to provide students with financial and other career-related support for a predefined specific purpose.

The funding providers expect grant recipients to perform well academically, and almost always require some sort of social commitment as well. Foundations may also require applicants to fulfil their own specific stipulations.  Some of them are open to internationl students.

Searching for a grant

Searching for a suitable grant can be a time-consuming undertaking, but is well worth the effort! A scholarship open to German and international students that is offered at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences is the Deutschland Stipendium. Excellent students who are awarded the scholarship receive a monthly stipend that is paid in part by the federal state and in part by participating businesses and institutions.

Another good place to look is the DAAD database where you can search for scholarships based on your degree or exchange program, your country of origin, and your intended length of stay.
The DAAD also offers scholarships for highly qualified undergraduate students in their final year. The scholarship will support the students during their master’s program in Germany.

Several grant providers accept applications from students themselves, other foundations require prospective grant recipients to be proposed by their university, usually by a lecturer.

Overview of grants

Many students work part-time while they are at university to “improve their finances”. But at the same time it is of great importance to plan enough time for your studies in order not to exceed the maximum time allowed to complete your studies. So it is advisable to plan things well and keep an eye on all relevant deadlines.

Find a job

Student jobs are often found by word-of-mouth, or from classified advertisements or notices posted at the university.  Esslingen University of Applied Sciences also offers student assistant jobs on a regular basis.  The University Career Centre can also help you to look for and apply for jobs. The Jobportal-Netzwerk is also worth looking at.

Different employment contracts

There are some important legal issues you need to be aware of when working part-time. For instance international students from non-EU countries with a residence permit for study purposes are only allowed to work 120 full days or 240 half days per year or a combination of both.

An overview over different types of employment contracts as well as the tax and insurance issues is available from the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart. The Flyer of DSW (Deutsches Studierendenwerk) on "Jobbing" completes the information.

Housing benefit helps people with low incomes with their housing costs and must be applied for at the local housing benefit office. Students are entitled to receive housing allowance in a few cases. Foreign students who are not eligible for BAföG and who are living together with people in their household who are not in education (e.g. children of the student, partner or parents) might be entiteld to receive the support.

Obtaining information and submitting your application

You must submit an application and prove your entitlement in order to receive housing benefit. ATTENTION: Before you can apply for housing benefit, you must have submitted a BAföG application! Why? Only the BAföG office at the place of study can determine whether you are entitled to BAföG support. The negative BAföG decision then serves as proof for the housing allowance office.

Application forms can be obtained from the local housing benefit authority (Wohngeldbehörde), or the municipal, metropolitan, local or district administrative authorities. They can also provide you with comprehensive advice. Read more:

Studierendenwerk Stuttgart

If you cannot (fully) fund your studies from your own financial resources, you can consider taking out a student loan. Before you take out a loan, you should always check whether other options are available, because student loans have to be repaid with interest.

A study fund or educational fund is a kind of student loan. Unlike a student loan you get from a bank, the loan repayment in this case is coupled to your future salary and not to a rate of interest. Moreover, the funding body provides you with financial as well as other career-related support as you study.

The range of offers is wide: some loans help you pay your tuition fees, while others also cover your living expenses during your studies. Be aware, that student loans often have restrictions concerning nationality and residence status of the student.  You can find information on loan types and offers at the Studierendenwerk Stuttgart. The German National Assosiacion for Student Affairs -  DSW also provides information. Get advice and compare offers.

You can find a comparison of student loans and education funds at CHE-Studienkredit-Test 2022.

In case of financial emergency situations please seek advice at

Student counselling service of Hochschule Esslingen

Social counselling of Studierendenwerk Stuttgart.

In Baden-Württemberg, tuition fees are generally not charged for Bachelor's degree programs and consecutive Master's degree programs.

Tuition fees may be charged for some of our part-time master's programs, especially for programs offered jointly with other institutions and sponsors. For more information, please refer to the relevant study programs.

Every semester each student has to contribute administration fees.

Fees for International Students

Students who are not nationals of a member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area are generally required to pay tuition fees in Baden-Württemberg. The amount of fees for international students is 1500,- Euro per semester.

The law provides for a few exceptional cases in which international students are not required to pay fees. If you fulfill these and prove this in time before enrollment or re-registration by appropriate documents, you do not have to pay the tuition fees for international students. Read more
(Students who go for a second undergraduate or a second or Master's degree program after completing a university degree program in Germany must pay a tuition fees of 650 euros per semester.)

Tuition fee waiver for particularly talented international students

In addition to the statutory grounds for exemption, particularly talented international students have the opportunity to apply for exemption from tuition fees. The exemption is granted in accordance with the relevant statutes. Applications for this must be submitted in due time via the application form:

• Application period: Winter semester 2024/2025
• Application deadline: 25.09.2024 (start of application 01.09.2024 )
• Required documents:
  •     Resume
  •     Current transcript of grades (For first-year students: (recognized) certificates of university admission)
  •     Certificate of study
  •     Passport copy
  •     Optional: Letter of recommendation/evaluation
  •     Optional: Certificate of previous studies (e.g. Bachelor)
  •     Optional: Other relevant and important documents related to the criteria

Note: The tuition fees of the International Industrial Management (MBA) programme are not tuition fees in the sense of the Landeshochschulgebührengesetz (LHGebG §3). Applications from students of this degree programme can therefore not be considered.

Application Form