Education in Germany
Public universities in Germany are funded by the federal states and do not charge tuition fees. However, all enrolled students do have to pay a semester fee ("Semesterbeitrag"). This fee consists of an administrative fee for the university (only in some of the states), a fee for "Studentenwerk", which is a statutory student affairs organization, a fee for the university's AStA ("Allgemeiner Studentenausschuss", students' government) and "Studentenschaft" (students' union), at many universities a fee for public transportation, and possibly more fees as decided by the university's students' parliament (e.g., for a cooperation with a local theater granting free entry for students). Summed up, the semester fee usually ranges between €150 and €350.
Friedrich Naumann Foundation
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation, together with other foundations of different philosophical, political and ideological orientation and the non-political German National Academic Foundation, acts as an instrument for the promotion of excellence in German university education. This scholarship system is subsidised by the Federal Government of Germany.
Currently, the foundation sponsors around 800 students, among those 175 PhD students (as of 2009 (German)). Awards are granted after a multi-stage selection process and are based on grades, letters of recommendation, personality and character, political and social commitment with a dedication to liberal values and interviews with staff and affiliates of the foundation. Around 20% of the scholarships are held by foreign students, studying at a university in Germany.