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.
Jacobs University Bremen
US universities can be public or private, which typically offer 4-year undergraduate programs with charging very expensive annual tuition fees and providing accommodations so that students can live in the campus. At the meanwhile, most German universities are public. They offer 3-year undergraduate programs after Bologna Process, which charge mostly no tuitions but only fees for board and traffic ticket per semester, and don't provide accommodations. Dormitories and meals are managed by Studentenwerk, a municipal student service organization independent to universities. Due to the limited numbers of rooms, not every student will be offered a place after application. Now "Jacobs", a private university, offers 3-year undergraduate programs with less expensive tuition fees, providing residential campus for every students. It can be the first and the only private institution to provide comprehensive higher education programs with residential campus in Germany.