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.
Private university
Germany has 83 private universities (called "Privathochschule") and 45 church-run universities (called "kirchliche Hochschule"). Similar to the state-run universities, they are subdivided into "Universitäten" (research universities), "Fachhochschulen" (universities of applied science) and "Kunst- und Musikhochschulen" (art schools). Private universities in Germany need institutional accreditation by the state.