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
An admission process of a typical German university is overall not selective. Domestic students with Abitur(University Entrance Qualification) can enroll a "zulassungsfrei"(literally, admission-free) program without any application. It can be a bit selective or necessary to wait for places by "zulassungsbeschänkt"(literally, admission-limited) or NC programs, due to the limited educational resources. An application to a US university can be complicated, typically with supplying SAT/ACT scores, English test score for non-native speakers, GPA of school years, recommendation letters, and an essay, extracurricular activities. It can be very selective. For example, Rice University has an admission rate at about 15%. "Jacobs" is using an admission process similar to US universities.