The good news is that there are no tuition fees in the state of Bremen. Nevertheless, all students have to pay the semester fee twice a year. Among other things, this finances the AStA, the Studierendenwerk and part of the administrative costs. In addition to the services offered, you also receive the semester ticket, which allows you to use many forms of public transport in Bremen and the north-west region free of charge. The semester fee is currently a little less than 380 euros.
Depending on the subject, there may be additional costs for studying: for example, for materials, literature or excursions.
In addition, there are the costs of living: rent, food, clothing, health insurance, telephone and internet as well as expenses for leisure activities. The cost of living varies from person to person. Rent and ancillary costs make up the largest part. In Bremen, rent costs amount to about 300 to 400 euros per month.
And don’t forget: In Germany, each household needs to pay a monthly license fee for public broadcasting services.
According to a recent survey, students had an average of 918 euros per month at their disposal in 2016.
BAföG actually stands for Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz (Federal Training Assistance Act). It is often equated with the financial support that students, pupils and trainees can receive from the state. The aim is to enable people from lower-income families to receive the best possible education or to participate in programmes of higher education, i.e. to increase equality of opportunity. BAföG is therefore not available to everyone.
Precisely who is entitled to BAföG cannot be answered in general terms, as this depends on several factors.
These are the two main factors:
Incidentally, the subsidy is not a "gift" from the state. You have to pay back a large part of it after the end of the maximum subsidy period.
You can apply for BAfÖG at the Studierendenwerk Bremen. You can also get advice here. The BAföG and social councelling service of the AStA can also help you with questions surrounding the topic of student finance.
BAföG- & Sozialberatung des AStA
There are a variety of scholarships you can apply for to finance your entire studies or just parts of them, for example a stay abroad. Often, foundations only support students if they meet certain requirements. Not every scholarship is therefore suitable for everyone.
You can get an overview under the following links:
Once a year, the Central Student Advisory Service and the International Office, together with the Initiative Arbeiterkind provide information about various funding opportunities to finance your studies on "Scholarship Day" held at the HSB. At the event, you can find out about various foundations and scholarships, get tips on how to apply and exchange ideas with students who have already received a scholarship.
The Hochschuel Bremen participates in the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship programme. Here, private donors and the federal government jointly pay students 300 euros per month (also in addition to BAföG).
The Deutschlandstipendium supports talented and committed students. Good grades are just as important as the willingness to take on responsibility or the successful mastering of obstacles in one's own bio and educational path.
© Hochschule Bremen - Shuvo Sarkar
Many students work part-time to finance their studies. Some have a part-time job all year round; others earn extra money during the lecture-free period.
Depending on how many hours you work and how much remuneration you receive, a part-time job can affect your BAföG entitlement, child benefit and taxes, among other things.
Further information can be found at Deutschen Studierendenwerk.
If you have any questions about part-time jobs and studying, you can contact the Social Counselling Service of the Studierendenwerk.
During your studies, you can also work as a student assistant at the HSB (or another public university). The activities are as varied as the university itself: Student assistants work on research projects, provide support in student counselling, organise events, design advertising materials and much more.
Career Gate is the job portal for HSB students. Here you can search for internships, part-time jobs, opportunities for theses and positions for young professionals. You can apply for interesting positions directly via Career Gate.
Optionally, you can publish your CV in Career Gate and thus attract the attention of potential employers.
In addition, you will find the current events offered by the Career Service and can register there directly. Once a week, the Career Service informs you by e-mail newsletter about various career-related topics and upcoming events.
Students of the Hochschule Bremen use Career Gate completely free of charge. You only need an HSB email address (your name@stud.hs-bremen.de) to register.
The Bildungskredit (Federal Government's education loan programme) offers students a low-interest loan. The educational loan primarily serves to speed up a student’s education and to finance extraordinary expenses that are not covered by BAföG. It is therefore granted in addition to BAföG.
Since students usually do not have sufficient collateral, the federal government provides a default guarantee (Bundesgarantie) for the applicant, which still makes the instalment loan low-interest. The income and assets of the applicant, spouse and parents are not taken into account when applying for an education loan.
The student loan gives you the opportunity to finance your studies independently and on your own responsibility. The special feature of the student loan is that it is open to all students and thus closes the gaps in state funding (e.g. BAföG). This offers students numerous advantages during their studies. For example, studying abroad, which used to be simply unaffordable for many students, can be financed quickly and unbureaucratically with a student loan.
You can use a student loan either to finance your entire studies or just a specific phase of your studies.
You can find out the exact conditions from the banks and credit institutions.
We recommend that you seek advice from the Studierendenwerk or the BAföG and Social Councelling Service of the AStA before taking out a loan.
Further information on student loans can be found at Deutsches Studentenwerk.
The Studierendenwerk Bremen supports students in need and who are not in debt with an interest-free loan.
Students from developing countries who are in financial need can receive a scholarship of the Studierendenwerk Bremen. One prerequisite is that they are in the final phase of their first degree.
BAföG- & Sozialberatung des AStA
Sozialberatung des Studierendenwerks
Zentralbereich / Ebene 0 Offene Telefonsprechstunde
0421 2201-11340
Di: 11 – 12 Uhr
Mi: 14 – 16 Uhr
Fr: 10 – 12 Uhr
Central Student Advisory Service
AB 109 – 112 Our counselling hotline is available:
Monday 4-6pm
Fridays 10am-12pm
