Johannes-Gutenberg-University does not charge tuition fees for exchange students. However, you will have to pay a social fee* as all other students at a German university. The fees are € 326,11 per semester. Besides, you will have to finance your everyday expenses.
You should expect monthly expenditures of a total of some € 810 for:
- ca. € 350 dormitory rent
- ca. € 110 health insurance (mandatory for students) and
- some € 350 for food, clothing and other expenditures.
(These are just approximate figures; we cannot guarantee their correctness.)
Do NOT expect to be granted a work permit to cover the costs of your stay. (Exception: citizens of certain EU-countries). As a rule of thumb, you will only get a work permit for ninety days per year. After your arrival, you should consult the local office of Bundesagentur für Arbeit for information about your work permit; but make sure that you can finance your stay in Mainz even without a paid job here! More information about employment laws (in German language only).
*Please note that the social fee is not a tuition fee. However, you cannot enrol at the University of Mainz without having paid this social fee. The fee allows you to use the dining halls and the Studentenwerk facilities and includes the student ticket, which permits you to use public transportation in Mainz, Wiesbaden and the Rhein-Main area without further costs. This obviates the need for buying a car while living in Mainz.