Cost of distance learning in Germany: How much does it cost to graduate?

The total cost of distance learning is between 1,500 and 20,000 euros. With discounts and scholarships, however, you can save several thousand euros.

Distance learning means a big career push. But I’m sure you’ve already figured that out. Studies show that a salary increase of €17,000 and more is already possible in the first year. We’ll tell you which distance learning course the costs, how high they are and where you can get a deal from as little as €42 per month – but also, why not cheap always good means.

What are the expected costs of distance learning?

Distance learning costs tuition fees, but the degree is available at the only state institution – the FernUni Hagen – but already from 1,500 €. Converted to the month, that’s only €42.

However, distance learning at a private university is much more recommended. This is where the costs for distance learning are located although a little higher, there are also many advantages.

The most important one: You can be almost sure that you will actually get your degree. 85-96% of students close successfully complete the distance learning course at a private distance learning university, at the state distance learning university in Hagen it is just 10-30 %. Most people also manage the standard period of study at private universities. The grades fall at the private universities very good.

In addition, distance learning at private schools is much more flexible. At IU International University of Applied Sciences, for example, you can now complete the entire distance learning course online. This means that you do not attend face-to-face seminars or exams has to arrive. At almost all private universities, you can also start distance learning at any time. So you have to do not wait for an official start of the semester. The situation is different at the state FernUni Hagen: There are only two Start dates in the year. Free extensions of at least half of the standard period of study are also available from all except for the state FernUni Hagen.

Apart from that, you don’t have to worry about financing with private providers. Because also the costs in distance learning, you can simply pay with a scholarship, which effectively makes studying free for you.

Tuition fees

For a bachelor’s degree at a private university, the distance learning costs range from €42 to €333 per month. For a master’s program, you pay 42 to 590 € per month.

Tuition fees vary, because in some programs the fees also cover practical sessions or workshops abroad. In the technical and scientific field (e.g. at the Wilhelm Büchner University of Applied Sciences), the costs also include laboratory courses. For some master’s programs of the wings distance learning program events are also planned in Cape Town, Bangkok and Singapore. The cost of accommodation and meals are also included in the tuition fees.

Attention: Pay attention to which degree you get with the respective studies. At all distance learning universities that we offer in our table, you can do the Bachelor's or Master's degree. These courses are state-recognized and accredited as academic degrees. In addition, these providers also offer Courses. These can be taken independently of the courses of study or credited to them.
In contrast to distance learning universities, distance learning institutes do not offer bachelor's or master's degree programs. There you can only complete general certificate courses and further training. You have an academic degree not.

You don’t have any previous knowledge or don’t know what you want to do later? Then study general business administration! With this With a degree in your pocket, you can work in almost any industry and in pretty much any professional field. If, on the other hand, you If you are already in the middle of your career or have special prior knowledge, there are highly specialized courses of study. So you can As a professional with professional experience, you choose the focus that is precisely tailored to your profession. With programs such as sports management or technical business administration and digital transformation, you improve from your job Your opportunities for advancement and qualify for management positions.

In total, there are more than 140 courses of study that are primarily or incidentally related to economics. In the table we have the programs are grouped together.

How do you find the right one for you with this offer? Order for all courses of study that are shortlisted, the information material. This is available free of charge with just a few clicks on the respective website of the degree program. Because most of the time there is little information about the program on the website itself. In the information material, the course of study is explained in more detail and all subjects are broken down. By the way, the information material is usually also available directly after the free Order online for download. If you have received the information material from all degree programs that interest you, you should weed out the ones that are out of the question. Because with the information material you can see whether the respective course of study really sets the emphasis you want. So, for example, if you’re not very good at math, you can use the information materials to select a course of study that has few math courses.

The good thing is: All universities offer the first 1-3 months as a free trial period. If your studies do not meet your expectations, you can You simply cancel again and don’t have to pay anything.

Distance Learning Psychology: Costs & Providers

Studying psychology is extremely popular. Unfortunately, this is why many fail because of the high NC – this is not the case in distance learning Hurdle complete! The subjects of psychology, applied psychology and business psychology are offered without NC as an admission restriction at six different universities. You can even study psychology without a high school diploma distance learning. The prerequisite for this is that you either have professional experience in a related field or pass the access test.

Attention: With a distance learning degree in psychology, many paths are open to you. For psychologists, there are there are many jobs in business (e.g. human resources, marketing, strategy consulting, market research), in healthcare (e.g. psychosocial counselling) and in education and coaching (e.g. trainer at companies, coach). Except with the master of of the PFH Göttingen (limited to Lower Saxony), however, you will not be able to obtain a degree from any of these degrees. Training as a psychological psychotherapist. You have to take this into account if you are pursuing this career goal.

Distance Learning Social Work: Costs & Providers

If you want to study social work, the choice is not difficult. This degree programme is only offered by IU International University of Applied Sciences. However, there are alternatives from the same subject area at other universities: In sociology, one is primarily concerned with the theoretical Background, the Social Management degree program, on the other hand, has a business orientation. This qualifies you You are interested in leadership positions in a variety of social and public institutions or organizations.

Other Fees

The good news is that there are only a few additional costs at very few universities. Often, all services are covered by the tuition fees. The final price therefore already includes the enrollment, Administrative and audit fees. Some providers list these items individually on their websites and require e.g. a one-time closing fee, but in our overview of total costs we have all costs that are included in a normal distance learning, already summarized. You don’t have to pull out your calculator and laboriously recalculate.

Only in very rare special cases do the distance learning universities still demand remuneration for:

  • Examinations on special dates (e.g. 54 € per examination outside the examination period in the WINGS distance learning programme at the University of Wismar)
  • Examinations abroad (e.g. €70 per exam in Austria at FernUni Hagen, €120 to €170 at IU International University of Applied Sciences)
  • the dispatch of teaching material abroad (5-15 € at IU International University of Applied Sciences, Allensbach University & Euro-FH)
  • additional (voluntary) seminars (e.g. 399 € per specialisation module at IU International University of Applied Sciences)
  • the extension of the duration of study (free of charge for all except the FernUni Hagen and the PFH Göttingen)

Travel expenses in distance learning

In addition to the fees of the universities, there is another factor that makes a difference in the calculation of distance learning costs. Role plays: expenses for travel and overnight stays. Distance learning without such additional costs is currently only possible at the IU International University of Applied Sciences. There are no mandatory face-to-face courses here and you can write all exams online – at any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! You must All you have to do is log in and you will be assigned an exam proctor. This person will then monitor your computer activity online and observes you via live connection of the mobile phone camera while you write the exam relaxed at your home.

At AKAD, PFH Göttingen and Allensbach University, on-site seminars are voluntary, so that you can only get to the exams. There are exam locations all over Germany, so your journey will take a maximum of one hour. In any case, there are face-to-face courses at other distance learning universities. On average, you can use about 3-4 units in the year (often on weekends). In addition, there are about 4-5 exams and oral exams to which you will travel must.

For the exam and possibly attendance phases, you should also plan a small travel and accommodation budget. How high that is, however, depends entirely on you. Since even with a Distance learning university with face-to-face courses the journey should normally not take longer than 1 hour, you can continue to spend the night at home and you may have to plan 2×1 hour drive as travel costs for distance learning. By public transport or the long-distance bus, however, this can be a few euros per appointment.

What happens if I take longer than planned?

In most cases, nothing! Even after the standard period of study, you can complete your studies free of charge. Usually, an extension of the distance learning course is possible free of charge at the private distance learning universities.

Only in the case of two distance learning universities, the extension is not free of charge. After the standard period of study, PFH Göttingen grants after all, 50 € discount on the monthly fee. At FernUni Hagen, you pay normally at the end of the standard period of study Continue as before. This is a student body fee of 11 € per semester and proportionately the costs for the courses you take (20 € per semester hour per week). Since generally only 10-30% of students study at of the FernUni Hagen, an extension is likely here.

Is there a free distance learning course?

Up to three months, but at least the first month of distance learning, are free of charge – at all universities. First after that, the fees will apply. So during this probationary period, you can take your time to think about whether the model is the right one for you. You are. However, there is no distance learning university that offers completely free studies, including the state distance learning university Hagen doesn’t.

But: with the right scholarship, you can effectively complete a free distance learning course.

How can the costs of distance learning be reduced?

Discounts and perks

All distance learning universities offer discounts. In total, you can save almost €6,000!

Promotions

Keep an eye out for current discount promotions! At the moment there is a discount of 1,222 € at AKAD University, 1,111 € at IU International University of Applied Sciences – and an iPad for free. These discounts are available to anyone who signs up for distance learning during the campaign period. Logs.

Crediting of intermediate consumption

You benefit even more from the bonus that some distance learning universities award for the recognition of achievements already made. For example, existing credit points from another course of study or existing vocational training can give you a discount of up to €5,580. As a result, you can save up to 42% of tuition fees just by crediting credit points!

Rapid Study

There is a 790 € discount, for example. at the Euro-FH for a quick course of study. Graduation before the end of the standard period of study is relatively likely at private distance learning universities. Many students graduate for an entire semester earlier.

Support for families

During parental leave, you will sometimes be waived entire monthly rates or you will receive a discount if you register together with Your partner. At PFH Göttingen, the bottom line is up to €4,800 per person.

Discounts for certain groups

For disabled or unemployed people as well as pensioners, there is also often a discount of 10-15% of the total costs, i.e. up to €1,712.

Deduct distance learning costs from your taxes

You can additionally reduce the costs of your distance learning course by up to €8,500 through tax advantages.

If distance learning is your second apprenticeship or second degree, you can claim all expenses as income-related expenses. All you have to do is file a tax return as a student. By the way, this only takes a few minutes and goes completely online.

The following things will be credited:

  • Tuition fees
  • Work equipment (laptop, writing utensils, etc.)
  • Telephone and internet costs
  • Study
  • Fees for voluntary seminars
  • Travel expenses to exam locations
  • Accommodation costs
  • Meals
  • Literature

Why low-cost distance learning is not automatically good

At first glance, you can complete an unbeatably inexpensive distance learning course at the state FernUni Hagen. But if you take a closer look and compare, it becomes clear that it has clear disadvantages. Very few people buy of the FernUni Hagen: The graduation rate there is just 10-30%. In contrast, almost all of them graduate from private distance learning universities. There, the success rate is 85-96%. One Distance learning at FernUni Hagen is therefore associated with high risks. Although the monthly fees there are relatively are low, you will still end up losing a lot of money if you are left without a degree after years of hard work. In the private sector, on the other hand, a successful completion of studies before the end of the standard period of study is just as common as an A-cut.

Studying at private distance learning universities is also much more flexible. The IU International University of Applied Sciences, for example. offers distance learning as a online study. There are no face-to-face events there. All lectures will take place online. Retreats You can take it there at any time, from the comfort of your own home and without any additional travel costs and overnight stays. Many exams are also online at the FernUni Hagen. However, it can be there There are face-to-face events to which you also have to travel.

At most private distance learning universities, you can start your studies at any time. This is not the case with the FernUni Hagen: Here you can only enter distance learning on two dates per year. In the worst case, you have to wait half a year until the next semester begins. As a result, you also do without the higher salary that a second degree will bring you – and effectively lose €8,500 or more.

How to finance the distance learning costs

Funding opportunities

  •  Student loan: You can apply for up to €54,000 quickly, easily and often even online.
  •  Scholarship: Find the right one for you from 3,260 programmes – some of which are awarded directly by distance learning universities, such as the IU International University Scholarship Programme
  •  BAföG: Even as a distance learning student, you are in principle entitled to BAföG and can receive up to €934 per month
  • State funding: Whether it’s up to €6,000 through an advancement scholarship, up to €5,200 as an education loan or €500 in an education bonus – numerous state-funded programs support distance learning students
  • Employer: Ask for support from your employer through a contribution to tuition fees or special leave during exam periods

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