Study Fees and Student Loans

Since the winter semester 2006/07 the Universities in Lower Saxony have had to raise study fees for all students and long-term students for both basic and consecutive study programmes. The fees are charged in line with the statutory regulations of the Higher Education Act of Lower Saxony (NHG) dated 24th June 2002 (Nds. GVBl. S.286 No. 19/2002) last amended by Art. 2 of the Act on 21.06.2006 (Nds. GVBl. S. 239).

Study Fees, § 11 NHG

What study fees are charged?

The study fees are a uniform 500 Euros per semester.

How long are study fees to be paid and for which study programmes?

Study fees will be raised for all basic and consecutive programmes (consecutive = programmes that build upon one another). This also applies to a second degree. The fees should be paid for every semester of the prescribed length of study plus four additional semesters. For Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes, the fees will be raised for the prescribed length of study of a basic course plus four semesters which are additional to the prescribed length of study of a Master’s course (the four semesters will only be added once). After this period has been exceeded, study fees for long-term students should be paid. The length of time spent studying at universities in the area of application for the General Act for Higher Education will be taken into account. The following rules apply for special circumstances:

1. No study fees must be paid by those studying for a doctorate.
2. Special fees are to be paid for Master's programmes which do not build on the basic study programme, as well as extension and further education courses, according to § 13 Section 3.
3. Students who are older than 60 must pay study fees of 800 Euros, according to § 13 Section 4.

When are the study fees due?

Study fees are only due on enrolment, according to § 14 Section 1, and then whenever each re-registration deadline expires; they should therefore be paid along with the administrative fee for the semester (as long as it is not proven that a loan application has been made at the N-Bank/KfW Banking group).

• Total Amount of Study and Semester Fees

Which students are exempt from the study fees?

1. Students who are actually responsible for the care of a child who is under the age of 14 at the beginning of the semester. (This is proven by the birth certificate as well as a certificate of residence for the current calendar year. Exemption can then be made for two semesters; the supporting documents must then be re-submitted. Changes in situation during the exemption period must be reported to the registration office without delay).
2. Students who, according to a certificate from a health insurance company’s medical services department, care for a dependent in need of medical care. This refers to actual care within a shared residence. Dependents are married partners, direct relations i.e. children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents sharing a residence, as well as adoptive and foster children. A current medical evaluation must be provided for every semester.
3. Students who take on the office of equal opportunities officer without being granted leave from their studies for this, for a maximum of 2 semesters.
4. Students who already study at another university on a shared course and have to pay study fees there.
5. Students who are completing a period of study abroad, stipulated by the course guidelines.
6. Students who are completing a practical semester which has been stipulated by the course guidelines.
7. Students who, according to § 12 Section 1 Paragraph 2, Numbers 1 and 3 to 5, are exempt from paying administrative costs:
   • Foreign students who are enrolled according to an international agreement or within the framework of a funding programme (e.g. Socrates, Erasmus).
   • Students who have been granted leave.

Students are legally bound to provide the relevant supporting documents. If they are not provided, the applicant must pay study fees.

When can study fees be waived?

A waiver or a partial waiver of the study fees is possible if the payment of this fee would lead to unreasonable hardships. "As a rule", an unreasonable hardship exists when

• A handicap or severe illness has prolonged the duration of study: evidence of this must be provided by an official doctor's certificate
• The duration of study is prolonged due to the student being the victim of a criminal offence.
• A financial emergency during the final semester (Resolution of the Presidential Executive Committee of Leibniz Universität Hannover dated 28th August 2009). This reason for exemption only applies to the final examination semester and can only be applied once. This waiver is only for students who are not eligible loan § 11a Par. 2 NHG. Evidence is provided by means of a declaration of income (statements from the last semester) and a certificate from the examination office responsible. Income should, as a rule, be under the highest qualifying level for a student loan (for single people 670 Euros and for married couples 1,340 Euros).
• Students from countries outside the EU who started studying at Leibniz Universität Hannover before study fees were introduced receive a scholarship for the amount of the study fees if they are experiencing a financial emergency and at least 75% of the necessary work is carried out (Resolution by the Presidential Executive Committee of Leibniz Universität Hannover dated 4th July 2007). The application deadline ends on the 1st July for the winter semester and on the 15th January for the summer semester.

"Prolonged the duration of study" means that the reasons named above may only be assessed after the end of the prescribed length of study (i.e. in the four additional semesters up until the start of the obligation to pay study fees for long-term students). Before this time, the prolonged duration of study cannot be assessed.
Applications for exemption (Points 1-3) can be made up until the deadline for renewal. Subject to the payment of the study fees, they can be submitted up one month after the end of the lectures of the respective semester (= around the middle/end of August or middle/end of March), § 14 Par. 2 page 4.
The applications for exemption are available in the ServiceCenter as well as on the Internet.

Loan, § 11a

To allow students the opportunity to study despite the financial burden, the State of Lower Saxony works together with the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW-banking group) and the N-Bank to offer public loans.

Who is eligible for a loan?

Students are obliged to pay study fees, if they are

• German or
• Citizens of countries in the EU or other states involved in the European Economic Area Agreement (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
• Under certain conditions the dependents of these or
• Those who have received a German education
• Displaced foreigners
• Those who begin their first course of study at no older than 35 years of age

For how long can the loan be claimed?

The loan can be claimed for a maximum of the prescribed length of study plus four semesters for first-time undergraduate courses. The pre-study period will be counted. Semesters for which leave has been granted will not be counted.

How do I apply for a loan?

Those involved in the application procedure are the N-Bank, the authority responsible for approving the loan, and the KfW (the credit institute for reconstruction) as a grantor of credit by civil law. Following the credit application and post-identification procedures, the N-Bank checks the prerequisites and provides the approval via the KfW. For the winter semester, it is possible to make a credit application from the 15th June to the 20th January and for the summer semester from the 15th December to the 20th July.

It also maintains a hotline for students: +49 511 30031 499.

There are advisory offices and branch offices in Hannover, Braunschweig, Lüneburg and Oldenburg. The KfW is the grantor of the credit and pays the study fees directly to the university.
Communication with the student is effected via the KfW's online portal:

• Online Credit Portal (German)

The following information is required for the application process: the enrolment number, the personal identification number, the bank details for the direct debit process as well as information regarding the faculty and the course and the prescribed length of study.

• An Overview of the Prescribed Length of Study (German) (405 kB)

Once a loan application has been submitted to the N-Bank and the semester fees have been paid to the Leibniz Universität Hannover, the student is automatically re-registered for the coming semester.

When does the loan need to be paid back?

The loan should be paid back in instalments or as a single sum, at the earliest two years after the completion of the study programme (the date of ex-matriculation is taken to be the finishing date) and at the latest after a period of twice the length of the prescribed length of study has expired. The individual’s income must be more than 1,060 Euros, plus 480 Euros for married couples and plus 435 Euros per child. The monthly repayment rate is at least 20 Euros. Loan debts from study fees and student loans will be counted together and any amount over 15,000 Euros will be exempt from payment.

Extract from the NHG

• Extract from the NHG (German) (276 kB)

Application Forms

The relevant application forms are available in the ServiceCenter as well as on the Internet:

• Application Forms for Exemption