Study in Germany!

As a rule, state higher education institutions do not charge tuition fees for Bachelor's and for the most of Master's degree courses.
There is one exception: since the 2017/18 winter semester, one of the sixteen federal states, the state of Baden-Württemberg, has charged non-EU citizens tuition fees of 1.500 Euro per semester for their academic study (Bachelor's and Master's degrees).

For winter semester 2020/21:

• Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich - 142.40 Euro (including the six months student ticket with some time restrictions for public transport in Munich)
• Heidelberg University - 171.75 Euro per semester + 1.500 Euro for students from countries outside the European Union (EU); if they wish students can purchase a ticket in amount of 175 Euro for six months.
• Technical University of Munich - 142.40 Euro (including the six months student ticket with some time restrictions for public transport in Munich)
• Humboldt University of Berlin - 315.64 Euro (including the six months student ticket for public transport in Berlin)

According to the German National Association for Student Affairs (Deutsches Studentenwerk):

The cost of living depends on your lifestyle. However, you cannot influence the average rents or the cost of food and health insurance! So, just being thrifty is not going to help!
The largest monthly expense for students is the rent - mostly a third of their total cost of living.
Yet there are sometimes big differences in the cost of living within Germany. In the big cities such as Munich, Hamburg or Cologne the rents are the highest. Students pay on average 374 Euro per month there. In Jena, Dresden and Leipzig the average rents, at 264 Euro, are the cheapest. On the other hand, it is easier to find a job in the bigger cities.

On average German students have about 918 Euro at their disposal (source: 21. Sozialerhebung, 2016):

• 323 Euro - Rent (incl. additional charges)
• 168 Euro - Food
•   42 Euro - Clothing
•   94 Euro - Transport (car/public transport)
•   80 Euro - Health insurance
•   31 Euro - Telephone/internet/radio & TV licence
•   20 Euro - Work/study materials
•   61 Euro - Leisure activities
• 819 Euro - Total

Not included here are term fees which have to be paid on receipt of confirmation of admission. So, especially at the beginning of term you will have more expenses than usual.

You must have health insurance which is recognized in Germany for the early period of your stay there in order to apply for a German preparatory course or to enroll at a university. Then, you can switch to the mandatory German health insurance scheme. As a rule, you can expect to spend from 50 to 120 Euro a month.

International students who do not come from the EU or EEA are allowed to work 120 full or 240 half days in a year. They are not allowed to go self-employed or work freelance!
Students from the European Union and the EEA have free access to the German job market.
The general statutory minimum wage is about 10 Euro gross per hour.

Students by field of study (source: 21. Sozialerhebung, 2016):

• 21% - Engineering
• 18% - Languages and cultural studies
• 20% - Mathematics / natural sciences
•   6% - Medicine, health science
• 21% - Law and economics
• 15% - Social sciences / social services / psychology / education

At German universities, the academic year is divided into two semesters: winter (October to March) and a summer semester (April to September). This period includes semester breaks, so the actual term time for lectures and seminars is shorter.
The semester breaks may include examinations, intensive courses or internships. However, you can find time to go on holiday or find a student job.

To be admitted at a German university, your school leaving certificate must be recognized as equivalent to the German higher education entrance qualification.
You have to take a year of preparation and an assessment test in case that your certificate is not recognized as equivalent.