Students must pay a semester fee for each semester.
These fees, amounting to €361.90 in the winter semester 2024/2025, are made up of the following components:

€93 = contribution to Osnabrück Student Services
€193.690 = contribution to Student Self-Government
                 of which €17.50 = AStA contribution
                 €176.40 = costs for the student Deutschland-Ticket
                  see also under regulations of the student self-government
€75 = contribution to administrative fees (§ 11 NHG)

Further information on the Deutschlandticket for students can be obtained from the AStA. 

Pursuant to § 12 (2) Sentence 1 (NHG), students have a study deposit in the amount of the respective standard period of study of the chosen degree program plus six additional semesters (tolerance semesters) within the scope of a first undergraduate degree program qualifying for a profession.
In a six-semester Bachelor's degree program, the study credit thus amounts to twelve semesters, and in the ten-semester Staatsexamen Rechtwissenschaften [First Law Examination], 16 semesters.
Once these semesters have been used up, students are generally required to pay long-term tuition fees (cf. § 13 paragraph 1 NHG).

For a consecutive Master's degree program that follows a Bachelor's degree, the study deposit is increased by the number of semesters of the standard period of study for this degree program in accordance with § 12 (2) sentence 2 NHG, so that the study deposit for this "classic" course of study amounts to a total of 16 semesters.
This means that if, for example, 14 semesters have been used up for the Bachelor's degree and long-term tuition fees have therefore already been paid for two semesters, the following four Master's semesters can again be studied without long-term tuition fees.

If students have acquired the degree qualifying them for the Master's program at a university located abroad, the study deposit is determined by twice the number of standard study semesters of the selected Master's program in accordance with § 12 ( 2) Sentence 3 NHG.
Consequently, the study credit amounts to eight semesters if, after the acquisition of a foreign Bachelor's degree, enrollment in a four-semester consecutive Master's program at Osnabrück University follows.

It should generally be noted that the study deposit [at Osnabrück University] is generally reduced by the number of semesters of previous study at German universities in accordance with § 12 (2) sentence 6 NHG.
If, for example, 16 semesters have already been used up by a previous course of study in the above-mentioned classic course of study, you are subject to long-term tuition fees when you enrol on a further, new course of study at Osnabrück University. This also applies if the study credit of a Bachelor's degree course (12 semesters) has been used up and a new, further Bachelor's degree course is taken up.

However, it should also be noted that the study credit is not used in certain proven situations. See "Non-use of the study deposit".

According to § 12 para. 3 sentence 1 NHG, the study deposit is not used in semesters or trimesters in which the student

1. is on leave of absence,
2. is looking after a child who has not yet reached the age of 14 at the beginning of the semester at the beginning of the semester,
Proof must be provided once by the birth certificate and - for each new semester semester - by means of a household certificate/registration certificate from the registration office;
3. is caring for a close relative in need of care within the meaning of § 7 para. 3 Caregiver Leave Act (at least 10 hours per week),
Evidence must be provided in the form of a corresponding certificate of care needs and a certificate from the long-term care insurance fund (in exceptional cases of the general practitioner) on care services provided - for each semester new.
4. is functioning as an elected representative in a body of the university, the student body or the student body or the student union (crediting for a maximum of two semesters), or
5. holds the office of equal opportunities officer (credit for a maximum of two semesters),
Proof must be provided in the form of a corresponding certificate from the respective responsible body.

According to § 12 para. 4 NHG, the student is obliged to provide the information required for the calculation of the study credit and to submit the necessary documents at the request of the university. If the student does not meet these obligations within a reasonable period of time set by the university, it is assumed that the study credit has been used up. The presumption can be rebutted by the end of the following semester or trimester by providing the required information and submitting the required documents.
Please inform Osnabrück University of the required information and submit the relevant documents during the re-registration period for the following semester, otherwise it will be assumed that the study credit has been used up. This presumption can be refuted until the end of the following semester.

Please provide Osnabrück University with the required information and submit the corresponding proof in PDF format during the re-registration period for the following semester by email to studierendensekretariat@uni-osnabrueck.de. Otherwise it will be assumed that the study credit has been used up. This assumption can be refuted by the end of the following semester.

Example: Caring for a close relative in need of care within the meaning of Section 7 (3) of the Caregiver Leave Act for at least 10 hours per week in the summer semester 2023. Proof of care in the summer semester 2023 is not provided until the end of the winter semester 2023/2024. Non-use of the study credit for the summer semester 2023 is recognized, as the presumption was rebutted in due time. If the proof for the summer semester 2023 is not submitted until the summer semester 2024, the non-use of the study credit for the summer semester 2023 will not be recognized as the proof was submitted too late.

Please use the following application form (PDF, 179 kB) to apply for non-utilization of study credit.

Please note: If you are taking a leave of absence, you do not need to submit a separate application for non-use of study credit. In this case, the non-utilization of the study credit is automatically taken into account.

Students whose study deposits (in German: Studienguthaben, see before) have been used up, pay a long-term study fee of € 500.00 for each semester in accordance with § 13 NHG.
However, the long-term study fee is not charged by law (§ 13 (1) sentence 2 NHG) - even if the study desposit has been used up - for a semester in which students are

1. on leave of absence,
2. caring for a child who has not yet reached the age of 14 at the beginning of the semester,
3. caring for a close relative in need of care as defined in § 7 (3) of the Caregiver Leave Act (in German: Pflegezeitgesetz) (at least 10 hours per week),
4. either complete a period of study abroad as stipulated in the study or examination regulations or complete a practical study semester.

For required evidence, please see the information under study deposit.

Application for waiver/exemption/refund of long-term tuition fees (PDF, 219 kB)

In addition, according to § 14 (2) NHG, a waiver of the long-term study fee is possible due to hardship, please see the following section.

PhD students are generally not required to pay long-term tuition fees.

According to § 14 para. 2 NHG, a waiver of the long-term tuition fee is possible in the event of hardship, e.g. in the case of effects that extend the period of study due to a

1. disability (presentation of a severely disabled person's pass with 50% GdB is sufficient,
Usually see obligation to provide proof below under 2.
2. serious illness (proof only by official medical certificate incl. information on the duration of the effects extending the period of study) or
3. as a victim of a criminal offense with consequences that extend the period of study.

The application can be submitted up to one month after the end of the lecture period of the respective semester. See dates and deadlines.

Application for waiver/exemption/refund of long-term tuition fees (PDF, 219 kB)

International students often need time to find their way around and become acquainted with their new environment. It is particularly important that they find out all they need to know before embarking on their studies: some subjects expect students to have special language skills, requiring proficiency not only in German but also in English.
To avoid prolonging periods of study and therefore having to cover additional expenses, international students are advised to find out all the information required to prepare for studying. For more information visit studieren-in-niedersachsen.de.
If you have any queries, please contact the Admissions Office.

At universities in Lower Saxony, fees are charged for continuing education courses in accordance with § 13 (3) NHG.

At Osnabrück University, this is currently the case for the following degree programs:

M.Sc. Cognitive Computing
Psychological psychotherapist
Child and youth psychotherapy
​​​​​​​Master's extension courses "Erweiterungsfach Lehramt" (extension subject teaching profession)​​​​​​​