Tuition and Fees
All education in Germany is FREE OF COST, i.e., there are no tuition fees, not even for international students. The government of Germany funds all education. Students only have to pay a nominal sum, known as a “social contribution”, which in turn provides various services to the students. This amount approximately ranges between 35-60 Euros per semester. 

Living Costs
The standard of living in Germany is high. A student should expect his/her monthly expenses to range between 600-650 Euros. For Indian Rupees, it comes to about 4 lakhs per annum. Most students find that they are able to take care of a major part of their expenses through part time jobs.

Part Time Jobs
Foreign students may work in Germany, even without a work permit. But students who are not citizens of the European Union can only work for a limited period per year. They are allowed to work for 90 days every year without a work permit. In many Federal States, you can only work in the summer vacation. The office for foreigners may authorize an additional working period of 10 hours per week with the approval of the local employment office. Students from EU countries may as a matter of principle work unrestrictedly. 

Many employers are glad to hire students. The reason for this is that, if the student does not work more than 19.5 hours a week, the employer is required to pay only a portion of the social welfare contributions. Students are therefore cheaper than “normal” employees. 
However: a complete study course is difficult to finance with a conventional student job in a bar, as a pizza delivery boy or a cleaner. The average hourly rate in this case is around 8 euro per hour. The prospects are better for those with specific knowledge in demand on the employment market, e.g. programmers in the IT field. Complete lecture schedules leave no time for a full-time job anyway. 
The local student services associations can be of help in looking for a job. It is also worthwhile however to visit the student job location department of the local employment exchanges.

As of January 1, 2003 new working rules for foreigners will be in place. 
1. The regular "90-day rule", of working without a work permit will be extended to add 180 half-days without a permit. If students want to work more than the maximum, they must first get permission from the local employment office. 
2. Students with part-time jobs at an Institute for Higher Education or other academic positions will have no time restrictions

3. Students will be allowed to work for upto one year after completion of their studies on the same Visa.

Scholarships or grants

Higher education institutions usually do not offer scholarships. However, there are numerous organizations which do offer scholarships to students. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers by far the most extensive financial support.