The German Tuition Fee Debate: Goals, Models and Political Implications of Cost-Sharing

Abstract

The above statement by Bulmahn still guides official German policy at the federal level: tuition fees are regarded as per se a deterrent to participation and their imposition would signal the sudden end to open access to higher education. This strict position led to a tuition fee ban set by the Federal Framework Law for higher education for all undergraduate and consecutive master1 studies in public universities. Despite the fact that in Germany the task of higher education is mainly the responsibility of the states and that universities are mainly financed by the states, there is some federal government framework legislation that sets boundaries for the state laws.