Tuition Fees

 

The North Rhine-Westphalia State Government implemented the collection of tuition fees at universities from April 1, 2006 to September 30, 2011. RWTH Aachen charged students, enrolled in their first semester, tuition fees for the first time in winter semester 2006/2007. Since summer semester 2007, all enrolled students paid tuition fees in the amount of 500 Euros a semester.

Use of Tuition Fees at RWTH Aachen

The fees, minus payments for the Default Fund, were determind for the universities and were to be exclusively implemented for the improvement of teaching and learning conditions. The framework conditions for the use of tuition fees at RWTH Aachen were adopted by the Senate in February 2006.

RWTH Aachen distributed the funds in anticipation of the expected gains, so that the faculties could work on the implementation of measures early on. Faculties receive 50 percent for their own initiatives. 25 percent is allocated to the faculties on a proposal basis, which takes places through a proposal process through the Rectorate Committee for Quality Management in Teaching with concept elaboration. A further 25 percent is allocated by the university for centrally encompassing measures.

Quality Assurance of the Organization of Teaching and Learning at RWTH Aachen

The use of funds determined in the act, linked to improvement of teaching and learning conditions, is ensured through the involvement and co-creation by students and complete transparency at RWTH Aachen.

Webpages with lists of the financed measures, and the tuition fee distribution and controll processes of departments and faculties serve this transparency. This way, it is ensured that the demanded transparency and required report do not solely take place annually through the committees.

Additionally, every university was legally required to establish an examination council, with which students, for the first time, would have a concrete contact person for concerns. The university determines the composition of the examination council.