Economics of Higher Education - Students' Attitude on Tuition and Student Migration in Germany

In January 2005, the ban on tuition in Germany has been declared unlawful. As a result, many 'Lander' developed plans to introduce tuition fees as soon as possible. It is shown in this paper, that the impact of tuition is very different among states. The willingness to pay varies not only by state, but also by program. Most influential on the decision to migrate (to transfer) is the spending pattern. In contrast to e.g. the United States, tuition is seen very critical in Germany. However, it is much less than anywhere else: 500€. This analysis gives not only ideas on how administrators might get a higher rate of acceptance for tuition, but also an insight how people react different on spending models and tuition in general, depending on their personal background.