Student Discounts
Being a student in Berlin is not just an exciting time, it also brings along some financial benefits. A selection of the most important benefits is highlighted below:
Telephone & Internet
If you wish to set up a landline telephone connection in your room or apartment, you have a few different options provided by different companies. The rates depend on the company, but the setup usually takes about a week to ten days. Usually, the companies have certain student offers as well.
If you would like a mobile phone or cell phone, you will have a choice between various providers and tariffs (ask for student tariffs). You should research the different options before signing a contract, as many contracts are for as long as two years. There is also the possibility of buying a mobile phone with pre-paid cards, which are often less expensive.
A number of telephone companies now offer call-by-call codes, which provide inexpensive calling rates, especially for international calls. These codes are dialled before the actual number you wish to call. Calls using these prefix codes are then billed to you through your regular telephone service provider.
You also have the option of arranging a private internet connection through your telephone line. Most of the time, telephone and internet can be set up in one student rate contract. Rates will differ between the companies, therefore it’s wise to compare. You can also easily find a number of internet cafés all across Berlin.
Public Transportation
Berlin has an excellent public transportation system, with trains (Regionalexpress), a subway (U-Bahn), suburban trains (S-Bahn), street trams and buses. As a student, you get a semester ticket, which is valid for the current semester and which allows you to use the public transportation within Berlin and Potsdam. The semester ticket can only be used by the student it was issued for and is only valid in conjunction with your student ID.
Moreover, there is the possibility to get a BahnCard 50 in combination with your student ID for just half the regular price. This card allows you to travel throughout Germany for half the ticket price for a year. At the moment, including the student discount, a BahnCard 50 costs €110. Unfortunately, this only applies for students under the age of 26.
Student Bank Accounts
Most of our international students open a bank account (Girokonto) at a bank here in Berlin. For most students, a German account is necessary in order to pay their rent and telephone bills and to receive their scholarship or tuition waiver. In these cases, money cannot be transferred to / from foreign bank accounts.
Most banks offer special accounts to students that do not require you to pay an account fee each month. When opening a bank account, you will need to show your passport and your Student ID.
Radio & TV
If you own a TV or radio in Germany, you will have to pay a radio and television license fee to the "Gebühreneinzugszentrale", also called GEZ. The collected fee is used to help fund public radio and television broadcasts. Be aware that GEZ fees are not included in the price of cable TV.
The fee can be paid monthly or quarterly, which is €5.52 per month for radio and €17.03 per month for TV and radio.
If you have a roommate and share a television or radio, then only the owner must pay the fee. In addition, you must also register any internet-capable computer or car radio that you own.
Registration forms are available at most banks, post offices or online.
If you are caught failing to pay the GEZ fee, you will face strict fines. GEZ officials may enter any building of residence to inform inhabitants of their obligation to register their televisions and radios. GEZ employees can always be identified by their company identity card. You are not required to allow any GEZ employee to enter your room or apartment.
Students with a minimal income may be exempted from the GEZ fee. Another exception may be made for international students facing financial hardships.
Culture: Theatres, Museums, Cinemas, Etc.
Being a student in Berlin doesn’t exclude cultural events just because they are expensive. Most of the theatres, operas, museums and cinemas in Berlin have student discounts. Therefore, it’s advisable to always ask for student discounts, which apply when showing your current student ID. Sometimes tickets are just half-price for students.
