For some perspective, in Germany we've seen rising number of university students since 2007: 1.94M students in 2007, 2.94M in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, numbers h

For some perspective, in Germany we've seen rising number of university students since 2007: 1.94M students in 2007, 2.94M in 2020. From 2020 to 2021, numbers have stagnated (+0.1%). There's few private colleges (mostly international business schools I guess?), a large majority of students goes to the public universities. The eduction is free, but you pay a few hundred Euros per semester in administrative charges, which usually includes a ticket for city or state public transport. You can get a loan from the state (BAföG) to cover living expenses, which you will pay back after finishing, when you have a job (well of course things are more complicated, but that's the gist). The maximum amount you have to pay back is 10.000 Euros, even if the size of the loan was larger.