# Study in Saarland, Germany > Saarland has 8 universities and colleges offering 335 degree courses (135 Bachelor's, 139 Master's), and 26% of them are taught in English or bilingually. A student flat costs about €505 a month (30 m² flat in Saarbrücken incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026). Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — Public universities charge no tuition for regular degrees; you pay only the semester contribution (about €410 at Saarland University in winter 2026/27, including the Deutschland-Semesterticket). Germany's smallest non-city state, right on the French border: French influence, good food and a compact university city in Saarbrücken. Saarland University's campus is one of Europe's leading places for computer science, with Max Planck institutes and the CISPA Helmholtz Center next door. **Find a course:** https://app.whereismyuni.com/dashboard/map?area=SL ## Cost of living - Rent: ≈ €505 (30 m² flat in Saarbrücken incl. utilities, MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026) - Tuition for non-EU students: €0 — Public universities charge no tuition for regular degrees; you pay only the semester contribution (about €410 at Saarland University in winter 2026/27, including the Deutschland-Semesterticket). - Saarbrücken is affordable — about €505 for a 30 m² flat (MLP 2026), far below Munich's €880. - France is a tram ride away — the Saarbahn runs from Saarbrücken to Sarreguemines. - Learning some French pays off: many jobs and courses here have a French-German angle. ## Industries & employers - **Saarstahl · Dillinger** (Steel): Saarland's traditional industry, in Völklingen and Dillingen. - **ZF** (Automotive supplier): Large transmission plant in Saarbrücken. - **Bosch · Schaeffler** (Automotive supplier): Both run big plants in Homburg. - **Villeroy & Boch** (Ceramics): Headquartered in a former abbey in Mettlach. - **CISPA · DFKI · Max Planck** (Research): IT security, AI and computer science research institutes on the Saarbrücken campus. ## Culture & people Saarland was under French administration after the Second World War and only joined West Germany in 1957, and the French influence is still felt in the food, the bakeries and the relaxed way of life locals call 'Savoir-vivre'. Many people speak some French, and cross-border commuting is normal. It is a small, close-knit place where everyone seems to know everyone. People love to eat and grill: the Schwenker (a swinging charcoal grill) and Lyoner sausage are local institutions. The old coal and steel industry has left a proud working-class identity. ## Events & festivals - **Max Ophüls Prize Film Festival** (January): Saarbrücken's festival for young German-language filmmakers. - **Festival Perspectives** (May – June): A French-German festival of theatre, dance and circus in Saarbrücken and across the border. - **Saarbrücker Altstadtfest** (June): Stages, food and drink across Saarbrücken's old town for a long weekend. ## Places to see - **Völklingen Ironworks** (UNESCO): A complete historic ironworks, now a museum and venue for big art exhibitions. - **Saarbrücken Castle** (Castle): A baroque palace above the Saar, home to the historical museum. - **St. Johanner Markt & Town Hall** (City): Saarbrücken's lively old-town square and the neo-Gothic town hall nearby. - **Mettlach** (Town): Home of Villeroy & Boch, near the Cloef viewpoint over the famous Saar loop. - **Bliesgau Biosphere Reserve** (Nature): Orchards, orchid meadows and quiet villages in the south-east, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. ## Getting around Students at Saarland University have the Deutschland-Semesterticket in their semester contribution, covering buses, the Saarbahn and regional trains across Germany. Saarbrücken is compact, and the campus is a short bus ride from the centre. Direct ICE and TGV trains reach Paris in under two hours and Frankfurt in about two. Saarbrücken has a small airport, and Luxembourg and Frankfurt airports are the usual choices for longer trips. ## FAQ ### Do international students pay tuition in Saarland? No. Saarland's public universities charge no tuition for regular degrees; you pay only the semester contribution, which at Saarland University includes the Deutschland-Semesterticket. ### Is Saarland a good place to study computer science? Yes. Saarland University's campus hosts Max Planck institutes for informatics and software systems, the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) and the CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security. ### Is Saarbrücken expensive for students? No. A 30 m² student flat in Saarbrücken costs about €505 a month (MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026), compared with about €720 in Frankfurt. ### Can I study in English in Saarland? Yes — 26% of the 335 degree courses listed for Saarland on Where Is My Uni? are taught in English or bilingually, and some programmes are run jointly with French universities. ### How do I get around Saarland as a student? Buses, the Saarbahn tram-train and regional trains are covered by the Deutschland-Semesterticket; the Saarbahn even crosses into France, and ICE/TGV trains reach Paris in under two hours. ## Sources - [MLP Studentenwohnreport 2026 (IW Köln)](https://www.iwkoeln.de/studien/michael-voigtlaender-christian-oberst-philipp-deschermeier-mlp-studentenwohnreport-2026.html) - [Saarland University — Semester fee](https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/study/organisation/fees/semester-fee.html) - [Saarland University — Germany's nationwide semester travel ticket](https://www.uni-saarland.de/en/study/organisation/more/student-travel-ticket.html) - [Wikipedia — Saarland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saarland) - [Wikipedia — Völklingen Ironworks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%B6lklingen_Ironworks) - [Wikipedia — Saarland University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saarland_University) --- Published by [Where Is My Uni?](https://whereismyuni.com) — every German university on one map. Canonical page: https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/saarland. Last updated November 2026. [How we research](https://whereismyuni.com/study-in/how-we-research).