Spring 2024, Mainz, Potsdam, Berlin

Note: In the Spring of 2024, the required individual Intensive German Course for Non-Midd and Midd-Undergraduate students is administered by Sprachule ProfiL in Mainz and by GLS Berlin for Berlin and Potsdam students. Tuition is covered by the program.

Mainz Spring 2024*

Mar 13 - Mar 14  Arrivals (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
March 14 - 15 Local Admin
Mar 18 - April 05 Intensive German Prep. Course (Sprachschule ProfiL, Mainz)
Mar 25 - Mar 28 Online Orientation (ORN) (Mandatory) remotely, ALL students
Mar 29 Good Friday (Holiday)
April 1 Easter Monday (Holiday)
April 8 - April 12 On-Site ORN Mainz, Culture and Composition Module 1 (Intensive Academic Writing, Sprachschule ProfiL, Mandatory), all students
Apr 15 Courses Start
May 01 Labor Day (Holiday, no class)
May 09 Ascension Day (Holiday, no class)
May 20 Pentecost Monday (Holiday, no class)
May 30 Corpus Christi Day (Holiday, no class)
July 05 All Papers for Mainstream Courses Due
July 19 Last Day of Class
July 31 Program Ends (university registration and insurance end)

 Berlin, Spring 2024*

Mar 13 - Mar 14 Arrivals (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
Mar 14 - Mar 15 Local Admin
Mar 18 - Apr 05 Mandatory Intensive German Prep. Course (Sprachschule GLS, Berlin)
Mar 25 - Mar 28 Mandatory Online ORN All Sites
Mar 29 Good Friday (Holiday)
Apr 1 Easter Monday (Holiday)
Apr 07 Group Travel to Mainz
Apr 08 - Apr 12 On-Site ORN Mainz, Culture and Composition Module 1 (Intensive Academic Writing, Sprachschule ProfiL, Mandatory), all students 
Apr 14 Group Travel to Berlin
Apr 15 Courses Start
May 1 Labor Day (Holiday, no class)
May 09 Ascension Day (Holiday, no class)
May 20 Pentecost Monday (Holiday, no class)
July 05 All papers for mainstream courses due
July 19 Last Day of Class
July 31 Program ends (university registration and insurance end)

*All dates are subject to change

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Fall 2024-25  Mainz, Potsdam, and Berlin

Note: In the Fall of 2024-25, the required individual Intensive German Course for all undergraduate students is administered by Sprachule ProfiL in Mainz and by GLS Berlin for Berlin and Potsdam students. Tuition is covered by the program.

Mainz Fall 2024-25*

Sep 09 - Sep 10  Arrival Undergraduate Students Mainz  (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
Sep 11 - Sep 13 Admin / Registration Undergraduate Students
Sep 16 - Oct 04 Intensive German Course (Mandatory for Undergraduate Students)
Sep 20 - Sep 22 Weimar Excursion
Sep 23- Sep 27 Online, remote Orientation (ORN)  (Mandatory for all Students)
Sep 30 - Oct 1 Arrival Graduate Students (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
Oct 2 - Oct 4 Admin Graduate Students
Oct 3  Day of German Reunification (Holiday, no class)
Oct 6 Berlin/Potsdam Team and Students travel to Mainz
Oct. 7 - to Oct 11 On-Site ORN, Intensive Academic Writing (Sprachschule ProfiL), Mandatory for all students)
Oct. 14 - Oct 18 Admin / Registration Mainz
Oct 21 Classes Start
Nov 1 All Saints’ Day (Holiday, no class)
Dec 21 - Jan 5 Christmas Break
Jan 6 Classes Resume
Jan 24 All Mainstream Papers Due
Feb 07 Last Day of Class
Feb 15 Extensions End
Feb 28 Program Ends (university registration and insurance end)

 Potsdam, Fall 2024-25*

Please note: The rental period for dorm rooms in Potsdam starts on October 1st. Therefore, undergraduate Potsdam students must arrange for interim lodging (Sep 09 or 10 to Oct.1). We’re happy to help you with that process.

Sep 09 - Sep 10 Arrival Undergraduate students (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
Sep 11 - Sep 13 Admin / Registration Undergraduate Students
Sep 16 - Oct 4 Intensive German Course (Mandatory for Undergraduate Students)
Sep 20 - Sep 22 Weimar Excursion
Sep 23 - Sep 27 Online, remote Orientation (ORN)  (Mandatory for all Students)
Oct 1 - Oct 2 Arrival Graduate students / All Potsdam students move into Potsdam dorms 
Oct 3 Day of German Reunification (Holiday - no arrivals, no access to dorms)
Oct 4  Admin / Registration Graduate Students
Oct 6 Group travels to Mainz
Oct 7 - Oct 11 On-Site ORN Mainz, Intensive Academic Writing (Sprachschule ProfiL), Mandatory for all students)
Oct 11 Return to Potsdam
Oct 14  Classes Start
Oct 31 Reformation Day (Holiday, no class)
Dec 21 - Jan 5 Christmas Break
Jan 6 Classes Resume
Jan 24 All Mainstream Course Papers Due
Feb 7 Last day of Class
Feb 14 Extensions End
Feb 28 Program ends (university registration and insurance end)

Berlin, Fall 2024-25*

Sep 09 - Sep 10 Arrival Undergraduate Students (no arrivals after 3 p.m. local time)
Sep 11 - Sep 13 Admin / Registration Undergraduate Students
Sep 16 - Oct 04 Intensive German Course (Mandatory for Undergraduate Students)
Sep 20 - Sep 22 Weimar Excursion
Sep 23 - Sep 27 Online, remote Orientation (ORN)  (Mandatory for all Students)
Oct 3 Day of German Reunification (Holiday - no arrivals, no access to dorms)
Oct 6 Group Travels to Mainz
Oct 7 - Oct 11 On-Site ORN Mainz, Intensive Academic Writing (Sprachschule ProfiL), Mandatory for all students)
Oct 11 Return to Berlin
Oct 14 Classes Start
Dec 21 - Jan 5 Christmas Break
Jan 6 Classes Resume
Jan 31 All Mainstream Course Papers Due
Feb 14 Last Day of Class
Feb 21 Extensions End
Feb 28 Program ends (university registration and insurance end)

*All dates are subject to change

Important: All students must remain in Germany until they have taken their final exams/turned in their final papers within the program’s deadlines.  If you choose to leave early, you may forfeit credit for the entire semester.

If you are a fall-only student, you may not leave earlier than the Thursday before your courses start in February. No exceptions for deadlines apply.

Please note that final exams may be scheduled after the last day of class, even though this information might not be listed in the course catalogue. You must ask the Professor of the course in question within the first three weeks of class when the final exam is scheduled.

If you find out that you cannot take the exam with the course, or that the date of the exam won’t be announced before the middle of the term, you cannot take that specific course for credit.

2023-2024 Fees

Semester Tuition (includes health insurance): $17,810

Year Tuition (includes health insurance): $35,620

Middlebury College students pay an additional $1,900 study abroad fee per semester.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

  Semester Year
Room/Board $4,430 $8,850
Books/Supplies $510 $1,010
Personal $1,060 $2,120
Travel from New York $1,200 $1,200
Visa/Residency Permit $100 $100
Total $7,300 $13,280

Additional Notes

  • Calculations for Room and Board are calculated based on an average of current dorm rents.
  • Students wanting to arrange their own housing should be aware that rents might be far higher than what they’d be paying in a dorm. While dorms vary between 350 - 480 Euros a month with all utilities included, there’s no upper limit for rents charged by private landlords.
  • Personal expenses cover some basic necessities (local transportation, cell phone, bank fees, program-sponsored excursions, etc.) and do not include your discretionary spending (e.g. entertainment, fitness, and travel). All fees are subject to change. Exchange rate used: $1 = €1.01.
  • We recognize there may be additional expenses related to COVID (required testing, quarantine, etc.), which we will calculate to the best of our ability prior to the program start date.
  • Students who reserve dormitories in Mainz will transfer money from their German bank accounts to the School in Germany after onsite arrival (when they will open their bank accounts). Students in Potsdam and Berlin will be paying their rents to dorms from their German bank accounts directly.
  • Students who wait and select apartments will transfer their rent from their bank account to their landlord’s account.

2024-2025 Fees

Semester Tuition (includes health insurance): $18,520
Year Tuition (includes health insurance): $37,040

Middlebury College students pay an additional $1,900 study abroad fee per semester.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

  Semester Year
Room/Board $5,420 $10,840
Books/Supplies $550 $1,100
Personal $1,060 $2,310
Travel from New York $1,200 $1,200
Visa/Residency Permit $300 $300
Total $8,530 $15,750

Additional Notes

  • Calculations for Room and Board are calculated based on an average of current dorm rents.
  • Students wanting to arrange their own housing should be aware that rents might be far higher than what they’d be paying in a dorm. While dorms vary between 350 - 480 Euros a month with all utilities included, there’s no upper limit for rents charged by private landlords.
  • Personal expenses cover some basic necessities (local transportation, cell phone, bank fees, program-sponsored excursions, etc.) and do not include your discretionary spending (e.g. entertainment, fitness, and travel). Likewise covered is the monthly fee compulsory for every adult with a residence in Germany: Shortly after you’ll have completed your city-registration, you’ll receive a letter from the “Beitragsservice von ARD, ZDF und Deutschlandradio” asking you to pay a monthly fee of 18,36 Euros for the time you’ll spend in Germany. This fee is compulsory for every adult with a residence in Germany. Its purpose is to make public radio and TV stations as independent as possible from income that privately owned channels generate via much larger fees, commercials and a programming that might be shaped by their owners’ biases and/or driven by ratings. Paying your ‘Beitrag’ means to support a type of independent journalism and unbiased reporting obliged to serve the interests of a well-informed democratic society.  So if you want to stay informed, we recommend using these sources for reliable information. In order to set up a convenient payment plan that ensures you won’t overpay, simply bring the letter to your next Writing Workshop, so your BabelGuide can assist you.
    All fees are subject to change. Exchange rate used: $1 = €1.1.
  • Students who reserve dormitories in Mainz will transfer money from their German bank accounts to the School in Germany after onsite arrival (when they will open their bank accounts). Students in Potsdam and Berlin will be paying their rents to dorms from their German bank accounts directly.
  • Students who wait and select apartments will transfer their rent from their bank account to their landlord’s account.