FernUniversität in Hagen is public but, as a distance-learning university, charges fees for its course materials and teaching: a basic fee of 60 EUR per semester plus 11 EUR per ECTS credit booked. A full-time semester of 30 credits therefore costs 414.40 EUR, and a part-time semester 249.40 to 304.40 EUR (winter 2026/27). Students living abroad and non-EU students pay the same fees as German students. The semester fees already include the student body fee of 8.40 EUR and the Studierendenwerk Dortmund social fee of 16 EUR; they include no semester ticket or Deutschlandticket.

A German student visa requires a degree programme that has to be studied in Germany: FernUniversität itself states that a student visa is generally not issued for its distance study, because it can be completed from abroad (Administrative Court Berlin, 28 November 2025, 11 K 175/25, ruled the same for online programmes). If you do come to Germany on a student visa for another programme, you need proof of funds of 11,904 EUR for the year (2026, Federal Foreign Office), usually in a blocked account.

All programmes are open admission, with no numerus clausus. FernUniversität has no special procedure for applicants with foreign certificates and does not use uni-assist; applicants enrol directly through its online portal, and the same dates apply to everyone. Foreign documents need translations by a sworn translator (not for English-language documents at Master level). Applicants whose school-leaving qualification is not from a German-language institution need German at TestDaF level 3 in all four parts, DSH level 1 or Goethe-Zertifikat C1. Exams can be taken online, at campus locations in Germany or abroad.

None. FernUniversität in Hagen says: "The FernUniversität does not currently offer any degree programs in English. Some modules may be in English." It offers more than 30 Bachelor's and Master's programmes and the state examination in law, all taught in German.

FernUniversität in Hagen is a public distance-learning university in Hagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, founded in 1974, with 76,156 students (summer 2026, including students on leave). Its five faculties cover humanities and social sciences, mathematics and computer science, psychology, economics and law, with campus locations across Germany and abroad.