The total cost the German federal government bears for one person who enrolls in a general integration course can reach €3,503.87, according to the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (Bamf). A Bamf spokesperson broke the figure down: for each lesson the ministry pays €4.58, then adds a €45 fee for the mandatory placement test and separate fees for the final exams-€117.11 for the “Deutsch‑Test für Zuwanderer” and €18.65 for the “Leben in Deutschland” test. The German test can in principle be reimbursed twice. A full integration course consists of 700 lesson hours.
Participants who are able to afford it are required to contribute part of the cost: they must pay €2.29 for each lesson. In the last fiscal year, Bamf reported that slightly less than one third of all participants-about 29.2 % on average-shared in the fee burden.
Starting next year, certain groups will no longer receive financial support. Ukrainians, asylum seekers and EU citizens will be expected to pay for their course if they choose to attend. Course providers and interested individuals set the amount, but the fee cannot be lower than the amount Bamf covers for funded participants. Participants will thus enter a private contract with the provider, a contract over which Bamf has no jurisdiction and therefore cannot disclose cost details. The ministry has expressed its intent to maintain a regulated level of competition, which is why self‑paying participants must not be charged less than the subsidised rate.