Baden-Württemberg is the first German Federal State to have introduced tuition fees for non-EU students. Since the beginning of the winter semester 2017/18 non-EU students have to pay 1.500€ per semester. Some exceptions apply, especially for university cooperation schemes. According to press releases the number of new students from non-EU countries fell by 20-26% compared to the previous year.

The new government of the most populous state in Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) already announced that may follow suit. This policy comes as part of efforts to reducing debts and promoting high quality standards and increasing support to foreign students. Critics complain that tuition fees are discriminatory and counteracting efforts by universities towards internationalisation.