Germany’s 16 federal states are yet to unite on a nationwide policy for students to get a discounted Deutschlandticket. In the meantime, those studying in two German cities can already benefit from local policies on discounted tickets.
After months of policy toing and froing, on May 1, everyone in Germany was able to use their 49-euro Deutschlandticket subscription for the first time. In the background, students in Germany, who are already obliged to pay a few hundred euros every six months for a local transport ticket as part of their semester fees, have been eagerly raising their hands and asking, “What about us? Do we also get a discount?”
So far, the German government has only promised that a nationwide policy is in the works, saying that a “permanent and uniform nationwide integration of the semester ticket into the Deutschlandticket [...] [will happen] as quickly as possible.” In the meantime, local governments in Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder) have imposed their own discount policies.
From June 1 onwards, if you are studying at a higher education institution in Berlin you can apply to upgrade your semester ticket to a Deutschlandticket through your institution, using the RIDE Campus platform. If you opt for the upgrade, which costs 13,95 euros per month, you will be able to use your semester ticket on regional trains and public transport across the federal republic and even across some of its borders!
Once you have paid for your upgrade you will receive a QR code by email which you must show along with your student card in order to prove your Deutschlandticket purchase to conductors. Unfortunately, the ticket upgrade is not currently available to students in paper or chip card form. You must also remember to upgrade your ticket every month.
Outside of the capital, one other university has said it will make a student discount on the Deutschlandticket available ahead of a nationwide policy decision. Students at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), a city in Brandenburg, will be able to upgrade their semester tickets to a Deutschlandticket for 15,67 euros per month.
These discount schemes in Berlin and Frankfurt (Oder) are a temporary policy while the states continue to look for a nationwide solution. According to differing projections by media outlets and Germany’s transport ministers, a nationwide Deutschlandticket policy for students or the “Deutschlandticket Uni” will be implemented as early as the winter semester of 2023 or as late as next summer.
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