That's not entirely correct. For example, at the University of Münster you do need to pay a semester fee ("Semesterbeitrag"). Granted, this will get you a ticket for all public transport (except IC/ICE) within northrine-westphalia which is definitely worth more than what you're paying.
But yes, public university in Germany is really, really cheap.
You can also often apply to have the semester fee waived due to financial hardship or special circumstances, though I have no experience with that.
There's a flaw. In the Netherlands everything is in English. In fact I spoke English with my Dutch classmates.
That's why there are so many international students.
Infamously if you want to study Dutch literature you have to read them in English.
Interesting. What university did you attend? Which university would you recommend for a person living in USA that I suppose would be the “most” English-oriented?
How many semester per year I wonder? Usually 2 but it could be 3. Given it is charged per semester, that is an important question. And if it is 2, for about 4k Euro per year (for public u), plus living costs, cf say with 9k pound (for most uk u but non-special subjects) plus living costs in uk, still cheaper.
With very few exceptions there are two semesters per year at the Universities. I only know of the Bundeswehr University (German military university) that is organised in trimesters.
But yes, public university in Germany is really, really cheap.
You can also often apply to have the semester fee waived due to financial hardship or special circumstances, though I have no experience with that.