Studies
How does studying in Germany work?
There are more than 20,000 courses of study in Germany, of which almost 1,800 are international, mostly English-language courses at almost 400 universities. Of the approximately 2.9 million students, about 400,000 come from abroad. You study at universities, universities of applied sciences or at art, film or music academies. As a degree, they aspire to a bachelor's, a master's degree, a state examination or a doctoral degree. There is a wide range of subjects: Agricultural and forestry sciences, social and social sciences, engineering, art, music, design, teaching, mathematics and natural sciences, medicine and health sciences, linguistics and cultural sciences or economics and law.
There are no tuition fees at state universities. All you have to do is pay a semester fee that finances a semester ticket, i.e. a train ticket for public transport in the region, as well as social contributions for the student body and the Studentenwerk.
The year is divided into two semesters: the winter semester, which usually runs from 1 October to 31 March, and the summer semester from 1 April to 30 September. At the universities of applied sciences, the semester often starts one month earlier. There are no lectures during this time, but sometimes exams or term papers have to be written.
- A school leaving certificate with a university entrance qualification (usually: Abitur)
- Admission to the university
- Language skills: good knowledge of German for a German degree programme, usually English language skills for international degree programmes
- Proof of financing
- A visa
- A health insurance (this is already needed for the application for the residence permit and the enrollment at the university)
At the admission database of the DAAD or at "anabin" you can see whether the school leaving certificate is sufficient for direct university access. If not, you can attend a Preparatory College as preparation and take an assessment test.
In addition, you can attend language courses or preparatory courses as a preparation if you do not have to attend a Studienkolleg, but do not yet feel completely safe.
In addition, you can attend language courses or preparatory courses as a preparation if you do not have to attend a Studienkolleg, but do not yet feel completely safe.
Where you need to apply depends on where you graduated from school and which subject you want to study. There are three options: either at the Foundation for University Admission, the Office and Service Centre for International Student Applications (uni-assist) or at the university itself.
To apply, you will need the following documents:
To apply, you will need the following documents:
- an officially certified copy of the certificate of higher education entrance qualification
- an overview of subjects and grades (officially translated and certified)
- if available: an officially certified copy of all previous university certificates
- a passport photo
- a copy of the passport (name and photo)
- certified copies of language certificates
The application can cost money. At uni-assist, the certificate evaluation and first preliminary examination cost 75 €, the university itself sets a processing fee. An application to the Foundation for University Admission is free of charge.
In addition, certain deadlines apply: the application deadline for the winter semester ends on 15 July, for the summer semester on 15 January.
Some universities also require an aptitude test: the Test for Foreign Students (TestAS). This consists of a language test for which you need at least B1 language skills, a core test in which general skills for a course of study are measured and a subject-specific test module. Here you can choose between humanities, culture and social sciences, engineering, mathematics, computer science and natural sciences or economics. A passed test is certified with a certificate.
To get a visa to study, you must present proof of funding. You must have at least €853 per month or €10,236 per year to secure your livelihood.
For this proof of financing, you can either present proof of income or assets of the parents, someone else can sign a declaration of commitment for you, you can create a blocked account, present a bank guarantee or you can get a scholarship from a recognized scholarship provider. You can find scholarship providers via the database of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
- There are certain deadlines for applying for both a study place and a scholarship that you must observe.
- Processing your visa application can sometimes take a few months. Apply for it in time!
- Your copied documents must be certified, some must also be translated. Additional fees may apply. Find out what exactly is required!
- You definitely need health insurance. Depending on which country you come from, it may be that your insurance from the country of origin is also valid for Germany. If not, you will need to take out new insurance.