GERMANY

About Germany

Home to 82 million inhabitants, Germany is a land of diverse beauty, historical splendor and state-of-the-art innovation. If you are looking to fulfill your Alpine fantasies then the country’s bewitching scenery is sure to satisfy, and those drawn to Germany’s cities will experience the new pinnacle of cool in Europe. Tradition coexists with techno in these pulsating centers of culture and counterculture where you can gorge on Bratwurst and Stollen cake by day and sweat in industrial clubs by night.

A global forerunner in industry and technology, Germany is a highly developed country with an excellent standard of living and a social market economy widely considered to be one of the most efficient in the world. Germany is also known the world-over for its cultural contributions – you will find everything from the high-brow to the underground across the nation’s sixteen dynamic states. From the beer halls of Bavaria to the industrial heartland of Westphalia, undertaking your education in Germany provides the ultimate opportunity to experience a corner of Europe which is both old-world and à la mode.

 

Education System

Germany’s institutions of higher education are internationally accredited – according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), 6 of the top 100 and 18 of the top 200 universities in the world are German. Studying here will place you among some of the oldest and most established universities in the world, as well as some of the newest and most innovative.

Public and Private Universities

There are 400 public universities in Germany, which are attended by 95% of the university student population. These institutions are state funded, meaning that students do not pay tuition fees (apart from a small administrative cost at the start of each semester). There are also around 120 private institutions which do not receive government funding and are not state regulated, meaning that they set their own tuition fees.

The Bologna System

Higher education in Germany recently converted to the three-tier degree system of the European Higher Education Area established under the Bologna System. Rather than the old one-tier ‘long’ programs, Germany now offers undergraduate courses which result in a Bachelor’s degree, and postgraduate courses which result in a Master’s or PhD (Doctorate). This system is designed to be the same throughout Europe, facilitating international educational mobility and enhancing flexibility in educational objectives.

Undergraduate Education

The German higher education system differentiates between different types of universities for different disciplines:

• Technische Universität(Technical Schools) teach science, technology and engineering
• Fachhochschulen(Universities of Applied Science) specialize in business, engineering and social science
• Kunst- und Musikhochschulenare universities of fine and performing arts, music, media and communication

Postgraduate Education

Master’s degrees are taught courses (unlike PhDs which are research-oriented), and usually last two years (four semesters). They are either ‘consecutive’ or ‘non-consecutive’. Consecutive Master’s programs build upon an obtained Bachelor’s – they follow on from a related undergraduate degree and do not ordinarily charge fees. Non-consecutive programs focus on a more specialized area of study. These courses may charge fees, and are more likely to require professional or practical experience on top of an undergraduate degree.

Student Visa

Non-EU citizens will require a visa to study in Germany. It is important that you do not enter the country on a student visa, as this cannot be converted into a student one, but rather consult the options below to deem which is suitable for you:

Types of Visa

• Student applicant visa (Visum zur Studienbewerbung)– If you have not yet received an offer from a Germany university, but wish to enter the country to conduct the application process, attend open days etc, then this is the visa for you. It grants a stay of three months with the possibility of extending it to a maximum of six months. If you are admitted to an institution during this period, you can apply for a student visa whilst still in the country.
• Student visa (Visum zur Stedienbewerbung)– If you have already been admitted to a German university, then you will need to apply for a student visa. This is also valid for three months, however if your duration of study exceeds this time then you can extend the visa at the Alien Registration Office in Germany.

How to Apply

You will submit your visa application and conduct your visa interview at the German embassy in your home country, the address of which you can find on the website of the German Federal Foreign Office.   Once the application and relevant documentation is submitted, they will be sent to the Immigration Office of your chosen university for approval and then returned. This process can take up to 25 days, so it is important that you leave plenty of time in order to minimize stress.

Required Documentation

The German Embassy in your home country will advise you on exactly what documentation you will need to present alongside your application, however it is likely to include some or all of the following:

• Transcripts of certificates of any previous diplomas or qualifications
• Proof that you have adequate financial resources to support yourself during your studies, deemed by the German government to be a minimum of 720 EUR per month
• Proof of language proficiency in German – this can take the form of an A1 certificate from the Goethe Institute, KCSE certificate from KNEC or TestDAF and should not be more than 4 years old
• Failing this, proof that you intend on undertaking a language course once you arrive in Germany
• A document confirming that you have purchased health insurance for you time in Germany
• For a student applicant visa – university entrance qualification recognized in Germany
• For a student visa – notification of acceptance for your chosen institution of study
• A valid passport, two passport size photos and a completed application form
• You will also need to pay a fee of 60 EUR

Residence permits

Unlike other European countries where the visa entails a residence permit, Germany requires non-EU students to apply for this separately. If your application is approved, you will receive a two-year residence permit. This can be extended for a maximum period of three years to seek employment in the field that you studied (you must apply for this extension before the permit expires). You will need to obtain a residence permit within the first three months of arriving in Germany, and can do so at your local Alien Registration Office. The documentation required for a residence permit includes:

• Confirmation of registration from the Resident’s Registration Office
• Confirmation that you have health insurance
• Your student ID from your German university
• A valid passport and your student visa
• You may also be asked to present a certificate of health and/or a tenancy agreement, if applicable
• There will also be a residence permit fee

 

Housing & Living Costs

There are a few options available to students in Germany when it comes to accommodation, however the main choice you will have to make is between student accommodation or renting a private residence. German universities do not automatically assign students accommodation, so you will need to do the relevant research to find a place yourself.

Student Accommodation

Student halls of residence owned and maintained by Studentenwerk (Student Services Organisation) are present in every university town. This is the most affordable type of accommodation, averaging around 240 EUR per month. The 181,000 placements are in high demand, and it is therefore advisable that you apply for this housing as early as possible. This is done through the website of the Studentenwerk administration local to your chosen university.

Types of Student Accommodation

Numerous types of housing are available from Studentenwerk. The cheapest and most sociable option would be a room on a floor with a communal kitchen, bathroom and living space. You could also opt for self-contained apartments with between two and seven bedrooms. For a more private residence, there are single and double apartments available which are also a little more pricey. Price also fluctuates depending on level of furnishing. You can apply for housing with basic furnishing, typically entailing a bed, desk, wardrobe and shelving, or unfurnished for a cheaper price.

Private Accommodation

There is also the opportunity to rent accommodation from a private landlord or estate agent. Prices fluctuate greatly depending location and quality of the apartment, however the price of housing in Germany averages around 210 to 360 EUR per month (although in major urban centers the price could be higher). To save on cost, consider living with roommates in flatshare. Wohngemeinschaft, or WG as the Germans call it, is very popular among university students.

Tuition Fees

Public universities

As of 2014 German universities are fully funded by the German government, meaning that neither home nor international students pay tuition fees. Students need only to pay a fee of around 60-200 EUR per semester for administrative, travel and food facilities. This has greatly increased Germany’s population as a destination for studying abroad – it is now the world’s third leading destination for international study.

Private universities

Private institutions do not receive subsidization from the government and are therefore dependent on tuition fees. These are not regulated by the government and can cost up to 20,000 EUR per year. This fluctuates depending on institution of study and chosen degree program – engineering or business degrees are usually higher in cost than social sciences, for instance.

Master’s programs

Master’s courses in Germany are either ‘consecutive’, meaning that they follow directly on from a related Bachelor’s degree, or ‘non-consecutive’, meaning that they are standalone courses in a more specialized area. Consecutive courses are usually free of charge in Germany for home, EU and international students. Non-consecutive Master’s courses can cost up to around 5000 EUR per year for public universities, and up to 30,000 EUR per year for private universities.

PhD programs

For the first six semesters of study, tuition fees do not apply for Doctorate programs at public universities. However, as with Master’s and Bachelor’s options, PhD students are required to make a contribution of no more than 300 EUR per semester.

Entry Requirements

In Germany, you submit your application directly to your chosen institution of study. Alternatively, international students can use the resource UniAssist. This is a centralized service managed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) which reviews applications before sending them on to universities. Not all universities use this service, however, so it is important to check this before submitting. The specific admissions process is determined by individual institutions, however here are some requirements that you will need to meet to gain admission to a German university:

Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (HZB) or ‘higher education entrance qualification’

This simply means that you need to show proof of prior academic diplomas. The DAAD has a database of information on admission requirements in various countries, so the standardized qualification in your home country in the form of a high-school diploma, school-leaving certificate or transcript of exam results is usually sufficient. You may need to provide a translated overview of your course modules and grades, however. International students with qualifications from outside Europe may have to sit an entrance exam or Feststellungsprufung in addition, and applicants to Master’s programs may have had to earn a minimum number of credits in their chosen field of study.

Test of Language Proficiency

Some courses also require a level of proficiency in German. Even if you plan on undertaking your degree in English, some universities require that you know the basics of German as proven by taking either the Deutsche Sprachprufung fur den Hochschlzugang (‘German language examination for university entrance’) or the TestDaF (‘Test of German as a foreign language’). If you are undertaking a course taught in English and you are a non-English speaker, you will be required to take a standardized English language test such as IELTS or TOEFL.

Other documentation

Once you have received notice of admission, proof that you have purchased health insurance is usually a requisite for enrollment. If you are a resident of the EU or the EEA and you have access to public health insurance in your home country, you should also be covered in Germany.