How To Apply for a University in Germany? Everything You Need to Know

It’s easy to understand why Germany is one of the most desired non-Anglophone study-abroad destinations in the world, with its vibrant student cities and cheap (or free) tuition. Germany is a global centre for education. It is providing a vast array of programs and courses at esteemed universities. But there is a question we need to answer first. How to apply for university in Germany?

How To Apply for University in Germany: Introduction

Germany is a popular choice for students worldwide. Over 450,000 international learners already taking advantage of everything the country has to offer. You’re in the right place if you’re wondering what you need to do to study in Germany and you’re overwhelmed by the amount of information accessible. In this blog, we try to make you understand the application process more easily by dividing it into a series of steps.

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How To Apply for a University in Germany? Everything You Need to Know

As was said in the previous section, we have formulated a series of steps that need to be followed to complete your application to a German university. All you have to do is follow these steps in the order they are stated. This will help you keep track of all the things that need to get done during the process. You can also use it as a checklist for the various phases of the application process to make sure that you miss nothing.

Decide Which Study Program You Want

The first thing to do while planning to join a university for higher education is to decide what you want to major in. What course do you want to study? Try to answer that question. You can determine this by analysing your interests and aptitude throughout life until then. Your performance in school and extracurriculars should be taken as a measure too. You can even take the help of a career adviser or consulting to look into it more deeply. Or you are someone determined from an early period to achieve a particular career path? All these questions will help you conclude.

Find the University Offering the Course You Want

The next step in our journey is to find the universities that offer the courses you want to study. Some universities might even provide the same course with multiple specialisations. Decide what you find more appealing. Then make a list of all the universities that you found out. After that, you have to conduct a comparison of each of these universities according to several criteria like location, fee, prerequisites, living costs in the city, salary offered to the graduates of each university, availability of aids or scholarships etc.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) maintains a database of nearly 2,000 courses to search through, including 1,389 programs that use English as an instruction medium. When making your choice, you might also want to take into account the most recent rankings of the best universities in Germany. You can also use the comparison tool to help you narrow down your options and look for the best German universities in your field by checking the most recent QS World University Rankings by Subject.

Learn the German Language

Some universities have mandatory requirements for German language proficiency. You will only know about it if you check the prerequisites. But you should not wait until then! What if the university you like the most will bring a clause making German language proficiency mandatory in this year’s notification? So, we cannot take the risk of not learning German.

Even though your program is in English, your ability to communicate in German will be crucial to your success in college. You can be sure you will understand study materials and lectures and be able to articulate yourself clearly if you have a firm grasp of the German language.

While many study programs at higher academic levels are conducted wholly or partially in German, the majority of undergraduate courses in Germany are taught in the native language. You will have to converse in German with locals a lot, outside of university settings.

It can be challenging to learn German from scratch, but if you get started early, you’ll speak the language fluently when it is time to go to Germany. We recommend beginning at least 6 months before the start of your course (or before the application if German language competency is required) to develop a basic understanding of the German language.

Where to Learn German?

It might not be easy for everyone to go out and find an academy that is offering a German language course. This is especially true for people who wish to join the university next year in Germany but are already a final-year student at an undergraduate program in an Indian university. The same goes for people who faced severe illness or accidents and women who got study gaps because of being a new mother.

The daily commute and exposure to lots of people are not advisable for them! But no need to worry! Entri app is offering an online German course that takes you from A1 level proficiency to C2 level proficiency. The mentors of the Entri German course also give you training for Goethe exams.

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Find the Finances to Fund Your Education

Making sure you have the necessary funds to live and study in Germany is the next step. Any international student who is not a citizen of the European Union or an EEA is required by law to have adequate financial resources to support themselves while they are studying in Germany. You will need to provide proof of financial means (Finanzierungsnachweis) with your visa application if you are a citizen of a country that requires a student visa to study in Germany.

To be admitted to Germany, an international student needs to have at least €11,208, which should cover their living expenses for the first year of study. This sum of money must be transferred into a German-blocked bank account.

Your best bet for obtaining a German student visa is to prove your financial resources with a blocked account.

The purpose of a blocked account is to demonstrate that you have sufficient money to cover your expenses for a year in Germany. As of 2023, a foreigner living in Germany must have at least €934 per month to cover living expenses. Therefore, before applying for a German internship visa, you must have a total of €11,208 in your bank account.

This is a huge amount of money for students. So, one should start saving up early or preparing to take out a student loan from a bank of their choice. You should not rush last minute when the time to apply comes.

Steps for Applying for a University in Germany

There are certain guidelines you must follow when applying for a position at a German university. The subject you wish to study will determine where and how to apply. Given below are the steps of the actual application process for a German university.

Check the General Requirements

The application process begins with the process of checking the requirements to attain admission to the university. Before anything else, to get admitted to that specific program, you will need to fulfil the requirements established by the university.

Your chosen institution must accept your qualifications for you to get admitted to a German university. This means that you must possess an Abitur, also known as Hochschulzugangsberechtigung (HZB), to be admitted to universities. If your school-leaving certificate is not accepted in Germany, you will need to enrol in Studienkolleg, a one-year preparatory program.

Additionally, several colleges mandate the TestAS, an aptitude test. This exam is intended for foreign applicants to German undergraduate programs who are not citizens of the European Union.

One of the criteria for university entrance is language proficiency. You will need to submit documentation of your German language skill, such as TestDaF or the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH) if the program you are pursuing is to be fully taught in that language. Alternatively, you will need to submit your IELTS or TOEFL results if your course is to be taught in English and you are not a native speaker of the language.

Check if There are Any Restrictions

You won’t always be able to enrol straight away, even if you match the general prerequisites and have selected the subject you want to study. There are more potential students than study spaces for many degree programs in Germany, thus applicants must first participate in an admissions process. There are two kinds of entrance restrictions: those that are exclusive to a particular higher education institution and those that are applicable across the whole country of Germany. You can typically enrol directly if there are no entrance requirements for the degree program you want to pursue.

Germany-Wide Admission Restrictions

Medicine, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and dentistry are among the most popular degree programs in Germany, with admission restrictions in place at all universities. They possess a numerus clausus, or NC, as it is called. The Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (Foundation for University Admissions) grants study spaces to applicants from Norway, Liechtenstein, and Iceland in addition to Germany and other EU members (available only in German).

Local Admission Restrictions

Several degree programs are limited to admittance at particular universities. Often, these are referred to as NC degree programs. Higher education institutions may list additional selection criteria, such as a motivation letter, examinations, or selection interviews, in addition to the applicant’s total average grade. These standards vary throughout academic programs and among institutions of higher learning.

So remember to get this information directly from your higher education institution’s International Office much before the application process begins.

Find the Application Portal in Which We Should Submit Application

Foreign students must apply to the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, the higher education institution, or the University Application Service for International Students (uni-assist). This is based on their country of origin, higher education entrance qualification, and desired subject of study. A Diagram is shown below showing the details of this process.

Documents Required for German University Application

While every university has its unique admission standards, most applications need the submission of certain documents. You can find more information on this topic from the international offices of the universities. They will explain the application procedure and the required documentation. The application form is accessible (only in German) via the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, uni-assist, or your selected postgraduate college or university.

• A fully certified copy of your higher education entrance qualifications.
• A summary of your coursework and grades (official translation)
• If relevant, please include certified copies of your previous higher education certificates.
• A passport photo
• a copy of your passport, including your name and picture
• Certified copies of language proficiency certificates.
• a properly filled-out application
• Valid foreign school-leaving certificate
• The APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) certification. For candidates from China, India, or Vietnam who possess the necessary prerequisites
• Motivational letter and recommendation letter (if any)
• standardized assessment score, if any
• CV i.e. curriculum vitae

Certifying the Documents

The application process accepts only translations and copies that have been officially certified. Official certifications may be granted by your home country’s German embassy, for instance. Documents in both English and French are accepted by certain universities as well.

A document’s certification is subject to a charge. Furthermore, there is usually a charge for the application itself. The application location determines the processing fee. A preliminary inspection of your documents and an evaluation of your credentials will cost 75 EUR for your first choice of study if you apply through Uni-assist. You have to pay an additional 30 EUR for every application for additional courses in the identical semester.

There are several methods available for submitting the application form to a higher education school (like the one shown in the chart). These methods include using an online form or a form that may be completed online and printed out. Kindly make direct inquiries at the international office of the university you are applying to.

Get Health Insurance

Make sure you have health insurance to cover you while in Germany before you depart from your home country. This is necessary before enrollment as well as the issuance of a residence permit or student visa.

There ought to be a social security agreement between your nation and Germany if you live in an EU or EEA member state. This implies that you should have insurance in Germany if you have public health insurance in your place of origin. To take advantage of this, you will often need to obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which is free of charge.

If your health insurance is invalid in Germany, you should budget between €80 (US$92) and €160 (US$176) each month to account for this. If you are over 29 when you begin your degree, you can only get private insurance. The cost is higher for this.

Apply for A Student Visa

If you are a student coming from a non-EU or non-EEA country, you must obtain a German student visa. The criterion is your place of origin. This decides the different requirements for acquiring a student visa for Germany. The Foreign Federal Office website provides a list of the nations for which a student visa is or is not necessary.

The first step involved in applying for a visa are gathering the required paperwork. Then comes showing up for an interview at the embassy. And then waiting for the outcome. Remember that, depending on the embassy’s location and volume of activity, the processing period for a student visa may take up to 25 days.

Find Accommodation

It’s essential to start looking for housing as soon as you’ve been accepted into a course and have your student visa (if applicable). This is because most German universities do not provide housing to incoming students.  You have a variety of accommodation options in Germany as an international student. This includes individual homes, shared apartments, and residence halls (WG).

Remember that your biggest out-of-pocket price will probably be rent. On average, students pay €410 a month for housing in Germany. In particular, the average cost of a private apartment is €820. On the Other hand, the average cost of a shared apartment (WG) is €363. And the average cost of a student dorm is €266.83. However, costs might vary significantly based on the location and amenities.

You must register at the “citizens’ bureau” (Bürgeramt) or the “residents’ registration office” (Einwohnermeldeamt) as soon as you have found housing. Keep in mind that you have two weeks from the time you arrive in Germany to register your address at the local registration office.

Enrollment

The next step after being accepted into a German institution is to enrol. This involves submitting specific paperwork to the Student Affairs Office and setting up your classes. You will receive a university account and matriculation number through this process.  Student can use these to access a variety of university services.

You will also be given a student ID card. This card serves as more than simply identification. It can also be used as a pass for different cultural events, a library card, a payment card for the cafeteria, and a semester transportation ticket.

You must enrol before beginning your course and using university resources such as the library. Additionally, you will have to re-register before the start of each semester. Depending on the university, this often costs between €150 and €250 (~US$170-290). An extra fee of approximately €180 (~US$205) may apply for a “Semesterticket,” which provides six months of public transportation expense coverage.

Upon enrollment, you will be issued a registration certificate. It serves as a temporary identification for students, enabling you to apply for a residency permit and enrol in classes.

The paperwork required for enrolment is listed below.

• Your residency permits or passport along with a visa
• A few passports photos
• filled-out registration form
• Evidence of eligibility for higher education, in the form of real certificates or duly
• certified copies and translations
• Notification of Admission
• Proof of sufficient proficiency in German (or English)
• Proof of having compulsory health insurance in Germany
• Receipt of payment for semester fees

Your life as a German university student begins with this enrolment process.

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How To Apply for University in Germany: Conclusion

We have tried to cover all areas that come under the answer of ‘How to Apply for a University in Germany?’. Consult the international office at your university or the advising service provided by the student committee (Fachschaft) if you have any questions or concerns.