STUDY IN GERMANY

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic in western-central Europe consisting of 16 constituent states. Its capital city and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 square kilometres (137,847 sq mi) and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 80.6 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. Germany is a major economic and political power of the European continent and a historic leader in many cultural, theoretical and technical fields.

Education System

Germany is a federal country. German higher education sector is regulated partly at federal, but predominantly at state level.

In Germany, higher education is offered at three types of Higher Education Institutions.

• Universities (Universitaten)

These institutions offer the whole range of academic disciplines. In the German tradition, universities focus in particular on basic research so that advanced stages of study have mainly theoretical orientation and research-oriented components.

• Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen)

These institutions concentrate their study programmer in engineering and other technical disciplines, business-related studies, social work, and design areas. The common mission of applied research and development implies a distinct application-oriented focus and professional character of studies, which include integrated and supervised work assignments in industry, enterprises or other relevant institutions.

• Universities of Art/Music (Kunst- und Musikhochschulen)

These institutions offer studies for artistic careers in fine arts, performing arts and music; in such fields as directing, production, writing in theatre, film, and other media; and in a variety of design areas, architecture, media and communication.

The institutions of higher education are to be made more efficient by according them further autonomy, allowing them to build an individual profile in a particular area and encouraging more competition. Further reforms concerning the staff structure and recruitment requirements for professors were introduced through the Act’s amendment in 2002. An alternative to institutions of higher education is provided by Berufsakademie. These professional academies have taken the principle of the dual system of vocational education and training and applied it to the tertiary sector.

Intakes:

Two dates you should mark red in your calendar: January 15th and July 15th. If you wish to begin your studies in the winter semester (October) the submission period is from the beginning of June to 15th July. If you rather prefer to start your studies in the summer semester (April) the submission period is from the beginning of December to 15th January.

Requirements:

Admission to programmes in Germany is granted on the basis of previous academic record. However, for some management courses a GMAT is required, and some engineering programmers require a GRE score. You will need to check the requirements of the university you are applying to.

The TOEFL is a standard test required for programmers’ that have English as a medium of instruction.

Admission to Undergraduate Studies

Students applying for an undergraduate course in Germany have to undertake a one – year bridge program. This is to compensate for 13 years of school education in Germany compared to 12 years in India. In order to be eligible for this bridging course, students from India are required to have an excellent academic record up to Senior Secondary Level (10 + 2), and must have basic knowledge of the German language (G III Level of Max Mueller Bhavans).

After completion of the bridge program, Indian students are required to pass an assessment test in order to get admission into a German institution for the equivalent of the Bachelors degree. Students who have cleared the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) will be exempted from the assessment test.

Students who have successfully completed two years of undergraduate studies are also exempted from the assessment test. However, they have to prove their proficiency in the German language.

Admission to Postgraduate Courses

German universities have recently introduced international courses leading to a Master’s degree. Some courses begin with English as a medium of instruction. Students need an Indian undergraduate degree to qualify.

Some universities also accept the three years Indian Bachelors degree.

Admission to PhD Courses

Like in many other countries international students must have a Master’s Degree, and must have identified a professor in Germany who is willing to act as their doctoral guide.

Popular Universities:

• Free University of Berlin
• Humbolt University of Berlin
• Technical University Munich
• Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
• Heidelberg University
• Schiller International University
• Hochschule Furtwangen University
• University of Freiburg
• University of Dresden
• University of Bremen

Education and living costs

Tuition Fees:

Both national and international students at public universities in Germany will get free tuition, and will only need to pay a small sum towards administration and other costs per semester (there are two per year).

These low charges certainly help to make Germany attractive as a study destination, with recent figures showing it to be the fourth most popular country for international students (after the US, UK and Australia). The amount it costs to study in Germany depends on variables such as your level of study and how long your course lasts, whether your university is private or public, and which German state you will study in

Living Cost:

Though Germany enjoys one of the highest standards of living, still the expenses are comparable to countries in Western Europe. Living expenditure depends largely on the lifestyle, city and type of accommodation however this could vary depending on individual lifestyle. This cost covers basic expenses like : accommodation, Food and basic Travel within city or campus.

Scholarship Opportunities

The German Academic Exchange Service provides support for German and international students to study abroad, in the form of scholarships for German and international students, academics and researchers. These are available for all levels of study, and you can search based on keywords, study level, country of origin and subject. Another useful resource comes from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF: Bundesministerium fur Bildung und Forschung) which hosts a site dedicated to scholarships in Germany.

Visa

Students have to fulfill the following requirements before being granted a student visa.
Submit the following documents:

• Completed Visa Application Form
• Photographs
• Visa Application Fee
• Evidence of Admission
• Proof of Adequate Financial Resources
• Health Certificate

The visa is issued when the student is assessed to be a genuine student, who intends to undertake further studies in Germany, abide by visa conditions, and depart on completion of the course. The student should convince the visa officer that his German language skills are adequate for the course he/she is undertaking. That the course is relevant to his/her current academic/ professional status. That he/she will comply with visa conditions and leave Germany after completion of the course. Processing of the visa can take up to eight weeks.