Why Study in Germany

About Germany:

Germany consists of 16 States & the capital and largest city is Berlin. Population of Germany is 82,665,600 and it is the fifth largest economy in the world and Europe’s largest economy. It is a leading exporter of machinery, vehicles, chemicals, and household equipment and benefits from a highly skilled work force. Germany is known for cutting edge research and engineering capabilities in the fields of engineering and automobiles.

German is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany and Euro is the official currency of Germany. Some of the famous cities in Germany are Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt, Dresden and Hamburg. Germany is home to the world’s topmost and leading car manufacturers such as BMW, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.

There are a number of reasons to study in Germany.

• Free Education: German universities do not charge a tuition fee to international students. Yes that’s correct. Education in Germany is absolutely free. You will only need to pay a small fee of around 300 to 500 Euros per semester as social contribution. This makes Germany a much favored destination for international students.
• Post Study Work Visa: Post completing your education in Germany, you will be eligible for a stay back period of 18 months as an International student.
• Quality of Education: Most of the Universities or colleges are state owned and Government funded. Education in Germany is one of the oldest and best in the world. Merit is the only criteria for admission to German universities. German Education guarantees practical knowledge in addition to building a solid theoretical foundation. A German degree is highly recognized and well respected in India.
• Work while Studying in Germany: As an international student studying in Germany, you are allowed to work for 120 full working days or 240 half working days in a year. Typically the student wages range from 8 to12 Euros an hour. Students can work on campus or off the campus. Students with German language skills are entitled for higher wages as compared to the students having no skills.

Education System in Germany

There are over 500 officially recognized institutions of higher education in 165 towns and cities in Germany that offer over 15000 study programs.

Universities in Germany care categorized into the following three groups:

1. Technical University/ Technische Universität (TU)
2. Universities of Applied Sciences /Fachhochschule
3. Colleges of Art, Film and Music.

• Technical University/ Technische Universität (TU)
The degrees offered here include Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees. The technical universities impart theoretical knowledge and also they are highly focused on research. There is a tremendous focus on research and this is one of the reasons that Germany is known for cutting edge innovations. The faculties here include Education, Engineering & Science, Law, Medicine and Business Management to name a few.

• Universities of Applied Sciences /Fachhochschule
These universities are more inclined towards imparting practical knowledge. They offer the bachelors programs in general but some do offer masters programs as well. Even though research at these universities is gaining ground, the main focus is yet on application oriented study. They offer excellent job opportunities due to their close tie up with the industry. They offer well-founded academic training for degree programs in the field of technology, business and management, social studies, media and design.

• Colleges of Art, Film and Music
These colleges offer artistic subjects, such as music, architecture, visual arts, drama, dance, industrial and fashion design. A number of directors, cinematographers, screenwriters and other film and television professionals are trained at these colleges. Admission requirements for these courses include demonstration of a specific talent through an entrance examination.

Types of Degrees in Germany

Bachelors:

Bachelor degrees in Germany are between 3-4 years in duration. Since almost all undergraduate programs in Germany are taught in the local language and therefor students need to appear for an exam known as TestDaf (Test of German as a Foreign Language). The TestDaf is a standardized language test of German proficiency for non-native German speakers. The students can also take the German Language University Entrance Examination (DSH) to apply for undergraduate courses in Germany
13 years of education: It is required for entry in a Bachelors program in Germany. This can be achieved by successfully completing the first year of a Bachelors program from a recognized university in India in the relevant subject field or by successfully completing a foundation year at a university in Germany to compensate for the 13th year of education.

Medium of Instruction: Several Universities in Germany offer undergraduate courses which are taught in English.

English Language Requirement: You are required to take the IELTS exam and score a minimum of 6.5 as Germany has very high standards for admission.

Germany Language Proficiency: You are required to take any of the following three exams to show your German language proficiency.

1. The Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDAF): It is held six times a year in test centers throughout the world.
2. The German Language University Entrance Examination (DSH): It is administered only at German universities and will test your proficiency and suitability for university study.
3. ZOP of Goethe Institute.

Work during Study: All international students are eligible for part time jobs during the program and are encouraged to undertake a one year internship during their bachelor degree study in Germany

Masters
Germany is known to offer a number of masters’ degrees in fields such as engineering, IT, computer science, management as well as medicine. The masters can be completed in 1 to 2 years. Students are expected to have a minimum of 70% in their Bachelors.

Medium of Instruction – The courses are taught in English as well as German.
English Language Requirement: You are required to take the IELTS exam and score a minimum of 7.0 as Germany has very high standards for admission.
German Language – We advise you to achieve a basic level of German language proficiency by completing the A1 level, as more and more universities are expecting it apart from it being a requirement for Visa as well. It is well noted that candidates with German language skills have a much better chance of getting admission in German universities as compared to candidates with no German language skills
Germany Language Proficiency: You are required to take any of the following three exams to show your German language proficiency.
1. The Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDAF): It is held six times a year in test centers throughout the world.
2. The German Language University Entrance Examination (DSH): It is administered only at German universities and will test your proficiency and suitability for university study.
3. ZOP of Goethe Institute.

GRE: It is needed for good and high ranked Universities. A minimum of 310 is considered as a good score. GRE is a mandatory requirement for some Automobile and Mechanical courses offered by the highly ranked German universities.

There is no concept of applying without IELTS or without a final year mark sheet in most of the universities. It is recommended that you apply once you are ready with all the documents including the IELTS score card and the Provisional Degree Certificate. German universities do not offer conditional offer letters to the students.

Application Procedure for Germany

The application often starts with an online-form which has to be filled. Subjects in medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutics and animal health, the application has to be sent to a central office. For all other programs the application has to be sent so the foreign office of the university or one has to apply with uni-assist. One can also apply through the university web page.

Step 1 – Research: The students should do their research on the universities or their colleges that they wish to apply to along with the programs that they are interested in applying for. Each university is known for a certain specialization in which they rank high. So the university selection will depend on the course that the student is interested in.

We at AM Consulting counsel you to understand your careers goals and aspirations and accordingly design a custom roadmap for you. We will then help you in shortlisting of the courses and the universities that you should apply to, based on a number of factors.

Step 2 – Taking the Required Tests: Take the IELTS test and score a minimum of overall 6.5 for the Bachelors programs and 7.0 for the Masters programs. Also a GRE is required in order to apply to a good German University.

Step 3 – Make online or paper application: As indicated by each University or apply through UniAssist. You will need to pay the application fee. We will assist you in filing out the application form along with sending the required documents to the universities.

Step 4 – Preparing the Documents: Next the students need to put together the following documents for the application process:

Transcripts & Degree Certificate: Transcripts are mark sheets presented in a certain format. A student will need to apply at their respective schools or colleges for getting their transcripts issued. Each transcript will be stamped & signed, and then sealed in an envelope which also needs to be stamped and signed.

Statement of Purpose/Essays: Each university will need the student to submit a Statement of Purpose (SOP) as part of the application packet. The SOP is a life story of a student in around 800 words which allows the admission committee to separate the best applications from the average ones. An SOP will contain answers to questions such as what have you studied till now and why? Why are you interested in the particular course that you are applying for? What have you chosen that university? What are you short and long term goals? And so on. All the students applying for a Bachelor’s degree as well as a Master’s degree will need to submit their Statement of Purpose specific to each university. MBA applicants will have to answer 3-4 university specific essay questions. An SOP can make or break a student’s application and is one of the most important parts of the application process, especially when a student is targeting the top 10-15 universities. A crisp and well-crafted SOP can make up for a low GRE or GMAT score or even low academics.

AM Consulting specializes in drafting solid SOP’s which have helped our students secure admits into some of the top universities in Canada. You can contact us here to know about our SOP packages.

Letters of Recommendation: Universities require you to submit a minimum of two letters of recommendation (LOR) as a part of your application. One is a professional one and the other is an academic one. You need to nominate your manager at your workplace and a professor at your college for writing these letters for you. These LORs are also one of the most important parts of your application wherein your referees make a case for your selection to that particular university. You need to nominate referees who know your well and under whom you have grown professionally or academically.

We at AM Consulting provide assistance in writing LOR’s for our students. You can contact us here to know more about our LOR packages.

Resume: The students need to prepare a professional looking resume which is no more than 2 pages, as part of their application. The resume should contain the student’s academic as well as professional information.

Germany Language Proficiency: You will also need to furnish your German language test results for indicating proficiency.

Proof of Work Experience/Internships/Social Work: In order to strengthen the application, a student can submit additional documents such as an offer letter, internship experience letter or a certificate for completion of social work done at a local non-governmental organization (NGO).

Step 5 – Application submission: The application needs to be submitted by filing in the application forms and submitting the documents along with paying the university application fees.

Step 6 – Test Score Reporting: After applying to the universities, the student will need to report his or her GRE/GMAT and the IELTS/TOEFL scores to the various universities that they have applied to. The universities ask for the scores to be directly sent to them via the testing authorities. Reporting to each university will require a certain fee to be paid to the testing authorities.

Step 7 – Finalizing the University: After receiving admits from universities, finalize one university and the required deposit there thereby confirming your place.

Step 8 – Apply for student visa for Study in Germany: Documents required for visa application:

• Valid Passport
• Application form & declarations duly signed
• 1 copy of your passport’s data page
• 3 photos
• Cover Letter
• Admission Letter from the University
• Proof of payment of the fees
• Proof of Germany Language proficiency
• Proof of Academic qualifications
• Financial proof
• Travel Insurance

Finally there would be a brief interview of the student at the German consulate to assess the genuineness of the student.

Document Checklist:

• Resume
• Passport Copies (The first and last pages)
• Degree Mark sheets & Transcripts
• Degree certificate or provisional degree certificate (if you are currently studying in your final year, then you can submit this later)
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)
• 2 Letters of Recommendation
• IELTS and GRE score cards
• Germany language proficiency certificate
• Extra-curricular activity certificates

Contact Us Today to APPLY TO TOP GERMAN UNIVERSITIES

Tests Required

GRE: (Graduate Record Examination): The GRE is a standardized computer based test administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). GRE is a requirement for gaining admission into graduate schools in the US. Over  half a million individuals take the GRE in over 1,000 test centers in 160 countries every year, and scores are accepted at thousands of graduate programs around the world, for masters as well as doctoral degrees. More than 1,200 business schools around the world accept the GRE, including top-ranked MBA programs as well.  It is used to measure a student’s skills such as verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, analytical writing, and critical thinking. GRE is scored out of a total of 340. The scoring range is between 130-170 for each of the two sections of verbal reasoning and quantitative reasoning.

GRE score of a student is used as a data point to compare applicants and it is one of the main benchmarks used by the admission committee of a school for making their decision.  A high GRE score can help the student get admission into top universities along with securing financial aid in the form of a research assistantship or a scholarship.

Students can register for the exam online on the ETS website. (https://www.ets.org/gre/revised_general/register/your_ets_account/)

GMAT: (Graduate Management Admission Test): The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is a computer adaptive test intended to assess the candidate’s analytical, writing, quantitative, verbal, and reading skills in written English for use in admission to a graduate management program, such as an MBA. The GMAT can be taken up to five times a year. The attempts must be at least 16 days apart. GMAT is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council. More than 7,000 programs at approximately 2,300 graduate business schools around the world accept the GMAT as part of the selection criteria for their programs. Business schools use the test as a criterion for admission into a wide range of graduate management programs, including MBA, Master of Accountancy, Master of Finance programs and others.  The total GMAT score ranges from 200 to 800 and measures performance on the quantitative and verbal sections together.

The GMAT score of a student is used as a data point to compare applicants and it is one of the main benchmarks used by the admission committee of a school for making their admission decision. A high GMAT score can help students get admission into top B-Schools around the world as well as help them secure a scholarship.

Students can register for the GMAT exam here. (https://www.mba.com/exams/gmat/before-the-exam/register-for-the-gmat-exam?__hstc=81503688.591de3dae577f077d9777212e3eebf2c.1550135130962.1550135130962.1550135130962.1&__hssc=81503688.1.1550135130962&__hsfp=3520906242)

IELTS: (International English Language Testing System): The IELTS is an international standardized test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. It is jointly managed by the British Council and IDP in India. There are two types of IELTS exams.

IELTS Academic: This is taken by students who wish to apply for higher education in countries all around the world.  IELTS is accepted by most Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand academic institutions, by over 3,000 academic institutions in the United States, and by various professional organizations across the world.

No minimum score is required to pass the test. The IELTS Test Report Form is issued to all test takers with a score from “band 1” (“non-user”) to “band 9” (“expert user”) and each institution sets a different threshold. The test is administered by the British Council and IDP in India. The cost of taking the exam is Rs 12,650. It can be taken in either the computer delivered or the paper delivered format depending on your city.

You can register for the exam either through the British council website (https://www.britishcouncil.in/exam/ielts) or the IDP website. (https://www.ieltsidpindia.com/)

German Language Tests: Although it is not a compulsion to know the German language but it is highly beneficial. It will allow you to communicate better with the professors, the locals, help you in securing a part time job as well as network effectively.

You can take any one of the following tests:

1. The Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDAF): It is held six times a year in test centers throughout the world.
2. The German Language University Entrance Examination (DSH): It is administered only at German universities and will test your proficiency and suitability for university study.

ZOP of Goethe Institute

Costs

Costs of Studying in Germany:

1. Tuition fees: Education is free in Germany. The Federal government provides the funds to run the Public Universities. Students are only required to pay an amount of anything between 200 to 500 euros per semester as social contribution. This makes the admission to a German university, extremely competitive.
2. Living Expenses and Other Expenses: These expenses can be anywhere between 800 to 1000 euros per month. The expenses differ based on your lifestyle, your accommodation as well as the city that you are studying in.

Scholarships in Germany

The following scholarships are available for studying in Germany.

Erasmus Mundus Scholarship Programs in Germany

German Universities participate in quite a number of study programs which are funded by Erasmus Mundus Scholarships. The scholarships allow international students to pursue a participating Erasmus Mundus study program for free.

DAAD Scholarship Programs

DAAD is a joint organization of Germany’s higher education institutions and is responsible for promoting international academic relations, primarily through the exchange of students, academics and researchers. The DAAD scholarship database contains scholarship and funding opportunities for foreign students, graduate students and scientists who are seeking financial support for their studies, research work or teaching assignments in Germany.

The most popular DAAD scholarship program for developing country students is the DAAD Scholarships for Postgraduate Courses with Special Relevance to Developing Countries.

Post Study Work Visa for Germany

As an international student, you are permitted to work for 120 full days or 240 half days in a year while studying in Germany, This will help you in getting a bit of extra pocket-money to take care of your monthly expenses. After completing your degree in Germany, you can stay in the country for up to 18 months to look for a job that is in line of your study area.

Once you have a job offer which corresponds to your qualifications, you can choose whether you want to apply for a German residence permit or an EU Blue Card for the next part of your stay. If you intend to live and work in another EU state, the EU Blue Card may be more beneficial for you than the German residence permit.

Job Opportunities in Germany

In order to secure a job in Germany, you need to learn the German language and build your contacts. What is also equally important is the location of the university. Some of the top locations are Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart, Hannover and Bonn. The average salary is about 35,000 Euros for a post graduate and about 24,000 Euros for a graduate. Indian students are used to the concept of campus placements and on-campus recruitment for getting jobs, wherein companies visit campuses and hire graduates. There is no concept of placements in Germany. Most German universities have a Career Services cell, which helps you get jobs and helps you prepare for interviews. They may refer you to companies or help you get in touch with HR managers. The job search is mostly self-driven in Germany.

List of Universities in Germany