Studying in Germany

Quick Start

1. Search College/University/PhD
2. 10 Steps to "Studying in Germany"

Detailed Information

• Getting started: Education in Germany
• Higher Education Compass

Why study in Germany?

• Universities offer good research and development environments.
• Education is very practical oriented.
• An opportunity to study in the Land of Ideas. Germans are innovative and creative people. Creativity and productivity can be seen in everyday life. "Made in Germany" symbolizes high-quality products. For more details on German brands please refer to the book "German Standards - Brands of the Century: German champions in products and services from Asperin to Zeiss" by Florian Langenscheidt (Publisher Gabler)
• Number 4 exporter in the world. Considering the size and population, it's a remarkable achievement.German Universities are well recognized all over the world.
• Very less (or almost zero) course fees.

How to search a particular Course/University?

In order to find out a particular course, you can use the following websites.

– DAAD (very good starting point)

– All study programs Ph.D. Courses

– Study in Germany

Course/Tuition Fees

• In Germany, most of the Universities have very less or almost no course fee. Comparing to USA it is very less (around 500 Euros per semester or less or sometimes no course fee).
• So students have to bear only living costs. For more details refer to section Living expenses on the right side of this page.
• The course fees depend on the state/university in Germany (page 17 in Getting started: Education in Germany).

What are the admission requirements?

Every university has different requirements. So check out respective university websites. Some of the required documents are:

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae
• Certified Copies of your Bachelor Degree (or equivalent) and Transcript
• Certified Translation (German or English) of your Bachelor Certificate and Transcript
• Short Description of the subjects covered in your previous studies
• Short letter of Motivation
• Two letters of Recommendation from faculty staff
• Proof of English Proficiency (TOEFL IELTS 6.0 or equivalent)
• GRE GATE
• Earlier work experiences will give an edge during the selection process.

University or Fachhochschule

In addition to Universities, there are also colleges known as Fachhochschule. It may not be possible to work on Ph.D. after studying in Fachhochschule.

University Rankings

• CHE is one popular ranking for universities.
• Many magazines in Germany provide rankings: Zeit & Focus
  • More information can be found in Hochschulranking

Living Expenses

• On an average living expenses will be around 400 to 750* Euros per month.
• Expenses limits depends on the city and the students personal expenses.
• The following table shows typical costs per person.

Scholarships

For scholarships in Germany DAAD is the best source, there are also some agencies providing scholarships. Additionally every University or even Professors may provide additional stipend funds. Please contact respective foreign officers in the university or even Professor directly. You can use following websites to search scholarships.

– DAAD Stipendium

– Stipendium Plus

– Stipendienlotse

Part time Work

• Students can work official up to 8 hours per week in Universities or even in companies.
• Student jobs in German is known as Hiwi. Some universities/companies even advertise open Hiwi positions.
• They are paid about 8-12 Euros per hour, so this can help them to finance their living expenses and studies in Germany.
• Depending on the city and the university it can be easier or difficult to find such student jobs.
• One can also look for advertisements in company websites or contact professors directly to find out if there are any such job opportunities. Even if there are no advertisements please contact the companies or professors to check for possibilities.
• So earning 400 Euros (as Hiwi) per month is definitely possible.

The importance of German Language

Last but not least, learning German language will be very important not only for social integration purposes but also for finding a job. German language will help to understand German culture. Job applications may be rejected in case they are written in English since some jobs absolutely need German language in their day to day activities. So it is very important to understand the importance of German language in Germany. Moreover before coming to Germany one can be prepared by learning German language at Goethe Institutes(Max Mueller) in your countries.