Study in
Germany has a lot to offer to foreign students, be they first-year students or
postgraduates. Germany’s universities combine age-old traditions with modern
technologies. More than 300 universities exist in Germany: from time-honored
institutions offering students the classical repertoire of subjects such as
Medicine, Law, English and German to innovative new institutions of higher
education with inter-disciplinary study programs.
Method to get admission in German Universities
Before you can be admitted to a
course of study at a German institution of higher education you will as be
required to take the Assessment Test . This requirement will apply as a rule.
Admission to the assessment test is only possible for applicants who can prove
that they hold a secondary school leaving certificate awarded for 12 years of
schooling. Applicants who provide proof of successful participation in the
entrance examination for the Indian Institutes of Technology can be admitted
direct to higher education study.
Generally, you will need to be
proficient in German to be able to study or research effectively in Germany.
But German is also an important language in its own right and is spoken by many
people. So it’s well worth learning – for example, by attending a summer
language course. And, German is definitely not as difficult as popular opinion
would have it. Universities and colleges generally require German language
certificates, which you can easily gain by taking the appropriate test in your
home country.
Before you can embark on your
studies at a German institution of higher education you will have to take the
DSH – the German language proficiency test. The institutions set and hold these
examinations themselves and also arrange the dates. “International degree
courses” and some postgraduate courses are an exception to this rule.
You can be exempted from the DSH
if you hold a higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) from a
recognised school (in Germany or abroad) at which German was the language of
instruction, hold the Goethe-Institute’s minor or major German Language
Certificate or advanced level Central Advanced Language Test hold the German
Language Certificate, Level II, of the German Standing Conference of Ministers
of Education and Culture only intend to spend one semester studying in Germany
(some institutions even allow 2 semesters without requiring the DSH to be
taken).
Test DaFA German language
proficiency certificate as required for your studies in Germany can also be
obtained in your home country in the form of the so-called Test DaF This
language test is held twice a year (in spring and autumn/fall) at certain towns
or universities in your country. The Test DaF system offers various proficiency
levels. Hence, the language requirements can be adapted to the purpose of the
study stay. The respective tests are set and marked in Germany so that all
candidates can be sure that they have been treated equally and therefore
everybody has the same chance of success. To greatly encourage the influx of
international students, a good number of leading German institutions reserve
study places for foreign applicants.
Please attend German courses at
your own institution of higher education, the Goethe-Institute, or other
language schools in your own country so that you will be able to communicate
easily in German when you come here.
If you arrive in Germany ready
and able to pass the DSH straight away, it will save you a great deal of time,
effort, and money. Good language courses can also be found outside the
framework of your German higher education institution. The courses offered by
adult education centers (Volkshochschule – VHS) or other municipal educational
facilities are cheaper than private language schools. German isn’t everything:
International degree courses, programmes and qualifications To improve the
range of opportunities for international study applicants and to meet their
interests, .
Studies leading to a Bachelor’s
or Master’s degree stand out by having course modules, a system of continuous
examination and assessment, and a system of credits.
Most of the foreign nationals
need to apply directly to the International Office at each individual
university or college of their choice Should another office be responsible for
handling your applications and other affairs, the International office will
inform you accordingly. You can search for the study opportunities online – and
can even search for courses with a specific language of instruction at:
www.higher-education-compass.de
Note:
The closing dates for applications to the International offices are usually July 15 for the following winter semester and January 15 for the following summer semester. If your application is late even by one day, it is not going to be processed.
The closing dates for applications to the International offices are usually July 15 for the following winter semester and January 15 for the following summer semester. If your application is late even by one day, it is not going to be processed.
As soon as you have received your
notification of admission and passed the language test, you need to register at
your chosen university or college. Please direct your queries to the Registrar’s
office (studentensekretariat) in good time so as to wrap up the formalities and
paperwork long before the session is due to start.
Your first port of call upon
arrival in Germany must necessarily be the International office which will
provide you with all the basic information you need to arrange the initial days
of your stay in that country. Subsequently you must get yourself registered at
the Resident Registration office and finally with the Alien’s Registration
Authority.
Process to obtain German Student Visa for international students
Do
students need to apply for a visa if students want to study in Germany?
EU citizens and citizens from
some other countries (Honduras, Island, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San
Marino, Switzerland and the United States) do not need a visa to enter Germany.
Everybody else must apply for a visa for study purposes via the German
diplomatic representation in their home country. Students must not under any
circumstances travel to Germany on a tourist visa. If students have intention
to study in Germany but have Tourist Visa then Tourist visa cannot be
transformed into Student or Applicant visa.
What
conditions must students meet in order to get a student visa for study
purposes?
Students must possess a passport
valid for the entire period of their proposed stay in Germany students
must present their notification of admission to a German higher education
institution or preparatory course (Studienkolleg).Students must prove that
he/she have sufficient financial means at their disposal. Further information
is available from the German diplomatic representation in student’s home
country.
Can
Students get a visa if they have not yet been admitted to a German higher
education institution?
Yes, they can apply for a study
applicant visa which is valid for 3 months and which can be converted into a
full-fledged study visa for academic and research purposes after they have been
admitted to a higher education institution.
Do
Students need a visa if they wish to attend a language course in Germany?
Yes, students would need the
language course visa. However it is only valid for the duration of the language
course and cannot be converted into a visa for study purposes.
Source :
http://www.studentvisaexpert.com/2013/01/study-in-germany-visa-guidance-details/
