How to get an admission in German university without paying fees to Agent?
First things first, you are planning to go abroad so don’t expect that someone else will do all the things for you! Because no one will! Consultants take benefit of your fear, to get thousands of rupees. Actually, they are not needed to study in Germany. What they do is: they will make you feel that it is difficult to do all this processes (in fact, it is not). And then, they will tell you: “we have these much experience and are doing these for many years. So basically you trust them and give high amount of money.
In the first place, the process is not that difficult at all. Do your work by yourself; this attitude will be required from the day one when you will step in Germany. Why don’t you start doing it from today itself!
1. Choose a university:
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a very useful website to search from
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/studienangebote/studiengang/en/
- Make sure you’ve chosen the right subject
It is fundamental to be 100% sure about your subject. If you have doubts about your choice, read as many things about it as you can. Check your course contents on Google. DAAD website will be also helpful to you in this case.
- University rankings
There are some which give you a general ranking, while others may have separate tables for each subject.
You may also like to consider the latest rankings of the universities while making your decision, or check the latest World University Ranking by Subject to find the top German institutions in your field, by comparing to help you narrow down universities.
- Check the course content
You can check the course content on the university website. If there’s an area within the subject you’re particularly interested in, check whether the university has it “on its menu” or not. Alternatively, you can contact the university directly, and I am sure they will be more than happy to answer any questions you have.
- Check the admission requirements
Before applying, check that your current qualifications are recognized by your chosen university. You’ll also need to check the language requirements in which language your course will be offered.
Universities will usually state the score/s they require on their websites.
2. Applications!
For most subjects, you can apply directly to the international office of the university. Alternatively, you can use the website www.uni-assist.de, a centralized admissions portal for international students, run by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), although not all universities use this. You may wish to apply for numerous courses and universities separately to increase your chances of being admitted.
At many German universities it’s possible to apply for admission twice a year – to commence studies either in the winter or summer semester. Application deadlines vary between institutions, and the same institution may set different deadlines for each program – be sure to carefully check the specific dates for your chosen course.
It’s recommended to submit applications at least six weeks before the deadline, to ensure time for corrections or additions if any information is missing.
The specific documents required and application process will be set by each institution, but you’ll typically be asked to submit:
- A certified copy of your previous degrees, and any other relevant qualifications.
- A translated overview of your course modules and grades (transcript)
- A passport photo
- A copy of your passport (personal information and photo ID page)
- Proof of language proficiency (a test certificate or online equivalent)
You might also need to pay an application fee. (not in all the universities)
Information for Uni-Assist:
https://ww2.uni-assist.de/online/
Step I: Go to uni-assist applicant portal and register yourself. Once you register, you will get your uni-ASSIST applicant number.
Step II: Login to the portal with your username and password.
Step III: Fill in the standard form for your application and save it for later use. Upload all the required documents for university admission (certificates, passport copy, IELTS scorecard etc.)
Step IV: Print your completed application form and Submit it electronically.
Step V: If you are planning to apply for multiple universities, You need to fill in multiple Application forms one for each university.
Step VI: Pay the processing fee. For this, you can do an International bank transfer. Don’t forget about comments in payment description. If you prefer credit/debit card payment, the procedure is a bit strange. You need to fill out this credit card form and send it to uni-assist along with your application documents.
Step VII: Group the documents specific to the respective universities (e.g. SOP, LORs) along with application forms. Group the common documents (e.g. Certificates) separately.
Step VIII: Label the groups accordingly, include your email address and post them to uni-assist.
Step VIIII: Once your documents reach uni-assist, you will receive a confirmation mail. If your application is complete and meets all requirements, uni-assist will inform you and forward your applications to the chosen universities. After few weeks you will receive the result of your application by e-mail and/or by the post.
Essential documents for the admission in German University
If one wants to get admission in University of Germany (running English course), the following documents are needed:
- Certified copy of your Bachelor Degree
- Certified copy of Grade Transcript
- SOP (State of Purpose)
- Original copy of LOR from HOD of your college/University
- Original copy of LOR from Professor of college
- IELTS certificate
- Basic German level A1 (Goethe Institute is standardized)
Same procedure for getting an admission in German course,
- Certified copy of your Bachelor Degree
- Certified copy of your Grade Transcript
- SOP (State of Purpose)
- Original copy of LOR from HOD of your college/University
- Original copy of LOR from Professor of college
- DSH certificate or Test DAF (German language test like IELTS)
- about DSH exam:
DSH means Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang. After having a B2 level of German course certificate, one is eligible for DSH exam. This exam can be given after coming here in Germany. Most of the German Universities conduct DSH exam by taking exam fee varies from 50 – 200 euros depending on University.
Score Level of DSH exam as followed,
- DSH-1 below 66%, you might get conditional admission in some University
- DSH-2 between 67% and 79%, essential for getting confirm admission
- DSH-3 is more than 80 %, essential for getting confirm admission
- about Test DAF exam:
There are four parts in it- Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking. You have to get through all these levels and score equally. The exam pattern is almost similar as IELTS. The benefit of this exam is, it is recognized internationally and can be given anywhere in all over the world. Even in India, there are several Test DAF exam center like Pune, Bangalore, New Delhi etc.
Score level of Test DAF exam,
- Test DAF-3 is almost similar as German B2 level
- Test DAF-4 valid for 80% to 90% of universities
- Test DAF-5, one will get definitely admission in German course
(NOTE: If you are good at grammer, go for DSH and if you good at German verbs then go for Test DAF)
For more Information about the criteria of German universities please visit the follow link which is really helpful for the admission process:
3. Finances:
A blocked account is a (savings) bank account created in the name of the aspirant, to which a certain minimum balance needs to be transferred. Currently, this minimum balance is set to be €8,640(there will be some changes in the amount from year 2020.) euros for the duration of one year By the German Embassy/Consulate. Once the amount is been transferred into block account it will remain blocked until the student reaches Germany and activates his account. . After you come here in Germany, you have to do first your city registration within 2 or 3 weeks in city registration office by taking your passport, house contract and matriculation letter.
A blocked account is one of the ways by which you can prove to the German embassy that you have sufficient means to support yourself during your stay in Germany. Thus, in general, blocked account confirmation is an important document which you need to secure before going for the Visa Interview. Collect the information to compare different options ( e.g. fintiba, Deutsch Bank, Coracle, etc). Coracle was my choice to have Block Account.
The amount to be transferred to the blocked account doesn’t include the college tuition fee. It is only for the living expenses in Germany.
4. Take out health insurance:
Before you leave your home country you should ensure you’ve purchased health insurance to cover you during your stay in Germany. This is required both before you enroll and before you get a student visa and/or residence permit. One of the options to get insurance is TK or AOK. The price for both is similar and both are well known in Germany. You should check the website of TK or AOK and other who provide the same kind of service for getting further details to compare.
5. Get a German student visa:
Visa application is really easy and straight forward.
Appointment:
Send a mail to them for the appointment with the Questionnaire Form as they mentioned on the website or you can call as well, for getting the information. But the best option is:
Go to the official site VFS GLOBAL where you can login and start your booking for appointment.
Then download and fill up the ‘German Visa Application Form’. Simply by Google search, you can easily find information regarding this form if you have some queries.You can get more info for student visa on this link :- https://www.gujaratisamaj.de/german-student-visa/
6. Information about student accommodation:
Once you get the admission in your chosen field and university. Most probably, you will get the mail from the university about what to do next. Information about accommodation might be included in the mail. If not, you can always ask for guidance via mail. According to my personal experience, they are more than happy to help you.
Here are 25 websites to find accommodation in Germany. It might help you initially.
- Studenten-wohnung.de
- Mitwohnzentralen
- Wohnung jetzt
- Wohnpool
- Zimmersucher
- Wg-gesucht(Most-used)
- wg-welt
- studenten-wg
- Easy roommate
- Boardinghaus
- Wochenspiegel
- Studenten wohnungsmarkt
- Immowelt
- Wohngemeinschaft
- Univillage
- Homecompany
- Immobilienscout24
- Immopool
- Wohnungsmarkt24
- Immonet
- Wohnungsbörse
- Immobilo
- Immobilienkatalog
- Immo-suche
- Das schwarze brett
NOTE: If you get any email from private person regarding money transfer as room/house rent, please do not transfer rent. In some cases there are frauds. Normally their email pattern is almost same such as – ‘I am out of Germany. I am working in Scotland or England or Ireland since 2 years. I can’t travel to Germany because of my busy work schedule. Please transfer such amount 2000 euros deposit and 800 euros rent.’ Usually they ask for the transaction of high amount of money by giving their bank details with IBAN BIC number in Email. They also inform that once they receive money, the keys will be sent by post.
NOONE in Germany will send keys by post without meeting you in person. Even the house owner will prefer you to come personally and collect keys of house/apartment. So please ignore these emails and ask several persons who are already in Germany before doing any kind of money transaction from India.
7. Student part time job:
Money is highly needed for the monthly expenses and also to fulfill your hobbies. There are student jobs available in Germany which can be started with min. wage of 9 euros per hour or more. Here are some websites to find student job in your particular area or city-
Please kindly register there and follow given instructions. Apart of this, there are some part time jobs in universities also it’s called as working student or in German Werkstudent. During vacations you can apply for jobs in amazon or in automotive companies like Daimler, VW and ZF etc. Just go on career section and search for Ferienjob and apply simply.
In addition to that, be prepared: you may have to learn how to cook, how to use the washing machine, how to communicate with new people, etc. But it will be fun. And don’t worry about the room-mates, flat-mates or floor-mates. As per the students experience, it takes approximately 2-3 days to be friends with everyone in the shared kitchen. Most of them are very friendly and you will get to learn many new things. Just simply follow the rules of student hostel and schedule.
We Wish you All the Best and you’re very welcome! We are happy to help you !!
