All You Need to Know About Studying in Germany 2

9. Are there deadlines for direct enrollment?

The entrance application must be submitted by January 15 each year for the summer semester (beginning on April 1) and by July 15 for the winter semester (beginning on October 1). Students from outside Germany now have the opportunity to apply to several universities with only one set of documents through the Application Services for International Students (assist). assist will check that all necessary documents have been included and that they meet the necessary formal requirements, and will then forward them on to the respective universities.

10. Who does the assessment and recognition of foreign earned degrees in Germany?

As a general rule, the assessment of degrees and academic credits for admission purposes is the responsibility of universities. In assessing foreign higher education qualifications and degrees, the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) of the Conference of German Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) assists with provision of recommendations that are country-specific.
Pursuant to ‘The Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications Act of 2012,’ the certification authorities of the federal state of residence (or the state in which he/she intends to reside) of the applicant are responsible for the recognition of foreign higher education and degrees earned for the purpose of enrolling on an advanced study program.

11. What tuition fees do higher education institutions charge in Germany?

Even in the last few years tuition fees were pretty much a non-issue in German higher education since they were ridiculously low compared to other developed countries. Also only two out of the 16 federal states (Bavaria and Lower Saxony) used to allow their higher education institutions to charge tuition fees – and when they did, they charged up to €500 per semester. As of October 2014, Germany decided to waive tuition fees in all of the provinces making higher education literally free of charge.

Postgraduate courses (Master’s and Ph.D.) however, are liable for some extra costs, varying between €650 and a few thousand Euros per semester; it is advised that prospective foreign postgraduate students do their due diligence.

12. Do I need a lot of money to finance my stay in Germany?

The fact that there are no tuition fees mustn’t lead you jump to the conclusion that studying in Germany will be cheap. Yes, there are creative and commonsensical ways to significantly reduce your overall cost of life there, but first and foremost you need to realistically assess the resources at your disposal – take good stock of yourself financially. Don’t delude yourself thinking that working part time while studying in Germany, will take care of all your financial worries, as that’s highly unlikely to be the case – your student visa and residence permit entitle you to 120 full (or 240 half) days of work only. A scholarship and/or support by a sponsor (parent, relative, etc) may be necessary, in which case the sponsor has to explicitly state their intention of supporting you.

For more information please read: The Cost of Living as an International Student in Germany!

13. What are good places, other than universities, to apply for a scholarship if I want to study in Germany?

• A good place to start out is the German Research Foundation http://www.dfg.de/en/index.html
• Also, German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)https://www.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/12359-finding-scholarships/

Apart from offering scholarship programs they also give advice on almost everything related to studying in Germany.

You can find more information here!

14. Will I be allowed to work while studying in Germany?

A foreign (not a citizen of an EU or EEA member country – with the exception of Bulgaria and Romania which face restrictions until 2014) student studying full-time in Germany is legally allowed to work a maximum of 120 full (or 240 half) days within a year, without having to obtain a permission from German employment authorities.

The legally allowed number of working days (half days) for foreign students also includes voluntary work placements, regardless of whether the placement is paid or unpaid. Also, foreign students face an additional restriction: while working the legally allowed number of days (or half days), they cannot be self-employed or work on a freelance basis. You can find more information here!