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Further education

Admission requirements for university studies

(source: DAAD: Studium in Deutschland, Informationen für Ausländer über das Studium an deutschen Universitäten, 5. Auflage 1997)

Admission requirements for university studies

The language of instruction at German universities is German, with very few exceptions. It is recommended to attain a good working knowledge of the language before arrival. Before beginning studies the 'foreign students German language test for entry into further education' (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber - DSH) must be completed. The examination may be retaken twice.

If the prospective student's school matriculation is deemed not to be up to the standard of the German 'Abitur' or is not recognised at all, then a 'Feststellungsprüfung' (assessment test) is required. Those who have successfully completed two semesters of studies in the country of origin may be directly accepted for studies in Germany.

Prospective students by whom it is deemed necessary to sit the Feststellungsprüfung, are strongly advised to attend the preparatory studies' school (vorbereitende Studienkolleg) for one year. These schools prepare students for studies in specified subjects and in a school manner: The T-course may be attended in preparation for university studies in technical and mathematical natural sciences, the M-course for medicine, pharmacology, and applied subjects, the W-course for economics and social sciences, and the G- course for Germanic studies, history and philosophic studies.

Entry and residence provisions

Students from EU states or from states with which the FRG has made exceptional regulations (Honduras, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland and the USA), do not require a visa for study purposes. Students from all other states must obtain a student visa issued by the Germany embassy or consulate.

A tourist visa cannot later be exchanged for a study visa. It is therefore recommended that a study visa be applied for in the first place, in order to avoid an unnecessary trip home. In order to save time, one should get informed as soon as possible by German representative agencies abroad. Preparation of the necessary papers takes time, perhaps as much as one year. The following papers are required for a visa application of this type:

A valid passport, a number of passport photographs
Certification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung), recognised in Germany, for entry to further education (matriculation papers or equivalent)
Certification of hitherto academic achievements
Certification of financing
Notification of provisional acceptance from the desired college, or statement of an application received. This should state that all papers required for an application have been received
Where necessary; medical examination papers

If the student was unable to make contact with German universities from the country of origin, it is possible to apply for another type of visa for study purposes, similar to the study visa, with which one can enter Germany without having submitted a formal academic application and without the usual induction papers of an academic institution or prep college. This so called 'Studienbewerber-Sichtvermerk', which means more or less an endorsement in the passport of an aspirant-student allowing him/her to enter Germany for up to three months to inform him/herself about study opportunities, acquire those papers still lacking for applications or induction to a particular faculty and then to apply for an extension to the residence permit without having to leave Germany once again. The necessary papers are the same as those described above with the exception of the Notification of provisional acceptance from the desired college (Zulassungsbescheid)

Financial preconditions

German representative agencies abroad must be convinced that the prospective student has access to sufficient means of covering all living costs for the full length of the stay in Germany. At present, this must be a minimum of 1,300 German Marks per month.
Scholarship holders and non EU foreign students may only earn a kind of pocket money in addition to their grants and are strictly controlled in this matter. A violation of the labour laws and regulations may well lead to deportation.
A social services fee is charged by the students' social welfare organisation for each semester, which, depending on the institution varies between 35 and 90 German Marks. The federal states of Berlin and Baden-Wurttemberg charge in addition a subscription fee and/or a correspondence fee of 100 German Marks.
All students are required to pay health insurance up to and including the fourteenth semester and up to their thirtieth year of age. The medical insurance organisation bears all hospital and practitioners' costs as well as medicines, with the exception of minimal initial contributions. Fees for the compulsory health insurance organisation (gesetzliche Krankenkasse) are presently in the region of 550 German Marks per semester (six months) for students. If you are above thirty when entering Germany it is advisable instead to get insurance cover from a private health insurance company. All hospital and general practitioners' fees are very high in Germany. The most favourable terms are available through the agreement between the deutsche Studentenwerk and the Union Versicherungsdienst (Victoria Krankenversicherung AG, Abt. KV 51, Postfach, Hans-Böckler-Str. 36, 40198 Düsseldorf). Fees are presently between 94 and 169 German Marks Further information is available from the Akademisches Auslandsamt and from health insurance organisations (Krankenkassen) themselves.
A medical examination by a German doctor is not an obligation under the Aliens Act. If you wish to prolong your residence permit however, the various federal states differ to some extent on this point.
Students receive compulsory accident insurance cover within the grounds of the academic institution and whilst commuting between their place of residence and the institution.
Expenses arise through the purchase of books and work materials which can easily amount to around 600 German Marks per semester. The utilisation of personal computers is absolutely essential. Computer pools are available in most universities, for those students who do not have one of their own.

Assistance

The 'academic foreign-office' (Akademische Auslandsamt) of each university offer advice and consultation.

Further education establishments do not themselves offer scholarships. An application for such, is to no avail. There are however other institutions which offer scholarships. The most extensive German scholarship programme is that of the DAAD. However, only advanced students or, (depending on the country of origin and the academic subject), graduates, need apply for a DAAD scholarship. By other scholarship schemes, various other conditions are applicable. An application for a full study grant from the first to the last semester, is by DAAD and by the majority of the other institutions, out of the question.