If you are looking for study visa in Germany this article will help you. There are lots of possibilities for students who wish to study abroad in Germany. The country has around 400 educational institutions and 19,000 different study programs. There is an informational website where you can find opportunities for you to study in Germany. (https://www.study-in.de)
You need to know about visa requirements for international students.
Be clear about your educational goals before applying for a visa
Before even starting the visa process, know what your goals are. Do you want to take a short course? Do you want to stay longer and get a degree in Germany? This is important because there are different visas depending on your goals.
For People from non-EU Countries
The first thing to do is to find out whether your university entrance qualification is recognised in Germany. The DAAD entrance qualification database can help you with this. Simply enter the country where you attained your secondary school-leaving certificate. You will then learn whether your certificate is
- recognised as qualification for general university admission
- recognised only for subject-restricted university admission (i. e. for study in a limited subject area)
- recognised only in combination with one or two years of successful university study in your home country
- not recognised as university entrance qualification
The DAAD entrance qualification database only provides a general overview. You can obtain more specific data about other countries and certificates at Anabin. This database includes information on how foreign secondary school-leaving certificates are evaluated. On the Anabin website, you can specify your country and certificate when searching the database. It provides all relevant information, e. g. whether your certificate will be recognised and whether you will need to fulfil further requirements. The website, however, is only available in German.
Check the university’s website and uni-assist
The final decision on admission always rests with the higher education institution at which you are applying. For that reason, you should always inform yourself about the requirements for your chosen degree programme on the university’s website. Many German higher education institutions work together with uni-assist, a central point of contact for applicants with international educational certificates, which checks and evaluates foreign certificates. For this purpose, uni-assist issues international applicants with a preliminary review documentation (VPD), an official document that proves which higher education institution certificates were submitted and how the grades are to be classified in the German grading system.
A formal university entrance qualification is sometimes not required from talented candidates applying for admission to artistic subjects. Depending on the university, you may have to submit samples of your work or pass an aptitude test instead.
Aptitude Test
TestAS is a standardized academic aptitude test designed to assess the scholastic abilities of international students aspiring to study in Germany. The TestAS is intended for international students who wish to apply for admission to an undergraduate degree programme at a German university. It measures the applicant’s general and subject-related aptitude necessary for completing such a programme successfully. You don’t require any specific knowledge or expertise about your subject of study when you take the test.
To pass the language component of the TestAS, your language skills should be equivalent to level B1 of the European Framework of Reference for Languages. Please keep in mind, however, that B1 is below the level required if you wish to study in Germany.
Germany Language Skills
The language of instruction in most degree courses at German higher education institutions is German. That is why you have to prove your knowledge of the language to be admitted.
There are exceptions to every rule. If you are enrolled in an international programme or in special postgraduate courses, German is not a prerequisite. And at some universities you do not need a fluency certificate if you only want to study for one or two semesters. However, this rule does not apply everywhere.
Visa Requirement
You will generally need a visa, which you must apply for before coming to Germany. You can apply for the visa at the German diplomatic mission in your home country. There are exceptions for specific countries, depending on the duration and purpose of your stay.
Use the visa-navigator on the website of the German federal foreign office to find out which visa you should apply for.
Proof of Finance
Before you begin your studies, you will have to prove that you have enough money to support yourself. The document you need is called a “Finanzierungsnachweis”, or proof of financial resources. In most cases, applicants have to prove that they have around 11.208 euros at their disposal for one year. This amount of money is called “Regelbedarf”, which means it is the amount of money that is estimated to be needed by a student to live in Germany for one year.
Proof of financing: Various ways
There are a number of ways to show that you can finance your studies. The following forms of proof are possible:
- Your parents can submit documents certifying their income and financial assets.
- Someone with permanent residence in Germany can guarantee the Alien Registration Office to cover your expenses.
- A security payment can be deposited into a blocked account.
- You can present a bank guarantee.
- You can present a scholarship award notification from a recognised scholarship provider.
Health Insurance
If you’d like to study in Germany, you have to have health insurance. You will need to present proof of health insurance when you enrol at university and apply for a residence permit. Make sure to take care of your health insurance status before you come to Germany.