DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst

German Academic Exchange Service

Regional Office South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal & Sri Lanka

Master Studies in Germany

Dear Aspirant,

Welcome to the DAAD! We are happy to know that you are considering Germany as a destination
for your higher education. With over 350 universities offering a wide variety of courses in various
disciplines to over 240,000 international students among others, Germany is all set to add that
extra element to your professional life. We hope that the information we provide you here helps
you in making a decision that will lay a solid foundation for your career. Happy reading!

What is the German university system like?

There are mainly two types of institutions of higher education in Germany:
Universities (including Universities of Technology, abbr. TU) are research-oriented and offer a
wide variety of subjects. These can award doctorate degrees.
Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen, abbr. FH), on the other hand, are
practice-oriented and offer courses mainly in engineering, business administration, social
sciences and design. These have strong links to the industry and offer possibilities like joint
supervision of the professor and a company for a master thesis.
Fachhochschulen do not award doctorate degrees, however as a master degree holder from a
Fachhochschule, one is in principle eligible to apply for a doctoral position at a University.
Your interest and inclination should define which of the two kinds of institutions you choose!

Which is the best university in Germany?

The German answer to this question is: There is no "best university", neither in one subject and
certainly not across all subjects. What Germany offers instead is a multidimensional ranking,
considering various criteria like student and staff judgments on quality of teaching, atmosphere
at the university, library and other equipment, student numbers, average study duration, number
of graduations, third party funding etc. Several tables based on these considerations give you a
detailed picture of the strengths and weaknesses of each university on www.university-ranking.de
Here you can find your programme by selecting a subject, a university or even a city in Germany!

What kind of master programmes does Germany offer?

There is wide range of study programmes with
i. German as medium of instruction
ii. English as the sole or primary medium of instruction, called International Degree
Programmes (IDPs). A database of such programmes is available at
http://www.daad.de/international-programmes

Am I eligible to apply for a masters degree course?

In Germany, every university is autonomous. This means that every university / study programme
has its own set of criteria for admitting students. So please check the university website, and
specifically the programe you are interested in to find out the exact admission requirements.
Some generalisation is, however, possible and one can say that as a bachelor degree holder
from India, your degree is treated at par with a German bachelor degree and most universities
will consider you eligible for masters provided you fulfill other criteria.
Some universities may ask for your TOEFL/IELTS/GRE/GMAT scores, depending upon the
subject you choose to study. For example, GMAT may be asked for if you want to study
economics or law.
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DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst
German Academic Exchange Service
Regional Office South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal & Sri Lanka

Universities will ask for very good German language skills in case you want to take up a
programme in German medium. In such case, your knowledge of German needs to be certified
through examinations like the TestDaF (http://www.testdaf.de ) or DSH.

How do I go about applying?

October – Collect general information from the DAAD, internet and brochures.
November: Attend counseling sessions at the DAAD closer to you! We have our
offices in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and
Pune. For our addresses, please visit www.daaddelhi.org

January – March: Contact the selected university. This will be your most important source
of information as far as exact details about eligibility, course duration, fee,
application procedure etc. are concerned.
Check the application deadline for courses chosen!

March – June: Send the application packet.

The website of the course / university you have chosen will carry details
about application procedure to be followed. Accordingly, send your
application either to the university or to UNI-ASSIST.

UNI-ASSIST is a body that accepts your application, screens it and

forwards it to its member universities of your choice against payment. The
fee for applying to one university through UNI-ASSIST is 55 Euro and then
15 Euro for every additional university. Member universities of UNI-ASSIST
often do not entertain direct applications. So please check well before you
send in your papers. For detailed information and list of member
universities, visit http://www.uni-assist.de

If you have chosen a university that is not a member of UNI-ASSIST, send

your application directly.

Application forms and other relevant material can be downloaded from the
internet.

Make sure you have a valid passport!

July: Apply for a student visa as soon as you have the admission letter, as the
procedure can take around two months. The German Embassy and the
Consulates require proof of funding for the first year of studies (approx.
INR 4-5 lakh).
To find out where you should apply for a visa, visit:
http://www.new-delhi.diplo.de/Vertretung/newdelhi/en/02/Embassy.html

Apply for a place in a hostel. In some cases the International Office

(Akademisches Auslandsamt) of the university will help you.

September – Arrive in Germany at least a week before your course begins.

October: Contact the International Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt) of your
university for guidance.

Master in Germany Page 2 of 4

DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst
German Academic Exchange Service
Regional Office South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal & Sri Lanka

October – Get your residence permit within the first three months of your stay in
December: Germany from the Foreigners’ Registration Office (Auslaenderamt).

As you can make out, this timeline refers to courses beginning with the winter semester (October
– March). In case you find a course that begins with the summer semester (April – September),
just calculate the months accordingly and proceed!

Here we would like to reiterate that you should necessarily check the website of / contact the
chosen university for exact course details.

Do I need to know German?

As you have already read, Germany offers numerous International Degree Programmes (IDPs)
with English as the sole or primary medium of instruction.

But as a student in Germany, your life will not be limited to the university campus. You will surely
want to interact with people, travel through the country-side and make the best of your time there.
This is where knowledge of German will present a great advantage!
Universities offer beginner and well as advanced level courses where you can learn German. But
you can start learning the language while you are still in India at one of the Goethe-Instituts (Max
Mueller Bhavans) /Goethe-Zentrums http://www.goethe.de/ins/in/lp/enindex.htm

What kind of budget should I have in my mind?

In Germany, education is subsidized by the state and therefore most of the institutions of higher
education charge no or very little tuition fee – to the tune of 500 Euro per semester. Thus, in
Germany virtually every student gets a scholarship! However, you will need to pay semester
contribution ranging from Euro 50 to 250, depending upon the university and the services or
benefits provided.

For certain special courses you may need to pay higher fees.

Apart from the tuition fees, if any, you will require about Euro 740 (approx. INR 45,000) per
month for subsistence i.e. housing, food, clothing, study material and other expenses such as
health insurance and leisure activities. This amount can vary from city to city, and of course from
lifestyle to lifestyle!

Are there any scholarships available?

Two scholarship programmes that the DAAD offers for master level education are:
1. Master’s Scholarship for Public Policy and Good Governance –PPGG
(http://newdelhi.daad.de/mainFrame/home/PPGG.pdf )
2. Postgraduate Courses with Relevance to Developing Countries
(http://newdelhi.daad.de/mainFrame/home/Aufbau.pdf )

A complete list of scholarship programmes for Indian candidates can be viewed at

www.daaddelhi.org

A database of scholarships offered by various German organizations can be found at

www.funding-guide.de

Master in Germany Page 3 of 4

DAAD Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst
German Academic Exchange Service
Regional Office South Asia
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal & Sri Lanka

Can I work in Germany – as a student and later as a professional?

As an international student, you are permitted to work for upto 90 full days or 180 half-days in a
year. This will help you in getting a bit of extra pocket-money!

After completing your degree in Germany, you can stay on in the country for upto one year to
look for a job that is in keeping with your education. Once you find a job, the residence permit
issued to you for the purpose of studying, can be converted into a residence permit for taking
gainful employment. This new permit may be issued for upto 5 years.

Germany has always had a very strong industry-academia linkage. A lot of scientific research
is funded by the industry as well. During your studies you can get the opportunity to do
internships with German companies, which can open new vistas for your professional career.

We hope that with this information you have a fair overview of higher education in Germany and
what you have to do to get there. If you want to know more about universities and student life or
read what other international students have to say about Germany, surf on www.study-in.de

Wishing you all the very best for your future,

DAAD New Delhi

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