Just wrote this blog based on my experience and how I applied for Masters in Germany and got an admit

without taking help from any of the Consultancy.

Why Germany for Masters?

No tuition fees or very less tuition fees. If no tuition fees then you can complete your Master's in 10–16
Lakhs (for 2 years) depending on the city you are staying without any part-time jobs. For 2nd year, you
can manage your expenses by working part-time in Amazon, cleaning jobs, delivery jobs, etc. So its mainly
you have to manage your expenses for first-year which will around 8–10 Lakhs.

How to go about Master's in Germany??

a) First, there are a few important things that you should do

 Apply for Passport

 Take IELTS/TOFEL and/or GRE
 Apply for Transcripts at your University.
 Collect LORs from Professors/Company
 Make your CV & SOP.
 German Language Certificates
These things you should do first and get your these documents ready as soon as Possible

b) Then to get the Course Details and University details for a particular course, visit the link given below
of Daad Website.

Select appropriate Keywords and tick the boxes of your interest. It will give you a list of Universities.

Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst

Make a list of Universities for your choice of Course and write down the Deadlines of universities
which are available on the above link itself or sometimes you will have to visit a particular university
website and do it individually.

Some list of University you can find in the drive link given below:-

University List - Google Drive

If you want to even make this process simpler, the link which is given below gives you a list
of Universities with deadlines on their portal. But this is a paid service and available only to Scholar
Members. Check the link given below to know more about it.

MS in Germany™

It gives the list of Courses for a particular field and deadlines for Application and can save a lot of your
time.

c.1) For IELTS, Check this course:-

IELTS Academic Test Preparation

This is a free course from EDX which gives an idea of how is the pattern, how you should answer the
questions etc.

Also, there is a PDF on “how to get 7 Band in IELTS”. The link is given below:-

IELTS - Google Drive

Note:- You can give your IELTS Exam through the British Council or IDP.

Getting earlier dates for Exam from IDP is easier than the British Council.

There is no difference in the exam pattern and exam question paper. Both have same questions only thing
is 2 Different companies are doing it. Links for Both websites are given below.

IELTS | British Council

IELTS Exam Registration, Test Dates & Locations-IDP IELTS India

c.2) For TOFEL, Check this course

Edx TOFEL Test Preparation Course

This is a free course from EDX which gives an idea of how is the pattern, how you should answer the
questions etc.

But if you are planning for Germany, I would recommend you to give IELTS as its bit easy to score in IELTS
than TOFEL and also IELTS is a paper-based exam, unlike TOFEL which is a computer-based exam.

d) Many students face problems in writing SOP & LOR. So in the link given below, I have attached lots
of SOP & LOR Sample.

SOP and LOR Samples

Note:- If you are still facing a problem of how to write SOP & LOR, and want it to be written then put
us an email @ thinkmile@gmail.com or visit Think Mile - Think Mile Learning Solutions . At INR 2000, we
can write complete SOP for you.

e) Normally for Germany, they expect your Resume/CV in European Format. You can make your resume
in European Format by clicking on the link given below.

Curriculum Vitae

Note:- Here pls remove the company name after you make your resume.

f) Start learning the German language. Not all Universities require German Language Certificates but
there are few Universities who ask for A1/A2 Certificates. For Automobile Courses, they even ask B1
German Language Certificate. But at least knowing basics of German till A2 level is recommended as once
you land in Germany, local crowd speak only German language in most part of Germany.

You can learn German from

 1. Goethe Institute Classroom Teaching. Link:- Goethe-Institut Indien
2. Smarter German:- Smarter German Courses
3. German course by Ania:- GERMAN FOR BEGINNERS A1 - FREE COURSE - LESSONS 1-50
: GERMAN FOR BEGINNERS A1 - FREE COURSE - LESSONS 1-50 - YouTube
4. German with Jenny:- German A1 (1-56): German A1 (1-56) - YouTube
5. You also check this Video by Bharat where he tells you from where all you can study
German. Link:-
Your COMPLETE GUIDE to START learning German ON YOUR OWN .

Also, check his other videos to get more information about Masters in Germany.

g) Summary of Documents that you will require for Application Process (10 sets at least) are as
follows:-

1. Passport
2. IELTS Score
3. GRE Score ( Not Mandatory but Recommended. Depends on Course. Having it is
always an added advantage)
4. Resume
5. Statement of Purpose (SOP)
6. Letter of Recommendation ( Preferably 3 LORs. One from Company if you are working
else with College Professors, HOD, Project Guide etc)
7. Work Experience Letter
8. Internship Letter
9. Transcripts (Number of Transcripts will depend on the number of Universities you are
applying. Uni-assist will require only One Copy of Transcript. Try to get 10 copies of
Transcripts from College. If you are from the Diploma, you will need a Transcript of both
Diploma and Degree. Transcript is a document which you get from your
College/University which consists of marks of all subjects together of
Bachelor's/Diploma.)
10. German Language Certificates
11. All Your Marksheets from 10th STD to Graduation
12. Degree Certificate
13. Passport Size photo. For Biometric Photo Requirements for Germany check
this, Biometric Photo Requirements
Note:- All the above documents are to be Notarized & it's Compulsory. You can get your documents
Notarized at near Courts or Notary offices. Charges vary from INR 5–50. Go for Blue Stamp
Notary as it's cheap. Don't go for Red ones. Average Notary cost is INR 5-10. I will suggest you
search for those who give it at that rate as you will have to Notarize many Documents.

h) Try to keep these documents ready as soon as possible and then apply to Universities as soon as
possible. Sometimes if you satisfy the criteria, then you have chances of getting an admit first too so.

How is Application form accepted in Germany?

1. Through the University website. You will have to visit the University Portal and just follow
the steps for application through their own portal.( Many universities don't charge you
application fees but few do charge about 50–75 Euros.)
2. Uni-assist Portal uni-assist e.V.
Note:-Uni assist charges 75 Euros for the first application form and from the 2nd application form, it's 30
Euros (Updated).

Lots of students have problems in filling Uni-assist Application form.

Here I have attached my Uni-assist application form as a sample. You can fill it according to that.

Uni-assist Application Sample - Google Drive

Also, you can check my Video with Bharat for the same.

i) Once you have filled the application form, you will have to courier your Documents either to Uni
assist or to your University based on where the application form was filled.

For Uni assist, you have to send your main documents (Like LOR, Resume etc) only once even if you fill
10 University Application form but you will have to send Application form that you fill for each university.
In short, once you send your first application form with all your documents, next time you only have to
send the Application form. If your SOP is different for different universities then you have to send that
document too with your application form.

To send your Documents, you can use the DHL Courier Service for Students. The link is given below.

Edulix DHL Express

They charge you about INR 900 to courier your Documents. The documents reach in 3–4 working days.
Also, they come to your home address and pick up your parcel too.

Once this is done, the first part of the process is done and now wait for Universities to send results.

j) Once you get an admit from any of the Universities then you will have to start preparing for Visa and
start to make a set of All required documents.

Documents that are required for Visa Process are as follows (Make 2 Sets of each Document in
following order. Samples of docs given at the end):-

1. VISA Application form

2. Declaration form
3. Additional contact and legal representative information
4. Cover Letter / Motivation Letter
5. University Admit letter
6. Proof of having met all requirements of the German University
7. Degree certificate / Diploma Certificate and all mark sheet from 10th STD to
Graduation in descending order ( First SEM 8 Marksheet and last your 10th Marksheet).
8. Blocked Account Statement
9. Sponsorship Letter/Loan Agreement
10. Passport size photo (Minimum 3)
11. Application fees Cash or DD
12. IELTS Score Card, GRE Score Card
13. German Language Certificate
 14. Student Questionnaire
15. Experience Letter
16. Passport
17. Health & Travel Insurance
Now how to go about all those documents?

 Book a Visa slot according to how many days you will require arranging the following
documents. If not going for Loan, then you can try to get a Visa Date of after 20 days. Getting
Visa Dates for Mumbai is a very big problem so try to apply or take a Visa date in advance too
if you know when your Universities results might come.
For Mumbai, you have to send them an Email to get Visa Appointment Date. Contents to be mentioned in
Email is available in this link here. Email Contents for VFS Mumbai . Now it is possible to book an
appointment via call too. The contact number of VFS +91 22 67866013

 If you are planning to take Loan then start your process of the loan first. You can take a
loan from any Nationalized Bank but the process takes 1–2 months. To get your loan early, you
can go with HDFC Credila or Avance. But the interest rates here are a bit high.
Blocked Account

Make the Blocked Account with around 10236 Euros (Updated) with Expatrio or Coracle or either

Deutsche Bank (DB). You can get your blocked Account ready from Expatrio or Coracle very early
(Normally in 2–3 days). DB can take up to 1 month.

My Personal suggestion will be to go with “Expatrio”. Reason for the same is their value pack gives
you a lot of free useful things with blocked account for NO EXTRA COST. The process is also very simple.
I have personally applied for the blocked account for few of my friends with Expatrio and service was fast
and easy.

Free things include Current Account, Incoming health insurance, ISIC Card, DeGis Membership, stay
safe insurance.

Link:- Expatrio | expatrio.com

If you want to go with Coracle then you can get more details in the following link.

Coracle -

Deutsche Bank

The process of opening a DB account is as follows:-

Step 1:- Go to the given link below & select the form for " Opening a bank account/blocked account
for Foreign Students=18 years"

Deutsche Blocked Account

Step 2:- Download the form, read the checklist on the front page. They have given a detailed
explanation on how to fill the form. Fill the form properly directly using Adobe as you can edit that
PDF. Sign on the given box marked with a cross. And Courier the form with all the documents to the
Mentioned Address.

If you are opening the blocked account from India, you will have to provide them with your Indian Home
address and once you reach in Germany, you just have to fill an Activation form(& give your German
address) & you will get your DB Card within 10 Working Days.

Deutsche Blocked Account Sample Form

For a sample, I have attached by DB Account form and how I filled it. Note that I have opened DB Account
after coming to Germany, so I have given the German address.

Health Insurance. Normally you have to apply for two health & travel insurance, one for traveling from
India to Germany and other once you reach Germany, you have to apply for German Health insurance. For
this, I will suggest you visit either Expatrio or Coracle Website(link below) and apply from their website.
The important point, both are giving you a free Travel Insurance (Generally it costs 25 Euros) which is
required for Visa when you are traveling from India to Germany. So in short, you get both types of
Health Insurance required from them in just a few clicks.

Link:- Expatrio | expatrio.com

Coracle Health Insurance Services

 Prepare your cover letter(Samples given below) and fill out the Visa Application form.
 Start preparing for the Visa Interview Question. (Sample question and answers available
below)
Samples of Documents, Visa Application form, DD form, Cover letter, Visa Interview Questions,
Visa Experience

German Visa - Google Drive

Once done with the Visa, wait for Visa results to come. It takes around 20–25 days to get Visa. And 2–3
days for Stamping.

k) Once done with Visa, Start looking for Accommodation in the nearby areas of Universities. To know
more about how to get accommodation in Germany and to know about hostels in Germany visit the link
given below.

LIFE IN GERMANY: FINDING ACCOMODATION :- This gives information about how to find
Accommodation

l) Now book flight tickets for your City. See it to it that you get students concession. Few airlines will
directly you give student concession (Carry Extra Luggage) by seeing your student visa (Eg:- Air India
around 76Kgs) but for few Airlines, you will have to book tickets through their Sales office to get benefits
of Extra Luggage (Eg:- Turkish airlines around 52 Kgs)

m) Also, apply for German health insurance while you are in your home country. Go through Coracle.

Coracle Health Insurance Services

They are doing a fantastic job by doing all the process for you. You just have to fill the form and upload
necessary documents and rest they will do for you.

n) For Foreign Currency or transfer, do it from bookmyforex. They give the best rates. The website link is
given below

Online Foreign Money Exchange, Money Transfer From India

Do it from them and don't plan to do it at the Airport. You will pay very high exchange rates at Airport.
Try to carry around 500 Euros as you will require it till you get your DB Debit card.

o) Do shopping for Germany.

Here is my another article on the Items that students should carry from

India to Germany!!!

Ankit Jaiswal's post in Ankit Jaiswal

Important Note:-

You can access all the files/Documents required for MS in Germany like SOP/LOR, IELTS, German
Visa Documents together in the like given below.

Masters in Germany - Google Drive

Note:- If you are looking for a list of Universities for Embedded Systems then you can visit the link
given below:-

Ankit Jaiswal's answer to List of universities for Embedded Systems in Germany?

If I found any more information or remember any more things that have to be mentioned, I will update it.

Edit 1:- Students have been asking me for the List of Universities for a particular sector. See I have
done research only for Embedded System Course and I have given a link to a list of Universities for
that course above. You can find your list of Universities either through Daad Website as mentioned
in Point number b or you can click on the link given below which gives you the list of Universities for a
particular section with deadlines.

MS in Germany™
Pre-requisite knowledge: Education is free in Germany. No tution fee except for a small semester fee
which is around 110 Euros per semester usually. You've to only spend on living expenses which range
from 600-800 Euros per month depending upon your living style. To ensure that a student has sufficient
funds while his studies such an amount enough for one year is to be blocked in a bank account in
Germany. Computer science is called Informatik or Informatics here in Germany. International programs
do not ask for you to know German language so you can study the entire program in English. Details you
asked for:

1. First of all you make sure that you have your Passport (valid up to 3 years).

2. Start preparation for IELTS. It takes around a month if you are preparing either yourself or from any
institute. 6.0 (overall) is minimum score. But it’s good if u score 6.5 or 6.5+ (overall).

3. Start searching your desired field from website www.daad.de select English as language at top and
goto Information for Foreigners and Study Programmes and International Programmes.

The universities I know of, for Computer Science here in Germany are:

University of Saarland MSc in Computer Science

TUM (Technical University of Munich) MSc in Computer Science

RWTH Aachen (Media Informatics program as well as SE)

University Of Stuttgart MSc in Computer Science

TU Kaiserslautern

University of Bon

University of Freiburg MSc in Computer Science

University of Paderborn

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich MSC in Software Engineering

Heidelberg University MSc in Scientific Computing

among others..

4. Keep these things in your mind while searching your course.

4.1 IELTS and GPA requirement.

4.2 Fees of your course (mostly universities are free).

4.3 Beginning (summer or winter).

4.4 Duration (generally 2 years).

4.5 DEADLINE (mostly: 15 jan for summer and 15 july for winter).

4.6 Language of instruction (mostly are in English)

5. Get all your documents notarized (photocopy only) from your city's notary republic office at least 5-7
sets. It depends on number of universities you apply. Documents include:

5.1 Matric/Olevels mark sheet and certificate

5.2 Intermediate mark sheet and certificate

5.3 Graduation transcript, Certificate, Degree and English language certificate (if available).

5.4 IELTS/TOFEL result.

6. Get attested your originals (i.e. your degree and bachelors transcript) from your country's degree
attestation authority. If this is a requirement of the university you're applying to.

7. Now you can start applying for admission. Most of universities have their online portals and they all are
very easy. If you feel any difficulty in any step you may ask me. LinkedIn is the best way to contact people
who've already studied in the university you're interested in. I’m sure seniors will definitely guide you.

8. Once you applied in universities you have around 2-4 months to get their response. It depends on your
case and time.

9. Download Deutsch Bank (DB) form from their website to apply for a student account in Germany. You
can apply from your own country remotely.

10. Around 4-8 working days you will get an email from DB that your account has been opened.

11. Deposit an amount of around 8040 Euros to your bank account by using the given IBAN and title for
your account in the email sent to you by Deutsche bank. This amount is one years expense for your
studies. They block this amount and only let you use (total amount/12) per month.

12. Transfer takes 24-48 hours. Again it depends on your bank. If you transfer your amount through
money gram or western union then they transfer within 24 hours but they are expensive.

13. Go for Polio vaccination with your original Passport from any Govt. Hospital. If polio vaccination is
needed in your country. I applied from Dubai and it didn't apply to me. To some Pakistani's it applies as a
requirement to travel.

14. Next step is to apply for visa. The visa people usually require a letter of motivation, Visa form (filled),
Passport, ID Card, all degrees, transcripts, Motivation Letter, Updated CV, Admission Letter, DB bank letter
(etc) and 2 sets of photocopy of your ALL documents.

15. Usually you've to take appointment for your visa interview and you should schedule this once you've
received the admission letter.
16. Visa interview starts from 8am. Questions are very simple and easy. Don’t get confused. They

ask :

16.1 Introduction about you and your education?

16.2 Why you selected (name of field)?

16.3 Why you selected only Germany?

16.4 What will you do after Masters?

16.5 Any relative in Germany or Europe?

16.6 Who sponsors you?

16.7 Your siblings?

16.8 Why you don’t you do this course in Pakistan?

17. Now you go for travel insurance starting from the date you expected to fly. The insurance you get
here is for three months and then once you're here in Germany you can then apply for a permanent
monthly insurance for the two years here.

18. Book your ticket after you get your Visa. I prefer Emirates Airlines. The earlier you buy the ticket, the
less is the ticket price.

The Answer to the above question ends here. Thanks

-------------

Your Questions and Answers:

Question: How to write a good motivation letter?

Answer: Revise n revise the motivation letter for a few days before sending it. As it matters. Learn to make
a good motivation letter. Don't wait for deadlines to write this letter. Start slowly from now to have it
perfect till applying date

Question: Do online MOOC courses count towards application chances at university?

Answer: Yes

Question: Is Saarland CS program tough to get into? (Vague)

Answer: Needs you to be above average yes. Its not easy to get into

Question: What else besides GPA matters?

Answer: Well.. Job experience definitely matters. Motivation letter and quality of essay (if required)
matters.

Question: Do I need to give the GRE always when applying to Germany MSc programs? What kind of
score is required in the GRE to apply?

Answer: At the time I applied. Only 1 out of 5 universities in Germany that I applied to required GRE. I
took the GRE because I wanted to apply to Computer Science at the Technical University of Munich which
requires a GRE (as mentioned on their website) . At this point in time most universities offering English
based CS Masters in Germany DONOT require the GRE to apply to them. It is good to check by googling
the specific admission requirements for the program you're applying to.

The kind of GRE score required by the Computer Science (MSc Informatik) program Technical University
of Munich for example (at this point in time Aug 2015) is:

Verbal reasoning: (will not be taken into account anymore)

Quantitative reasoning: 154

Analytical writing: 3,0

Question: I don't have a high GPA in Bachelor's. Can I still apply?

Answer: If you have 1-2 years of good job experience then definitely try. Also a good GRE score can cover
it up. A good motivation letter can again convince a committee. If you had a specific reason which
lowered your GPA (for example: disease) then do mention it. For low GPA candidates I'd say that you
should apply to atleast 4-5 universities and then you'll get into one of them. Keep both high ranked and
low ranked (easier admission) universities when you apply.

Question: I want the university which will grant me admission very easily and without too high
requirements for marks.

Answer: Disclaimer, this recommendation is for easier admission but not necessarily the top programs
offered by universities in Computer Science around Germany. Recommendations
are: Darmstadt, Bamberg, Paderborn, Freiburg. I encourage you to read above and apply to TUM,
Saarland, Heidelberg etc if you are a good student or if you’re daring enough to try for the best.

Question: I don't want my degree to be too technical. Is the Computer Science program all about
research?

Answer: Well depends on university. Here at TUM we have a program where we can choose Software
Engineering as majors which means courses like Project Management, Software Testing and other not too
research intensive courses can also be taken. Depends on how you choose the subjects. Yes you're
allowed to choose your subjects

Question: How much does living and everything cost for a two years program?

Answer: It costs 8040 Euros per year. For two years. This expense is only for living and food. Education is
free at TUM except for small semester fee. You can check if there's a fee for your chosen program
from Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer
Austauschdienst Usually universities don't have a fee.

Question: Is it possible to get paid for internships/ra-ship during the duration of study etc?

Answer: Well I can only say for Munich not other cities. It is definitely possible to get paid student job
here during studies. I work for 'Intel' myself during the course of my degree; as a work student. Lots of
companies here are looking for students. They pay 12 uptil 15 Euros per hour for the work. Which means
around 800 Euros per month (after tax cut) for 20 hours per week of working. Work is less intensive during
exams. This is NOT an absolute value. These vary from company to company.

Question: How critical is it to know german before pursuing masters?

Answer: For most English-taught programs, knowing german before MS is not required but it is helpful to
know it. I myself didnot know any German before coming to Germany and have done well. Most
universities offer a German Language course that you can attend during the semesters of your studies.

Question: Is it easy to get a job after a CS degree from Germany?

Answer: I'll not bother you with details. The short answer is yes. Atleast getting a job within Germany
becomes a lot easier with the MS degree from Germany. Also opportunities open up abroad.

Question: What companies come to career fair at TUM?

Answer: Google, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, Siemens and a dozen more companies.

Question: What is the post-masters visa situation like?

Answer: They allow you to stay for one year after your degree for job search

Question: Is it necessary to have the total amount for two years in your bank account before applying for
visa?

Answer: No, you only need the 8040 Euros for first year. For the second year, if you can get a student job,
then you can also show the student job's contract as financial proof at the time of renewal of visa after
first year visa expires.

Question: Can i get permanent residence in Germany after studying a Master’s in Germany?

Answer: After a masters degree is complete you get a job searching visa for 1 year. If you find a proper job
which fulfills the blue card requirements then you can stay. The blue card grants a stay in the EU to highly
qualified non-EU-state members. This should help to combat the shortage of skilled workers in Germany.
For blue card you need a German degree/foreign degree equal to german degree, Secondly you need a
work contract in a company which pays you around Euro 4000 per month for your job..

Question: When can the owner of a blue card qualify for a permanent right of residence?

Answer: Well, foreigners who own the EU blue card can apply for permanent residence after 33 months. If
they have German language knowledge at level B1 then they can apply earlier after 21 months (19a,
passage 6, law of residence).