Studying abroad is something which is always taken as a chance to get worth out of the foreign destination. It is not just earning an international degree but it broadens outlook in terms innovative thought process and shaping up career option in a new and improved way.

Students can achieve a lot with regard to high quality educational system, exposure to new culture, language and lifestyle there by gaining a positive look towards career path from this interesting country. It is absolutely of no major concern if a student goes for a whole study programme or is just trying on the term “abroad”, the below mentioned points can help the individual in shaping up his career in a right draft. Germany is the most popular destination for education ranking fourth after the US, UK and Australia that trains the maximum students each year.

Universities in Germany

There are lots of universities that provide world class attributes with respect to various courses available from the same. As per strategies the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg is Germany’s highest ranked university in the QS World University Rankings® 2013/14, which is ranked 50^th in the world.

On a broader perspective Germany also offers a better lifestyle for students, which has again got low tuition fees, extensive support and scholarship schemes for international students, and decent post-graduation employment prospects.

Figures indicate that a major portion of international students do opt for Germany as their educational destination adding to the statistics of the intake percentage.

With the facts and figures, there runs an equally interested percentage for the scholars wanting to go to Germany as their career destination.  There are funding organizations to help students in fixing their goals through funds.

German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the world’s largest funding organization for international students that supports the same cause.  DAAD spokesperson Ursula Egyptian, mentions about the availability of funding for international students in Germany, “There are many opportunities to secure funding for short and long-term study visits in Germany. International students can apply for scholarships offered by a variety of organizations and institutions. The DAAD scholarship database is a convenient tool for researching various types of scholarships online. The database not only contains scholarships offered by the DAAD, but other funding organizations as well.”

Besides DAAD, organizations providing scholarships for international students in Germany include the DFG (the German Research Foundation) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which is meant for PhD students. With about 380 officially recognized universities spread across 175 towns and cities throughout Germany, a huge number of more than 15,000 study programmes are available for the same. In principle, these universities are of equal rank. But each has its own strength and focuses. Common to all of them is that professors and lecturers are academically highly qualified, and you will acquire an officially recognized degree of a high academic standard. However, there are a number of differences you should be aware of.

Categories of University Accessible in Germany

– Universities for research-oriented study

– Universities of applied sciences for practice-oriented study

– Colleges of art, film and music for artistic courses

The university tries to promote more of methodical and theoretical knowledge. In the research filed teaching profession do equally come into picture. With regard to courses, Universities do offer a wide range of subjects including law, the humanities and cultural studies, natural sciences and economics/business administration and medicine.

Type of Educational Practice

Government Funded : About 240 universities in Germany are funded by the federal government where no tuition fees scheme prevails or may be having a payment of only a nominal amount. Students get the access to such universities and enroll themselves in private and church universities even. The quality of imparting education remains good at all levels and types.

Private Universities : There has been a remarkable rise in the private universities in recent years which mostly stay focused on applied sciences. Though the tuition fee (up to 30,000 euro) is bit high for them yet they see a higher percentage of student’s intake.

Church Universities : Even there is few universities funded by the Protestant or Catholic Church. This is where priests and theologians, social education workers, special needs teachers, teachers of religion, experts in the health and care sectors and church musicians are taught.

Visa Process

Following are the papers needed for landing up in Germany for a career growth or educational process-

– For citizens from the EU or from the Countries Island, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein they need to have an identity card to entry Germany and not necessarily a visa. While Citizens from other countries will need a visa if continue in Germany for more than 90 days.

-Visa rules:
(a) Citizens from the countries Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea and the USA can apply for their visa even after they arrived in Germany.
(b) For citizens from other countries it is necessary to apply for the visa before coming to Germany.

– More regulations are imposed if continuing for less than 90 days in Germany. Citizens from certain countries (Venezuela, Vatican City, Uruguay, Singapore, Seychelles, Paraguay, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Mauritius, Malaysia, Macau, Croatia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Chile, Brunei, Brazil, Bolivia, Bermuda, Barbados, Bahamas and Argentina) can entry Germany for this time without a visa.

– Again visa type differs on how to apply them.
(a) If the university place is already secure and confirmed one can apply for a visa for the stay for study purposes. If the application is not yet confirmed or one has to apply for a visa to visit the German university or to do a test one has to apply for a visa for the purpose of university application.

(b) Those visas normally just last for three months. Afterwards, one has to apply for an additional residence permit in Germany. This can be done at the Aliens Department after changing one’s residence at the Registration Office.

(c) The visa don’t hold true for the entire Germany.

-Candidate should have the health insurance in Germany (you can choose: ReiseCare or Allianz) and a proof of financing.

-For the residence permit it takes the confirmation of the Registration Office, health insurance, certificate of enrollment, identity document and visa. It again depends on renewing the visa if the stay gets extended.

Types of Support In Terms Of Scholarships

Financial Scholarship : Candidate is awarded a fixed amount, paid out on a monthly basis over a defined funding period. These types of scholarships are often full scholarships, covering the applicant’s entire living expenses. Candidates for partial scholarships, however, are required to secure additional financial support to cover their living expenses.

Non-monetary Scholarships : Candidates can attend workshops, lectures and scientific conferences where they also have the opportunity to network with other scholarship holders. Mostly such scholarships aim to create a long-standing relationship between the scholarship holder and the institution well beyond the scholarship period.

The Institutions which grant scholarships can be easily divided into six groups:

– Party-affiliated foundations:  Maintain close ties with the political parties represented in the German Bundestag. Consequently, they expect applicants to share their socio-political views, which the applicants often express through their social commitment.

– Business-related organizations: Recipients can be chosen based on their subject of study, research emphasis, social attitude, or purely on their achievement – epitomizing whatever model qualities that distinguish the namesake of the foundation.

– German federal states: Scholarships are sponsored on the basis of economic or performance-oriented aspects.

– Social Institutions: In addition to outstanding achievement, the selection committee also places strong focus on financial hardship, as well as the applicants’ commitment to use their knowledge and skills attained in Germany for the benefit of others in their home country e.g. the German churches.

-Research Institutions: Award scholarships based on purely scientific criteria e.g. the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

-Student organizations: Controlled by volunteers, in which students assist other students and find supporters who are willing to help them finance their visit and thereby enable them to stay in Germany.

Work While Studying

Students can continue to work while still studying. Students can join fine arts institutions and brush up their talents in the desired manner. Students can work upto 20 hours a week during term time and full time during vacations with a basic salary range of   around 6 – 8 Euro per hour i.e. Approx 500 – 700 euro per week ( Rs. 40,000 – Rs. 50,000).  Part-time jobs are also available in the local newspapers and job shops.

Famous Universities of Germany

–Free University of Berlin
–Humbolt University of Berlin
– Technical University Munich
–Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
– Heidelberg University
–Schiller International University
–Hochschule Furtwangen University
–University of Freiburg

Accommodation

Different kinds of accommodation are available as listed below-

-Student Residences: You can rent the cheapest rooms or small apartments in student residences.

-Shared Accommodation: The most popular form of accommodation among students is private shared accommodation, or “Wohngemeinschaften” (WGs) as they are known in German.

-Flat/Apartment: If you prefer to live on your own and like to have your peace and quiet, a small apartment may be the right choice for you.

-Temporary solution: Hostel services.

Check out for more details of available scholarships and internships to study in Germany.

All the Best. 

Priya Priyadarshini