Why Germany?

Germany is a higher education paradise. Unlike in any other country, in Germany you will find many worldwide ranked universities, countless courses to choose among, globally valued degrees that promise a high employability to you and affordable living costs.

Moreover, Germany has a long and rich history, a vibrant and dynamic lifestyle mixing the modern and the classics, the urban and the rural which will immerse and make you love every second spent here.

Not surprisingly, Germany is ranked among the world’s top destinations for international students. According to the latest official statistics, there are over 357,000 foreign students seeking a university degree in Germany whereas the number is steadily increasing.

Low Or No Tuition Fees

At the time when higher education is becoming a necessity due to the increased need for highly qualified professionals and cost of attending university are increasing faster, Germany is the only top study destination whose universities charge no tuition fees.

A decision which came into power in October 2014, stated that all international students attending a public university in Germany would be free from paying normal tuition fees. Foreign students will only have to pay few administrative costs like student contribution, student union fee and a public transport ticket which account to around €250 per semester altogether.

Top-Ranked Universities

Based on official recordings in 2018, there are 429 public higher education institution functioning in Germany among which 106 are universities. German universities are above global higher education standards.

Some of them have been consistently ranked among the world’s best universities. Students value these universities for the quality of education, hands-on experiences during their studies, opportunities to improve academically during and after studies and most importantly the safe and friendly environment.

Travel Europe on a student visa

If you are a European student and want to study and live in Germany, you will cherish the same rights as a German citizen and EU\EFTA citizen regarding free entry, the opportunity to study and work without any additional permits.

If you are not however a European citizen and you want to study in Germany, you will have to apply for a Visa. Unless you are enrolled on a summer school language program, you will need to apply for a student visa that allows you to reside in Germany for more than 90 days and also get a residency permit to become able to live and move around the country. The residency permit will also allow you to travel visa-free in the whole Schengen Area, which makes for a wonderful opportunity to visit the countries you are interested in within the time-frame.

Countless Degree Courses

In relation to having a large number of universities, Germany offers countless degree courses designed to suit everyone’s interests. As an industrialized country Germany has invested a lot in Engineering universities and today Engineering programs are particularly valued at German universities. However, there are a lot more study programs offered at these universities and in some of them, they are global leaders like medicine and pharmacy.

Globally Recognized Study Programs

Study programs at German universities are modern in terms of their structure and the way they’re delivered to students. They’re designed to meet up the most up-to-date scientific developments running out in the world and educate individuals who can confidently face global challenges.

Their curriculum is subject to constant provision and change aiming to find or create comprehensive approaches to teaching and research. At the end of your course, you will be certified with a degree which is globally recognized and valued.

Affordable Costs of Living

With a bit of smart financial management and little tweaks to your old lifestyle, the cost of living for international students in Germany is quite affordable. Normally, you would expect higher prices in urban areas as compared to peripheral ones.

Rent is the major financial concern you will have to tackle when studying in Germany. However, there are many options available to you and though the cost of rent varies

German Higher Education system(Teritiary system)

Germany’s institutions of higher education are internationally accredited – according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), 6 of the top 100 and 18 of the top 200 universities in the world are German. Studying here will place you among some of the oldest and most established universities in the world, as well as some of the newest and most innovative. 

Public and Private Universities

There are 400 public universities in Germany, which are attended by 95% of the university student population. These institutions are state funded, meaning that students do not pay tuition fees (apart from a small administrative cost at the start of each semester). There are also around 120 private institutions which do not receive government funding and are not state regulated, meaning that they set their own tuition fees.

The Bologna System

Higher education in Germany recently converted to the three-tier degree system of the European Higher Education Area established under the Bologna System. Rather than the old one-tier ‘long’ programs, Germany now offers undergraduate courses which result in a Bachelor’s degree, and postgraduate courses which result in a Master’s or PhD (Doctorate). This system is designed to be the same throughout Europe, facilitating international educational mobility and enhancing flexibility in educational objectives.

Undergraduate Education

The German higher education system differentiates between different types of universities for different disciplines:

• Technische Universität (Technical Schools) teach science, technology and engineering

• Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Science) specialize in business, engineering and social science

• Kunst- und Musikhochschulen are universities of fine and performing arts, music, media and communication

Postgraduate Education

Master’s degrees are taught courses (unlike PhDs which are research-oriented), and usually last two years (four semesters). They are either ‘consecutive’ or ‘non-consecutive’. Consecutive Master’s programs build upon an obtained Bachelor’s – they follow on from a related undergraduate degree and do not ordinarily charge fees. Non-consecutive programs focus on a more specialized area of study. These courses may charge fees, and are more likely to require professional or practical experience on top of an undergraduate degree.

Institutions of higher education

Higher education studies (tertiary education providers) in Germany are named the recognized institutions providing higher education study courses leading to a profession that addresses needs of the local and international labour market.

Germany’s education providers, recognized as Higher Education Institutions are:

• Universities “Universitäten” and Equal Institutions.
• “Technische Hochschulen”/”Technische Universitäten”.
• “Pädagogische Hochschulen”.
• Theological colleges.
• Universities of Applied Sciences “Fachhochschulen”.
• Art and Music Colleges.
• Higher Education Institutions for Federal Armed Forces.
• Higher Education Institutions Offering Dual Studies “Berufsakademie” (BA).
• Institutions of Continuing Vocational Education “Fachschulen” And “Fachakademien” In Berlin. According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), the education received from these institutions is equal to the first level of higher education.

Art & Music

German colleges of art and music are higher education institutions delivering study courses for education of the future artists or musicians, including teachers of art or music. Some of these institutions teach all art subjects and some others only certain study subjects of such area.

German colleges or art and music offer the following study courses:

• Visual, design and performing arts.
• Film, television and media.
• Theoretical studies, through the following core subjects:
• Fine arts.
• Art history and art pedagogy.
• History and teaching of music.
• Media and communication.
• Digital media.