Germany

With more than 2,00,000 foreign nationals currently studying in German institutions of higher education, the country is the third largest host nation to foreign students world-wide. Every year, more than 1,000 Indian students leave for Germany for various post-graduate programmes. Till last year, there were 2100 Indians studying there - a rise of 300 per cent over the past five years.

The pedagogy
Those interested in studying in Germany can choose between universities and university-status institutions, such as the technical universities, or the Fachhochschule institutions, or the colleges of art, music and film. Earlier, the universities conferred a ‘Diplom’ - quite different from a diploma offered in India. Diploms were awarded after five years of university education, on the completion of a postgraduate degree. However, the newly introduced Bachelor and Masters degrees assure an international compatibility of academic achievements. Your decision on which higher educational institution is right for you depends largely on what your study objectives are. You must be quite clear in your mind about this before you select the institution most suitable to your needs.

Admission rules
German universities do not encourage international students to do  undergraduate courses as most of the course programmes are offered in German – making communication a problem. Moreover, the requirement of these courses is a minimum 10+3 academic years. Nevertheless, Indian students are encouraged to apply for a Masters or research programme, for which scholarships or sponsorships are quite easily available. There are quite a few scholarships and fellowship schemes offered by DAAD and its partner organisations in India like UGC, CSIR, Department of Education, Government of India. These are, however, for advanced studies and research only, and require a minimum qualification of a Master's degree.

The money factor
Tuition fees and the cost of living amounts to a monthly expense of no less than DM 1200 - (about Rs 30,000 per month). Hence students are strongly advised to assess their financial resources realistically. Although the tuition fees are borne by the German government, students should have enough funds to cover the entire cost of living for the study duration. They should not plan on financing their studies by working in Germany, because a student visa and residence permit does not allow students to be gainfully employed for more than three months in a given year.

Schedule
Semesters commence twice an academic year - April and October. Visa regulations have not become stricter in Germany. A student visa is granted for a period of up to three months initially. However, it can be extended by, the Foreigner's Registration Office (Auslaenderbehoerde) within the first three months of stay. International students must leave Germany on completion of their course of study.  

Joachim Kiderlen, Chargé d’Affaires German Embassy
With 2,30,000 foreign students in Germany, we are the third largest host country for international students world-wide. In recent years, the number of students from India has risen, to more than 3,300 in the last academic year. The Federal government along with the 16 federal States, is actively working to further increase this number. There is a special focus on Indian students who have received their Master’s degree and, in more general terms, on strengthening partnership between Indian and German scholars, particularly in the field of Science.

As for scholarships, studying in Germany, itself, is a kind of scholarship – as there are no tuition fees! German government funded institutions like DAAD, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and German Research Society offer full scholarships to Indian students. This year the number of DAAD scholarships for IIT students has gone up from 60 to 75.

Things to remember
Indian students should start planning their stay in Germany well in advance to find out about the options available, admission requirements etc. 

Students should have above average marks when applying; since tuition is borne by the German state, universities look for quality students

It is advisable to learn German before going there

For further information, contact the DAAD office or visit: www.campus-germany.de