Are you ready to take the next career step? If you’re aiming for a Master’s in Germany, then you have reached the right place!
Almost a decade ago, I was in exactly the same shoes as yours and here you will find all important information in brief.
WHEN TO START?
Time is your best friend as well as your biggest enemy, so make sure that you are aware of the timeline and plan everything in advance. First step is to find the right course and the right university for you. Applying for German Universities is relatively easy, but for admission you need to have all documents in order and that takes time, therefore you should start your preparation, at least, one year in advance.
You might be wondering, why does it take a year? Well, it’s a cumbersome process, you need to search for courses, but most importantly you need to give exams such as IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, etc. and now German authorities have introduced APS certificates, unfortunately it takes atleast 4 months to get the document. Sometimes we take things too lightly and at the last moment, you realize that you forgot to get a document signed or to upload or maybe it is too late to send documents by post to Germany. So, if you are serious, start now. Want an overview of the whole process and answers to all your queries? Then, schedule a call with me.
FINDING THE RIGHT COURSE:
The world is advancing, new courses, new modules are coming up. Amongst the plethora of courses that every college offers nowadays, it can be quite overwhelming to find your dream course. But don’t let this scare you. Just finding a course that matches the name of your desired course is not guaranteed to be a perfect fit for you. To find out if it is, you must check the requirements and evaluate if your profile matches with it. Look for undergraduate subjects required, specific modules needed, etc
Start your search from the official german website DAAD.de
Go to this website, select International programs, filter the course using your preferences and get a list of courses that match it. Now, it’s time to find out if you fulfill the requirements, for this you need to go through each course and check out its requirements.
Sometimes it can be a daunting task, as the website gives you a list of many courses that may or may not fit you. Getting confused, don’t worry, I got your back. I can help you curate a list of your dream courses and universities that perfectly match your profile, so that you have a very high chance of acceptance.
WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED?:
This is inarguably one of the most important steps when applying anywhere and thus, should not be taken lightly. Although requirements vary from university to university, there are definitely some common documents you should know about.
CV: CV is the most important document because it provides a hassle-free summary of your achievements for the evaluator to refer to and find out if you’re fit for it. Therefore, you need to make sure to send a CV which is up to date with all your current information. If you are applying to European universities, including Germany, make sure your CV meets European standards. But how do you know if your CV meets European standards? Well, here’s a completely FREE website that will help curate the best CV for you. The website is – Europass. Europass is a convenient site that will help you with the entire CV process.
For higher chances of acceptance, make sure your CV is concise and tailored to each course you are applying to by mentioning previous projects and endeavors you’ve completed in the said field. For new aspirants that are confused with what to add and what to leave, get your CV tailor-made by experts.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE (SOP): A pretty self-explanatory document. SOP is a letter to the university explaining your purpose to choose a specific course and specific university. Biggest mistake in SOP writing is narrating your CV. SOP is a platform where you can explain what your desires in future are, mention your inspiration or inform them about any necessary detail that is missing in your CV. For example, why you chose this field, what will you do after graduating, why is this course perfect for you and why you are the candidate that they are looking for. Need help in expressing your story? Let the experts give words to your thoughts.
LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION (LOR): Letters of Recommendation must be taken very seriously. It is a document where the evaluator gets a third-person’s opinion about you. This can be taken from either teaching professionals or someone you’ve worked under. German Universities usually ask for at least two LORs, which you can ask your professors to provide you with. And if you are someone with a job, you can ask your boss to write one for you alongside the one from your professor. Make sure that your strengths are clearly mentioned and a link to your desired course is always a plus.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY: If you are enrolling into an English-medium program then universities most often ask you to provide proof of English Proficiency. The most used English proficiency exams around the world include TOEFL and IELTS, and you can apply to universities with scores from either of them. The exact level of proficiency required differs between universities and even courses of the same university but minimum 6 bands in IELTS is a must. So make sure to do a thorough check of the course requirements to be well-prepared. Therefore, start early.
COMPETITIVE EXAM RESULTS: These include exams like GRE and GATE. Before you rush to your computer to book a slot for the exam, know that not a lot of German Universities require their applicants to take these exams. They are usually a requirement for more technical universities like – the Technical University of Munich, RWTH Aachen University, the Technical University of Darmstadt, and others alike. To know if the University you’re applying for needs you to submit results from a competitive exam, you can always check the requirements. Any university that needs the submission of these documents will make sure to mention the same in their requirements section along with the score they expect their applicants to score.
APS CERTIFICATE: The APS Certificate is a relatively new addition to the list of documents, but is very important especially to get a student visa. This certificate shows if the degree that you currently hold is genuine, or not. To receive this document, you will need to apply specifically through their dedicated web portal. But before applying for it, if you want to know if your university is part of the list of recognized universities and if your degree is valid, you can visit the website – Anabin. Even if you know that your degree is valid, it is still mandatory to submit an APS Certificate when applying to many German Universities.
GERMAN LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: If you are planning to enroll in a German-taught program, then you need to provide German proficiency which vary course to course. To get this certificate, you can hop on over to the website – Goethe Institut, and attempt their language exam. Although you can learn the German Language through any institution of your choice, the certificate will be valid only if it is provided by the Goethe Institut website.
Now that you know what documents you need, there is no reason to procrastinate and sabotage your chances by pushing them back to the last minute, so go prepare these documents now!
FUNDS NEEDED
One of the biggest benefits of studying in Germany is that their education is FREE! But what does this “free” actually mean? Yes, it means the tuition fee for your Master’s is going to be zero, but you would still need to pay a “Semester fee” of about €300, twice a year. But “free” does not mean that your living expenses will also be taken care of. You will still need to be able to pay your living expenses by yourself. The amount you will currently need to support your living in Germany is around €11,208 (approximately ₹10 lakhs) for one year. This amount will include all the basic necessities and help you live a comfortable life in Germany.
Although recently, there have been a few changes in German Universities, especially in the south, in the Baden-Württemberg area where universities have introduced a tuition fee of around €1500. So if you apply for one of those universities, these €1500 will add to the rest of your expenses, so you might have to make a budget plan accordingly.
APPLICATION PLATFORMS
Now onto the much-awaited moment. You’ve picked out the courses, you’ve picked out the universities, you’ve collected the necessary documents, you’ve given the needed exams, and now it’s finally time for you to apply! You can do this in two ways:
Submit your application on the website of your chosen university through their dedicated web portal. Or,
Use “Uni-Assist“. Uni-Assist does a preliminary evaluation of your application and if you fulfill all the requirements then they will forward your application to the university to make the final decision.
STUDENT VISA
Congratulations! You’ve made the perfect profile and have been accepted into a German University! But, What next? Well, now you’re going to hurry up and go book a slot on VFS and start your visa process.
Congratulations! You’ve made the perfect profile and have been accepted into a German University! But, What next? Well, now you’re going to hurry up and go book a slot on VFS and start your visa process.
The application phase might’ve been easy, but the Visa process is a little trickier. So to make sure you’re taking the right steps, follow my blog[?]
Disclaimer: The above information is the knowledge I’ve gained through my personal experience of living in Germany for the past 7 years and helping students to pursue a career in Germany. Due to the possibility of updates and requirements by German authorities, the information available on official German platforms is only considered valid.
