Studying in Germany 2 Farbig2

Studying in Germany A Guide for International Students 2nd Edition
Publisher DAAD
Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst German Academic Exchange Service Kennedyallee 50, 53175 Bonn (Germany) www.daad.de Section: Promotion of Studies and Research in Germany, Internet
Project Coordination Anne Mnkel Manuscript Norbert Grust Editor 2nd Edition Dr. Dagmar Giersberg
W. Bertelsmann Verlag, Bielefeld

Translation Guy Moore, Bad Honnef 2nd Edition Gregory John Benzow, Erftstadt Layout and Typesetting 1st Edition LPG Loewenstern Padberg GbR, Bonn Typesetting 2nd Edition W. Bertelsmann Verlag, Bielefeld Programming and Screen Design snoopmedia GmbH, Bonn Printed by Moeker Merkur Druck GmbH, Kln Pressed by MPO Audio und Video GmbH, Kln Print-run November 2007 60,000
DAAD All rights reserved. Any reproduction, even of extracts, only with appropriate source details.
This publication was funded by the Federal Foreign Office.
Studying in Germany 3
Table of Contents
Introduction
Studying in Germany the Higher Education System Types of Higher Education Institutions Academic Reforms and the Bologna Process International Programmes Universities and Equivalent Institutions Admissions Requirements Organisation of Studies
12
School Qualifications and Aptitude Tests | Internships and Foreign Language Skills Programme Structure | Start and Length of Studies | Types of Courses
Academic Degrees
Bachelors and Masters | Magister Artium | Diplom | Staatsexamen Promotion (Doctorate)

Map of Universities in Germany 20 Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) Admissions Requirements
School Qualifications | Internships and Aptitude Tests

Organisation of Studies Academic Degrees
Diplom FH | Bachelors and Masters

Map of Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany 24 Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music) Admissions Requirements
School Qualifications | Internships and Aptitude Tests

Organisation of Studies Academic Degrees
Diplom | Institution-own Degrees | Staatsexamen Meisterschler/Konzertexamen | Bachelors and Masters

Map of Colleges of Art, Film and Music in Germany
Studying in Germany
28
Higher Education Institutions and their Facilities Faculties The International Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt) First Point of Contact for Students from Abroad Student Representation at Institutional and Departmental Level Rector, President and Senate Executive Management and Administration of Higher Education Institutions
31 32
How to Study in Germany A Guide for International Students Admissions Requirements Proof of Adequate School or Educational Qualifications
Higher Education Entrance Qualification | Test for Academic Studies (TestAS) Assessment Test (Feststellungsprfung) and Preparatory Course (Studienkolleg)
Proof of German Language Proficiency
German as a Foreign Language Test (Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache TestDaF) German Language Test for the Admission of Foreign Study Applicants (Deutsche Sprachprfung fr den Hochschulzugang DSH)
37 Application and Registration Applying to your chosen Higher Education Institution: Directly or via uni-assist Applying through the Central University Admissions Service (ZVS) Registration / Matriculation (Immatrikulation) Entry and Residence Provisions Visa and Residence Permit
40
Applicant Visa (Visum zur Studienbewerbung) | Student Visa (Visum zu Studienzwecken) | Residence Permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis)
Financial Requirements Medical Examination (Gesundheitsuntersuchung) Working and Studying 44 Costs, Fees, Sources of Funding and Scholarships What Does it Cost to Study?
Cost of Living | Semester Fee and Administration Fee | General Tuition Fees Health and Accident Insurance
How Can I Finance My Studies?
Grants and Scholarships | State Training Assistance Part-Time and Temporary Jobs
A Guide for International Students 5
50
How Best to Start Your Studies Student Accommodation
The First Few Nights | Student Halls of Residence and Dormitories (Studentenwohnheime) | Private Accommodation Market
Planning Your Studies
Study Regulations and Course Catalogue | Advice and Support

Student Life Religious Communities and Faith Groups 54 Internships in Germany
55 56 57 60
Appendix Map of University and College Towns in Germany Statistics: Foreign Students at German Higher Education Institutions Tips and Information Where to Go With Your First Questions Recommended Reading Evaluation of Foreign Higher Education Entrance Qualifications German Schools Abroad DAAD Goals, Roles and Programmes of the DAAD DAAD Addresses in Germany and Abroad Index
62 63 64
66 72
Studying in Germany
Introduction
Germanys higher education institutions This brochure offers information on the various higher education institutions in Gerenjoy an excellent reputation. Teaching and research provide key impulses for many universities, universities of applied innovation and progress. Institutions have sciences and colleges of art, film and music. state-of-the-art equipment and labs to proThe enclosed CD-ROM has been compiled vide students with the very best conditions with the kind support of the German Recfor successful studies. tors' Conference (HRK). The CD-ROM contains selected information from the HRKs Germanys higher education landscapeHigher-Education-Compass is on first-degree programmes and on graduate studies, plus very diverse and varied. It offers thousands of degree programmes, more than 300 the addresses and portraits of the higher institutions, and lots of different degrees. education institutions and the addresses This means you can choose a programme of the International Offices. The CD-ROM that matches your needs. You can takeand a the brochure are also available in Gerresearch-oriented programme at a Univerman. sitt (university) or a more practice-focused course at a Fachhochschule (university The of DAAD provides this comprehensive information to help you succeed with your applied sciences), or an artistic programme at one of the Kunst-, Film-, or Musikhochstudies at a German higher education schulen (colleges of art, film or music). institution. Many programmes and subjects are offered by all three types of institutions, which widens your choice even further. If you already hold a degree, you can also choose to enter a postgraduate or doctoral programme for advanced qualifications.
Studying in Germany the Higher Education System
Studying in Germany
Types of Higher Education Institutions
And by the way,
responsibility for higher education in Germany lies for the most part with the Students wishing to study in Germany can states. Each of the 16 states has its own choose from more than 12,000 degree prohigher education laws and guidelines. grammes and subjects offered at 340 state (A map of the German states can be found (public) and state-recognised higher eduon page 19.)
cation institutions. The German higher education system generally differentiates between three distinct types of institutions:
Fachhochschulen (FH): Universities of
applied sciences do not generally engage Universitten: Universities and equivalent institutions focus strongly on research and
in basic research, which is more the preserve of the traditional universities. FHs teaching. Full universities offer courses were especially established to provide in practically all subject areas. On the other students with the opportunity to engage hand, some unis and equivalent institutions in more practical studies and applied choose to specialise in specific subject research. The English translation of their areas. Examples of such university-level name, universities of applied sciences, institutions include the Technische Hochreflects this focus. Fachhochschule proschule / Technische Universitt (technical grammes prepare students for specific university / university of technology), the professions. This concentrated study and Medizinische Hochschule (medical school), the tightly-organised programmes generthe Sporthochschule (sport university), ally enable students to graduate more the Hochschule fr Politik (university of quickly with an academic degree than politics), the Hochschule fr Verwaltung their fellow students studying at traditional (university of administrative sciences), or universities and equivalent institutions. the Hochschulen fr Wirtschaft / WirtSubjects offered by FHs cover fields like schaftshochschule (schools of business or technology, business, IT, design, social management), and the Pdagogische Hochfields, education, nursing and applied natschule (university of education). Last but ural sciences. In addition, federal governby no means least, the Protestant and ment and the states maintain a number Catholic churches also maintain a number of FHs that specifically train students for of university-level higher education insticareers in the civil service. Fachhochschulen tutions. All these institutions have unido not themselves award doctorates. Howversity status, even if they dont bear the ever, holders of a good FH degree may be name university. This means that they able to continue their postgraduate studies follow Humboldts principle of the reby enrolling in a doctoral programme at search university that unites research and one of Germanys research universities. teaching. These institutions are entitled to They may have to pass an aptitude test to confer doctorates. qualify for admission.
The Higher Education System 9
State and state-recognised higher education institutions

Number of Universities Colleges of art, film and music Universities of applied sciences 57 167 116
Number of students at Universities Colleges of art, 33,000 film and music Universities of applied sciences 517,000 1,360,000
Source: Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, as per: winter semester 2006/2007
Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen:as (Kunst)Akademie or Schule. In English, Colleges of art, film and music offer they use names like University of the Arts,
artistic-creative subjects like fine art, School of Music, Academy of Film and industrial and fashion design, stage Television, etc. Colleges of art, film or design, graphic art, instrumental music music can award doctorates to approprior singing. Special media-oriented colately-qualified graduates who complete a leges train directors, camera operators, programme of postgraduate studies. authors, film-makers and other TV or media professionals. Students wishing Besides to the state (public) higher educastudy at a college of art, film or music tion institutions, a number of private must demonstrate their particular artistic universities also operate in Germany. talent; they do this by passing an aptitude These above all offer subjects from the test. Students enjoy relatively many freefields of law, economics and business doms when organising their studies, administration and and social sciences. Private teachers provide intensive supervision universities and often maintain close contacts support. This approach aims to ensure with companies in order to give their gradthat the students are able to develop uates their better career prospects in the profesown personal art style. College of art, sional film world. However, this comes at a and music is a generic term. While most price: applicants have to pass a selection of these institutions bear the name test and must be prepared to pay up to Hochschule, some have names that 20,000 euros per year in tuition fees. extend back to their historical roots, such Almost 2.5 % of all the students in Ger-
10 Studying in Germany
tals in a subject; Masters programmes many are currently registered at a private university. Private universities must obtain (the second) enable students to deepen state recognition before they can offer and aca-extend their knowledge or to expand demic degrees that are equivalent to those it across various disciplines. offered by public institutions. Practically all state-recognised German higher educaBachelors and Masters will replace the tion institutions are listed in the database conventional German degrees (Diplom, www.hochschulkompass.de maintained Magister). Additionally, the new structure by the German Rectors Conference focuses studies more strongly on the re(Hochschulrektorenkonferenz HRK). All quirements of employers when designing the Hochschulkompass data can also be programmes, i. e. by looking at what found on the accompanying CD-ROM. learning outcomes (competence) graduates have acquired and at how they are preAcademic Reforms and the pared for the job market (employability). Bologna Process Those not seeking a career in academia or research will find that a Bachelors degree gained after three or four years of study Germanys higher education institutions are passing through a period of extensive already provides a professional qualification. change. To raise the international competitiveness of European universities, theStudies in these new degree programmes governments of 29 European countriesare divided into modules. Each module is met in the Italian city of Bologna in 1999, made up of thematically-linked courses such where they agreed to create a single as lectures, seminars and exercises and can European Higher Education Area by 2010. last up to a maximum of two semesters. This involves introducing comparable The conventional division into basic study programmes and degrees at institutions stage in and main study stage has been abandoned. Students who successfully comthe participating countries so that the range of studies offered throughout Europe isplete a module score credit points based both transparent and compatible. The on the European Credit Transfer System objectives are to increase student mobility (ECTS) , , which measures the total student to facilitate the recognition of academic workload required for successful comdegrees abroad, and to encourage higher pletion of the degree programme (see education institutions to compete for the Box p. 16). very best minds. In addition to the official degree docuA total of 46 countries have meanwhilements (certificate and diploma), students signed up to the Bologna Process. Its core who graduate successfully from their element is based on two cycles of academic studies automatically receive a Diploma study that lead to degrees awarded on Supplement the . It contains standardised basis of identical criteria throughout information on the academic degree and Europe: Bachelors programmes (the first on the learning outcomes associated with that degree. This aims to facilitate and cycle) deliver the principles and fundamen-
The Higher Education System 11
guidance and supervision. Around half the improve the assessment of academic degrees, regardless of whether students participants in these programmes come continue their studies, for example in from abroad. postgraduate or doctoral programmes, or whether they enter a professional career. The DAAD website offers further information on more than 600 programmes.
Further Information www.bmbf.de
Besides the international degree programmes that German higher education Research BMBF with comprehensive information institutions offer, students can also choose on the Bologna Process from a large number of programmes run jointly by a German institution and a partwww.bologna2009benelux.org ner university abroad. Students who take 3 Website of the Bologna follow-up conference held in these integrated degree programmes one of Leuven / Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, with information spend a certain number of semesters at on the Bologna Process and on how each country is the partner university. This student exprogressing with implementing the reforms change is based on agreements signed by two or more universities. Credits earned www.hrk.de at the partner university have been harmo3 Website of the German Rectors Conference (HRK) nised with the degree programme at the that also offers extensive information on the home institution and are fully recognised. Bologna Process This means that the stay at the partner university does not result in longer studies. International Programmes Some of these degree programmes have become so integrated that the participants spend around half of their studies at the Germanys higher education institutions have introduced international Bachelors partner university and gain a degree from and Masters programmes to better meet both institutions. A key prerequisite for the interests of foreign applicants. Special admission to such a double degree profeatures of these programmes include gramme that is generally a good knowledge of they are taught in a foreign language, in the language of instruction or of the respecmost cases English. Some programmestive or national language. individual courses may also be offered in Further Information other languages, like Spanish or French.
3 Website of the Federal Ministry of Education and
International Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Programmes in Germany
3 www.daad.de/
international-programmes
The DAADs International Bachelor, Master and
Doctoral Programmes database stand out with their high academic level and well-structured studies. German language courses are offered parallel to or are integrated into the programme. They also provide particularly intensive support,
Universities and Equivalent Institutions
Further Information Universities are responsible for promoting www.university-ranking.de science and the humanities . Research 3 DAAD website run in cooperation with the weekly and teaching develop freely at these institutions. Studies generally last between newspaper DIE ZEIT and the Centre for Higher Education Development (CHE) to present the results three and five years and qualify students of an extensive university ranking for various professions. But they also offer interested students opportunities for enterwww.higher-education-compass.de ing careers in academia. After graduating, 3 HRK website with information on study opporyoung and early-stage researchers (genertunities in Germany and a list of international ally, this means holders of a Masters or cooperation agreements involving German higher Diplom degree, in exceptions also a Bacheducation institutions elors degree) enter a doctoral programme where they conduct independent research www-en.studienwahl.de and, in many cases, also teach their first 3 Website published by the Federal Employment Agencourses as well.
cy and the German Federal States (Lnder). The site offers extensive information on study Besides the classical full universities that cover the whole spectrum of academic opportunities in Germany. subjects, Germany also has so-called Admissions Requirements equivalent institutions. In contrast to the traditional universities, these specialise in School Qualifications and specific subject areas. Typical examples are: technical universities / universitiesAptitude Tests of technology, schools of medicine and universities of education, universities of Students who went to school in Germany politics, universities of administrative and would like to study one or more subsciences, schools of management or busijects of their choice at a university or equiness, and church-maintained colleges. valent institution must hold a general higher education entrance qualification 1.36 million students were registered at called the allgemeine Hochschulreife 116 universities and equivalent institutions (Abitur). The Abitur is the highest school in the winter semester 2006/2007 leaving certificate in Germany. It entitles (see Figure p. 9). its holder to study at any type of higher education institution. In the past, pupils generally gained their Abitur after 13 years
Universities and Equivalent Institutions 13
of schooling. This system is currently Some degree programmes require students being changed so that in about five years to complete internships either as part of time, most pupils will graduate after 12their qualification for admission or as a years. (For information on the admissions compulsory programme element. Please requirements for foreign students seeenquire as soon as possible whether this p. 32). also applies in your academic subject. In the case of admissions-restricted subPlease check the enclosed CD-ROM for jects (Numerus clausus), universities have the addresses of the Admissions Offices. recently increasingly begun to select stuOrganisation of Studies dents not only on the basis of their school leaving certificate (grade point average) Programme Structure but also require applicants to sit a subjectspecific aptitude test. Since 2007, Bachelors and Masters programmes there is a general academic or scholastic aptitude test for international applicants are divided into modules, i. e. study units called the TestAS. The test includes an made up of thematically-related courses, additional special section for certain highlike lectures, seminars and exercises. demand subjects, such as economics, Each module involves a student workload business administration and engineering of six to ten hours per week. Students (see p. 32). In general, it is expected that credit points for each successfullyreceive Germanys universities will increasingly completed module. They need to score a consider quality and aptitude-related critespecific number of credit points to comria when selecting students in the future. plete the programme and so graduate (see Box p. 16). Internships and Foreign Language Skills Traditional degree programmes (Magister, Diplom and Staatsexamen, see pp. 16-17) are divided into a basic study stage and a Not all specialist literature is published in German, of course. Consequently, main study stage. The basic study stage foreign language skills have an important (Grundstudium) delivers the basic content role to play in practically all academic and submethodological principles of a subject. jects. Universities often expect students Students are required to attend certain to speak English and French, and incourses some in which they must earn credits or cases Latin or in specific subject areas gain even attendance certificates (compulsory other old languages like Ancient Greek and . optional courses). Students who pass Generally, students can study for these the intermediate exam at the end of the study stage are entitled to continue language certificates parallel to theirbasic normal courses. The faculty in question will their offer studies in the main study stage. Some appropriate courses. degree programmes only require proof that the student has completed the basic study
Types of Courses stage; an intermediate exam is not required in such cases. Universities offer various kinds of courses The main study stage (Hauptstudium) that may be variously weighted, depending allows students a lot more freedom of on the programme or university in question. choice. They can set core study areas, can The following provides a general overview. specialise and can acquire competencies required for research work. At the end of Lectures (Vorlesungen) involve a univerthe main study stage, students take ansity teacher speaking on a specific topic. extensive examination involving written Students can prepare or follow up these and oral sections and subsequently gralectures by reading appropriate texts (with duate with a degree that also counts as reading a lists generally provided). Students professional qualification. receive credits for attending lectures. In some cases, a written exam is set at the Start and Length of Studies end of the semester in which students are required to demonstrate their knowledge the material taught in the lectures. The academic year is generally dividedof into two six-month periods called semesters. The winter semester normally begins in Seminars (Seminare) enable students to October, the summer semester in April.work on research topics under the guidCourses usually run over around three ance of university teachers. Presentations months in the summer semester and four of seminar papers, discussions with fellow months in the winter semester. Students students and the lecturer plus subsequent are expected to use the non-lecture period review play a key role. Students gain a (recess) to go over the material from past credit (Schein) by presenting a paper, an semesters and to prepare for the coming assignment or sitting a written examinaones. They also use this time to complete tion. Some universities use seminars to internships. extend and apply the content taught in the lectures. Since this kind of course depends Each academic subject has its own set on of students playing an active part, they study regulations (Studienordnung) that should ideally be held in small groups. specify the standard time to degree (RegelHowever, there is such demand in some studienzeit) in which the programme subjects that early registration is required. should or must be completed. The time to degree includes practical semesters A and tutorial serves to deepen and extend the content taught in lectures and seminars. semesters abroad plus the final examination phase. The standard programme duration Tutorials are basic study stage courses for traditional degrees is nine, for Bachheaded by advanced students (tutors). In elor's degrees six and for a Master's contrast to tutorials, consolidation courses between two and four semesters. headed by university teachers, lecturers, assistants or research assistants are also sometimes called exercises (bungen).
Many universities have developed online Courses in which students exchange ideas and information in the final examination teaching modules to complement the tradiphase are often called a colloquium (Koltional forms of teaching. Students take loquium). Colloquia give participants part in the lectures and seminars via the opportunities to present their current Internet and contribute to these courses work and to discuss it with fellow students with their own work, input and comments. and others from the field in question. The courses can be recorded as streams and then accessed at any time. In the meanSometimes, revision courses (Repetitorien) time, even whole degree programmes are enable students to repeat and go overbeing completed online with recognised course contents under the guidance of academic a degrees awarded to successful university teacher as part of their prepastudents. rations specifically for the final exam. Specialists in the private (commercial) Further Information www.studieren-im-netz.de market also offer such courses. Although 3portal Online launched by the federal and state governthese are not university courses, they can ments. The service provides an overview of web-based be useful for revising. Some programmes offer excursions (Exkursionen) that candegree programmes and courses; German only last up to several weeks. Academic Degrees Many degree programmes require students to complete internships (Praktika) in Germanys universities will probably continue to offer two parallel degree private companies, municipal authorities structures until 2010: on the one hand, or educational institutions. They are superthese will be the traditional but expiring vised by university teachers and aim to help students gain an insight into and find degree courses that lead to a Diplom or out about various career options. TheoreMagister Artium degree; on the other tical and experimental training are closely hand, they are already offering the new interconnected in many natural sciences two-cycle system of Bachelors and Massubjects. For example, students workters in a degrees and will continue to extend laboratory (Labor) under the guidance the and range of such programmes. Exceptions supervision of research staff and soor learn differing arrangements can be expected how to analyse chemical substances, how in some subject areas. to do syntheses, and how to use test and measurement equipment. Students who You may also find that your academic study medicine generally need to spend subject can be completed with a choice of several months doing a medical traineeseveral degrees. When making your choice, ship (Famulatur) in a hospital, a doctors please remember that you can gain a surgery, or similar facilities. At the end Bachelors of degree, i. e. an internationallytheir studies, they complete a practical recognised academic degree with profesyear (Praktisches Jahr) in a hospital. sional qualification, after just three to four years of study.
Bachelors and Masters
ECTS Credit Points

Performance in Bachelors and Masters
The Bachelors degree is usually the first programmes is assessed in accordance degree with professional qualification to with the European Credit Transfer be gained in Britain, the United States, System (ECTS). ECTS measures the Australia and other countries. Under the student workload required to successBologna Process, this degree has now also fully complete the programme, i. e. to been introduced at Germanys universities. graduate, including the workload for To gain a Bachelors degree, you must earn preparing and going over courses, for between 180 and 240 credit points in the gaining course credits and for precourse of your studies. The exact number paring exams. Students score credit of credit points depends on the study regpoints and their performance is graded. ulations for the programme. Bachelors These factors are considered in the programmes are designed with a student final grade point average. workload of around 40 study hours per week completed over 45 study weeks per One credit point sometimes also called year. This enables students to graduate ECTS point corresponds to a student within the specified standard time to workload of 30 hours. Degree prodegree (Regelstudienzeit).
grammes are generally designed to require students to earn 30 credit points Students who hold a Bachelors degree per semester so that they can comand wish to continue to specialise can plete the programme in the standard take up a Masters programme either time to degree.
directly after completing their Bachelors or after spending a few years working in Magister Artium their profession. The chosen degree programme must be closely related to the Bachelors subject. The university can A Magister Artium degree is awarded for provide information on which Bachelors successful completion of a programme in degree qualifies the holder to enter a subjects from the fields of arts and humaMasters programme. nities, cultural studies or social sciences; courses leading to such degrees allow Graduates holding a Bachelors degree various subject combinations. The final need to earn between 60 and 120 credit examination is taken in one major and two points in a Masters programme to gainminor a subjects or alternatively in two Masters degree. They have to producemajors. a Students are free to choose their Masters thesis in which they demonstrate option. Besides having to produce a that they competently meet the academic Magister thesis, students also sit written and research requirements of their suband oral exams. Those who graduate with ject. A Masters degree is roughly compaa good grade can continue their studies rable to a university Diplom degree or a in a postgraduate or doctoral programme Magister or Staatsexamen degree. (see p. 17).
Diplom
Promotion (Doctorate)
A doctorate is the highest academic degree. A Diplom degree is awarded for successful completion of a course in subjects from It is accepted as proof that the holder is the fields: natural sciences, engineering, capable of doing independent scientific economics and business administration, research. education and sport (Please note that a Diplom degree in education (DiplomDoctorates enable holders to enter careers Pdagoge/Pdagogin) does not count as in a research and academia, while such a teaching qualification). Students complete degree is also seen as an important quality their degree course with a Diplom thesis feature in careers outside universities and and written or oral exams. Diplom degrees science. A doctorate involves production of qualify holders for careers in business a and dissertation (an independent research industry. Like the Magister, the Diplom paper) that contains new scientific findings plus oral defence of the dissertation in an also entitles holders to enter a doctoral programme (see below). oral examination called Rigorosum or Disputation in German, a kind of viva voce. Staatsexamen After gaining the doctorate, holders can use the title Dr.. Depending on the subject Students of medicine, law, pharmacy or area in question, doctorates can take teaching generally graduate with a Staatsbetween two and five years. examen degree. Staatsexamen courses prepare students for state-supervised Anyone pro- wishing to gain a doctorate needs fessions, which is why they are examined to have completed a course of academic by a state examinations board rather than studies with above-average grades. In by the usual university or faculty examiexceptions, holders of Bachelors degrees nations board. Since these graduates often can also be admitted to a doctoral proenter the civil service, the content of gramme, their if they can prove their aptitude studies and the examination itself are in a special assessment process. subject to statutory regulations. In most cases, the 1st Staatsexamen involves Candidates a will also need to find an acatheory-oriented examination comparable demic supervisor called Doktorvater or for their doctorate. Please to other academic degrees. The 2nd Doktormutter Staatsexamen is awarded after a period of pracremember that no university teacher is tical postgraduate professional training. obliged to accept you as a doctoral candidate. This is why it is important that you International students can also take the inform yourself as soon as possible about Staatsexamen. However, they should first which university best suits your area of check whether this degree is recognised research. in The Higher-Education-Compass their home country and whether they offered can by the HRK offers a good overview enter the profession in question there. (www.hochschulkompass.de).
Some Alternatively, you can do your doctorate in federal states have established Enga Research Training Group (Graduiertenlish speaking Graduate Schools which, in kolleg). These graduate schools are univercontrast to the Research Training Groups, sity facilities responsible for promoting are permanent facilities located at the young and early-stage researchers. They respective universities. Graduate Schools give doctoral candidates the opportunity largely deliver their teaching in English to integrate their dissertation into a comand offer highly-qualified young and earlyprehensive and collaborative research prostage researchers from home and abroad intensive individual supervision with gramme. The programme is run by several researchers and often has an interdiscitheir dissertation. These schools prepare plinary focus. Degree courses serve to students for positions in interdisciplinary complement the doctoral students indiviand international science and research. dual research programmes and to specifiInformation cally advance the process of academic Further and scientific exchange. The website of the 3 www.daad.de/deutschland/ forschung/promotion German Research Foundation (Deutsche information on the various options available Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG) offers DAAD a forit gaining a doctorate in Germany plus experience list of the Research Training Groups that reports and a list of recommended reading, which currently funds (see Further Information).
also contains further links
Doctoral students can also choose from a whole range of programmes that are 3 www.daad.de/ specifically designed for foreign (post) international-programmes DAAD database with information on International graduates. These offer intensive academic Doctoral Programmes and non-academic supervision and support, in most cases an English supporting curriculum and often special funding 3 www.dfg.de Information from the German Research Foundation programmes as well.
(DFG) on Research Training Groups; first click on
For example, the International Post- "Research Funding", then on "Coordinated Programmes" graduate Programmes (IPP) jointly offered by the DAAD and the DFG or the International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS, www.mpg.de) have a specific international profile. They give particularly qualified and talented German and foreign students the opportunity to prepare for their doctoral examination in centres of excellence located throughout Germany. These offer training at a high academic level and in close contact with the supervising university teachers.
Universities in Germany
Flensburg
Kiel SchleswigHolstein Lbeck Hamburg Hamburg Bremen Oldenburg Bremen
Rostock Greifswald
MecklenburgWestern Pomerania
Lneburg Brandenburg Berlin Berlin Frankfurt/O.
Vechta
Lower Saxony Hannover Potsdam Braunschweig Friedensau Magdeburg SaxonyAnhalt Halle Leipzig Weimar Jena
Osnabrck Bielefeld Mnster North RhineWestphalia Paderborn Bochum Dortmund Essen Kassel
Hildesheim ClausthalZellerfeld Gttingen
Cottbus
Duisburg
Witten-Herdecke Wuppertal Hagen Dsseldorf Kln Aachen Bonn St.Augustin
Saxony Dresden Zittau
Siegen
Hesse Marburg Gieen Fulda
Erfurt
Thuringia
Freiberg Chemnitz
Ilmenau
Oberursel Frankfurta.M. Rhineland- OestrichWinkel Palatinate Bayreuth Mainz Darmstadt Wrzburg Bamberg Trier Kaiserslautern Mannheim Heidelberg Saarland SaarbrckenSpeyer Bruchsal Landau Karlsruhe Erlangen Nrnberg
Vallendar Koblenz
Neuendettelsau Regensburg Ingolstadt Passau
Ludwigsburg Eichsttt Stuttgart SchwbischGmnd Hohenheim Lahr Tbingen BadenWrttemberg Weingarten Konstanz Friedrichshafen Benediktbeuern Ulm Bavaria
Augsburg Mnchen
Freiburg WeilheimBierbronnen
Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences)
Fachhochschulen (FHs) were founded byRange of subjects offered the federal states in the late 1960s and at Fachhochschulen early 1970s in response to the advancing FHs offer fewer subjects than universcientific-technological progress that setsities. They concentrate on the fields of new standards for the qualification levels business and management, engineerof future professionals. These universities ing, design, social work and education, of applied sciences, as they are officiallyand nursing. called in English, aimed to fill the gap between academia and the working world by offering a sound academic training Further Information designed to meet the practical aspects 3 of www.fachhochschule.de Privately-run information portal with a systematic professional life.
overview of the degree programmes offered at
Studies at a Fachhochschule combine Fachhochschulen in Germany; German only academic standards with an extensive www-en.studienwahl.de practical focus. Students do practical 3 Website published by the Federal Employment Agensemesters in companies, industry, public cy and the German Federal States (Lnder). authorities or elsewhere where they can The apply and try out what they have learnt in site offers extensive information on study opportunities in Germany. their courses. Since these studies aim to prepare students as quickly as possible for career entry, the programmes are relatively tightly organised. The 157 state and state-recognised Fachhochschulen are currently training 517,000 students.
Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) 21
Admissions Requirements School Qualifications
Organisation of Studies
Studies at a Fachhochschule are structured much like those at a university. This applies both As a rule, students wishing to study at a to traditional degree courses and to Fachhochschule (FH) must at least holdBachelors and Masters programmes. an FH entrance qualification (FachhochHowever, programmes at a Fachhochschulreife) or a comparable school leaving schule generally include practical training certificate or qualification. Various federal courses of several weeks and in some states additionally offer other training cases of an entire semester. measures aimed at enabling students to obtain this qualification. The standard time to degree at a Fachhochschule is set at eight semesters. FachInternships and Aptitude Tests hochschulen achieve this by starting the semester one month earlier than a traditional university, which means the winter To qualify for admission to studies, students often have to complete a pre-study internsemester begins in September and the ship that relates in terms of content to summer semester in March. So, FH the aspired degree programme. Students students only have three to four months may be asked to spend up to one year of onrecess (non-lecture period) per year. such an internship. Periods of vocational Academic Degrees training are credited to pre-study internships. The Fachhochschulen have Internship Offices that help students find a Diplom FH place where they can gain such practical experience. The academic degree traditionally awarded by Fachhochschulen is the Diplom FH Students wishing to study design, film, that identifies it as a Fachhochschule photography or music at a Fachhoch- Diplom rather than a university one. The schule must be able to prove their partifinals differ in their procedure from one cular artistic talent. Study applicants federal state to the next. However, they do generally have to submit examples of their usually require students to produce a work (portfolio) or pass an aptitude test. Diplom thesis and to sit written and oral examinations. Students work on a concrete career-specific topic for their Diplom thesis and often produce it in cooperation with a company, for example, where they did an internship. Students who graduate with an outstanding Diplom degree may be able to enter a doctoral programme at a university.
Bachelors and Masters Fachhochschulen also offer Bachelors and Masters programmes. The Bachelors or Masters degree awarded is the same as that awarded by a university. However, Fachhochschule studies do differ from university studies in terms of contentual focus. Studies at Fachhochschulen concentrate on applied sciences.
Preparation for a concrete and specific profession or career field plays a much
greater role than at a university. However, these two types of higher education institutions Fachhochschule and university may become more alike in the future. Graduates holding a Bachelors degree from a Fachhochschule can be admitted to a Masters programme at a Fachhochschule or a university. FH and university Masters programmes are largely equivalent and generally open up the same career prospects.
Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) 23
Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany
Flensburg
Heide
Wilhelmshaven Emden
Buxtehude Bremen Ottersberg Oldenburg Bremen
Lbeck Wismar Gstrow Elmshorn Pinneberg Neubrandenburg Wedel MecklenburgHamburg Bremerhaven Western Pomerania Hamburg
Kiel SchleswigHolstein
Stralsund
Brandenburg Eberswalde
Berlin Berlin Brandenburg Potsdam Hannover Wildau Osnabrck Braunschweig Wolfenbttel Magdeburg Hildesheim Bielefeld Lemgo Mnster Bernburg Dessau Kthen SaxonyNorth RhineHolzminden Wernigerode Senftenberg WestphaliaHamm Anhalt Paderborn Gelsenkirchen Essen BochumDortmund Gttingen Merseburg Nordhausen Iserlohn Krefeld Leipzig BadSoodenAllendorf Grlitz Dsseldorf Moritzburg Thuringia Dresden Zittau Mittweida Saxony Erfurt Jena Kln AachenBrhl Chemnitz Hesse St.Augustin Schmalkalden Bonn Zwickau Gieen Fulda BadHonnef Hachenburg Idstein Friedberg Hof Koblenz BadHomburg Coburg Frankfurta.M. RhinelandSchweinfurt Wiesbaden Palatinate Aschaffenburg Mainz Bingen Darmstadt Wrzburg Trier Weiden Worms Nrnberg Amberg Kaiserslautern Mannheim Ansbach Saarland Ludwigshafen Heidelberg Saarbrcken Heilbronn Karlsruhe Regensburg SchwbischHall Pforzheim Ludwigsburg Deggendorf Stuttgart Esslingen Aalen Ingolstadt SchwbischGmnd Calw Nrtingen Offenburg Landshut Bavaria Rottenburg Reutlingen FreisingUlm Neu-Ulm AlbstadtWeihenstephan Augsburg Sigmaringen Riedlingen Furtwangen Erding Biberach Mnchen Freiburg Baden- Weingarten Ravensburg Wrttemberg Rosenheim Isny Kempten Konstanz Lower Saxony Stendal
Vechta
Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music)
Besides its universities and Fachhoch- Occasionally, colleges of art, film and schulen, German higher education alsomusic also offer research-oriented or FH has a whole range of colleges of art, film degree programmes (for example, in and music to offer. The word college media is studies, musicology or aesthetics). used here as a generic term. While most Essentially, these programmes apply the of these institutions bear the name Hochsame study conditions as in university schule, some have names that go back studies. to their historical roots or traditions, such as (Kunst)Akademie or Schule. In English, Some universities and Fachhochschulen they use names like University of the Arts, also offer art, design, film or music proSchool of Music, Academy of Film and grammes. Admissions conditions and Television, etc. course contents are much the same as those offered at colleges of art, film or music, but may differ on a case-by-case basis. Colleges of art, film or music are primarily responsible for developing the various arts Sometimes, the proximity of other subject and for preparing students for careers in areas at the respective institutions makes art and art education . The 57 state (public) it possible to give degree programmes a and state-recognised institutions currently specific focus (e. g. an emphasis on theory, train around 33,000 students. philosophy or history).
Further Information Students wishing to study at a college of www.hrk.de art, film or music must have exceptional 3 Website of the German Rectors Conference (HRK). artistic talent. This criterion is more imporIts website includes a search function for colleges of tant than their school qualifications.
art, film and music.
The particular value attached to artistic www-en.studienwahl.de talent is also reflected in the study regula3 Website published by the Federal Employment tions. To ensure that students can fully Agency and the German Federal States (Lnder). develop their creative potential, these allow The site offers extensive information on study them a lot of individual freedom in how opportunities in Germany. they organise their personal studies. This applies particularly in the fine arts.
Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music) 25
Admissions Requirements
Some of the teaching is delivered in the form of lectures, seminars and other kinds School Qualifications of courses (see pp. 14-15). However, teaching in these artistic-creative fields attaches particular importance to practical exerAs a rule, students wishing to study at a college of art, film or music need to hold cises a in which students get the opportugeneral higher education entrance qualifinity and are expected to develop their cation called allgemeine Hochschulreife musical . skills, artistic ability and creative Study applicants with outstanding artistic potential. The programme provides both talent may also be admitted to studies individual teaching and discussion with without the required school leaving certiuniversity teachers and fellow students as ficate. In this case, they have to pass a means an of allowing each student to develaptitude test. Please note, however, that op his or her own personal artistic style. this option is not available when studying To encourage exchange, studies are often for a teaching degree. completed as a class. Many degree programmes require students to do internInternships and Aptitude Tests ships that last several months. The colleges have developed various The standard time to degree in a tradiways to test the artistic aptitude of their tional degree course is generally set at applicants such as practical exams or between 8 and 10 semesters. As at uniinterviews with university teachers. In versities, the summer semester generally most cases, applicants must submit a begins in April and the winter semester portfolio of their own art or design work. in October. Applicants wishing to study music are required to demonstrate their ability The in Bachelors and Masters programmes an audition. Some other degree programoffered by colleges of art, film and music mes expect students to spend several essentially have the same structure as months doing an internship. similar programmes offered at universities and Fachhochschulen. Organisation of Studies Just like university and FH programmes, the courses usually offered at colleges of art, film and music are divided into a basic study stage and a main study stage (see pp. 13-14). Some institutions already test whether students are suitable for the course after just two probationary semesters.
Academic Degrees Diplom
Meisterschler / Konzertexamen
The highest qualification for artists in Germany is nomination as a Meisterschler (Master Pupil) or qualification Traditional studies at a college of art, film or music generally end with a Diplom with a Konzertexamen. These distinctions degree. The elements required for graduacan be awarded to outstanding students tion can be made up of a Diplom thesis, or graduates in the course of their acaoral examinations, continuously assessed demic training. Some institutions require graduates to complete a course of postcredits, and demonstration of artistic skills. Depending on the subject in question, stugraduate studies (a Master Class) for this dents may be required to present their award, artto which only particularly-qualified work or to perform music, drama or give artists are admitted. Meisterschler studsimilar presentations. ies generally last one year. The Konzertexamen degree is the equivalent postgradInstitution-own Degrees uate qualification in the field of music. Some institutions end the studies infor-Bachelors and Masters mally, i. e. without conferring a formal degree or qualification; or perhaps they Bachelors and Masters programmes are only award a Diplom degree at the express still quite rare at colleges of art, film and request of the student. Others may confer music, since the federal states have not yet the Akademiebrief, a diploma of fine issued art, any uniform guidelines on these. as the graduation certificate in subjects However, the process of converting most from that field. of the degree courses over to this new academic structure also has to be completed Staatsexamen by 2010 at the latest (on performance assessment see p. 16). Students wishing to become art or music The Fine Arts form an exception in this teachers at state or state-recognised schools in Germany must graduate with a Staatsrespect, because studies in these subjects examen (see p. 17). differ greatly from conventional academic programmes. Some institutions will probably continue to offer their two-stage system of a first degree course (Diplom) plus postgraduate Meisterschler studies.
Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music) 27
Colleges of Art, Film and Music in Germany
Schleswig- Kiel Holstein Lbeck Hamburg Hamburg Bremen Bremen
Rostock
MecklenburgWestern Pomerania
Lower Saxony Elstal Hannover Herford Detmold Potsdam Braunschweig SaxonyAnhalt Halle Leipzig Dsseldorf Kln Alfter Hesse Thuringia Weimar
Berlin Berlin Brandenburg
Mnster
North RhineEssen Westphalia
Dresden Saxony
Grlitz
RhinelandPalatinate
Frankfurta.M. Offenbach Bayreuth Wrzburg Nrnberg
Saarland Saarbrcken
Mannheim Heidelberg Karlsruhe Stuttgart Tbingen
Regensburg
Rottenburg Trossingen BadenWrttemberg Freiburg
Bavaria Augsburg Mnchen
Higher Education Institutions and their Facilities
The following provides information on the Please contact the International Office first various facilities run by higher education if you have any general questions about institutions. Please note, however, thatdegree the programmes, admissions requirefacilities may differ in name and function, ments, or about preparing your studies or them. The International Office depending on which federal state they financing are staff will also give you advice on how to located in. find a place to live plus support with Faculties bureaucratic formalities related to your stay (residence, work, etc.). Universities are divided into faculties which are headed by an elected dean and contriPreparation for studying abroad takes a lot bute to drawing up the examination and of time. This is why you should contact the study regulations. Each faculty is madeInternational up Office at the institution of of various departments called Institute your choice at least 6 months (and better or Seminare in German. This, as a rule, still 1 year) before you plan to start your is also where the respective departmental studies there. library is located. The addresses of all the International The International Office Offices in Germany can be found on the (Akademisches Auslandsamt) enclosed CD-ROM. First Point of Contact for Students from Abroad Student Representation at Institutional and Departmental Level The International Office is one of the key contact points for foreign students. It isVarious councils and societies represent part of the university administration and student is interests at higher education instiresponsible for international academic tutions. The Student Parliament (StuPa) is relations and all related affairs, including elected once a year by all the students at student exchange, incoming and outgoing the institution in question. The Student students, etc. Parliament then elects the representatives of the universitys Student Council, known as Allgemeiner Studierendenausschuss (AStA) or StudentInnenrat (StuRa) or Unabhngiger Studierendenausschuss (UStA), depending on where you are studying.
Higher Education Institutions and their Facilities 29
Whatever it may be called at your institution, it is the highest representative body of the students. It represents the academic interests of students and attends to their social and cultural affairs. Students in the individual departments also elect departmental student societies called Fachschaften (like the Physics Society or History Society), which represent student interests at departmental level. Rector, President and Senate Executive Management and Administration of Higher Education Institutions Higher education institutions are headed by a Rector (Rektor) or President (Prsident), several Deputy Rectors (Prorektoren) or Vice-Presidents (Vizeprsidenten), and the institutions chief administrative officer, the Registrar (Kanzler). The Academic Senate is responsible for managing overarching affairs in the field of research, teaching and studies. The Senate is made up of representatives of all university members, which means that students and non-academic staff also sit on it.
Admissions Requirements
Proof of Adequate School or Educational Qualifications
Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (Kultusministerkonferenz KMK). It is responsible for Higher Education Entrance issuing recommendations on the assessQualification ment of foreign educational certificates. Practically all German higher education If you would like to study at a German institutions base their decisions on admithigher education institution, you must ting foreign applicants on these recommenpresent educational qualifications that dations; are the higher education acts adopted recognised as equivalent to a German by many federal states define these recomhigher education entrance qualification. mendations as the minimum requirements Students applying to study an artistic subfor admission to higher education. You ject may be admitted without a formal can find out how your certificates will be higher education entrance qualificationassessed if in Germany by going to the DAAD they can demonstrate that they have partiwebsite, or for greater detail onto the cular artistic talent. However, it is absowebsite of the Central Office for Foreign lutely essential that you find out specificEducation: www.anabin.de. ally what the requirements are in each Test for Academic Studies (TestAS) degree programme at each university that you are thinking about applying for. Since 2007, there has also been a test with Often, a school leaving certificate that which foreign study applicants can assess qualifies you for entry into higher educawhether or not they possess the cognitive tion in your home country will be accepted ability to start academic studies in Germaas an equivalent qualification for admisny. The test for Academic Studies (TestAS) sion to higher education in Germany. can be taken in the spring at any one of Under certain circumstances you may be 350 TestDaF centres worldwide (see p. 35). required to present further qualifications The , test score will help you realistically such as proof that you have successfully assess if studying at a German higher educompleted one or two years of academic cation institution is right for you. Furtherstudy in your home country. more you can improve your chances of getting a study place in Germany by The Central Office for Foreign Education achieving good results in the Test for Aca(Zentralstelle fr auslndisches Bildungsdemic Studies. wesen ZaB) is based at the Standing
Admissions Requirements 33
The test consists of three parts: a shortCore courses to prepare for the Festlanguage test (German or English), a genstellungsprfung at a university: eral core knowledge test and a specialised academic field module. Currently, there T course: for technical, mathematics are modules for engineering and the eco- and natural sciences programmes nomic sciences. The language test is not a (except biological programmes) replacement for the recognised language M course: for medical and biological proficiency tests needed for admission programmes (see p. 34). W course: for economics, business administration, and social sciences Assessment Test (Feststellungsprogrammes prfung) and Preparatory Course G course: for arts and humanities, (Studienkolleg) social studies, and artistic programmes; German studies S course: for language/linguistics If your educational qualifications are not sufficient for admission to studies, you oriented programmes (except German) may, under certain circumstances and instead of having to prove that you have Core courses to prepare for the Festcompleted one or two academic years of stellungsprfung at a Fachhochschule: study in your home country be able to attend a Studienkolleg in Germany to Course TI: for technical and engineerpass the so-called Feststellungsprfung. A ing programmes pass in this test is considered as proof that Course WW: for economics and you have the knowledge and qualifications business programmes required for studies in a specific subject Course GD: for art and design oriented area, i. e. natural sciences or engineering. programmes Course SW: for social sciences proYou take this test in several subjects of grammes importance to the subject that you eventu Course D: for programmes leading ally want to study. For example, if you plan to an interpreter/translator degree to study medicine, you will be tested in biology, chemistry and physics. TheColleges Festof art, film and music do not opestellungsprfung includes a language rate test. their own Studienkollegs. Study appliIts level meets the language proficiency cants can attend art-oriented courses requirements needed for admissionoffered to aca- by Studienkollegs at nearby higher demic study in Germany. education institutions. Studienkollegs at universities and FachThe core courses teach subjects which prepare hochschulen offer various courses for study you for the examination subjects applicants. The question of which core that you later take in the Feststellungscourse applies to you depends on what prfung, including an intensive German subject you wish to study: language course. However, basic language
skills (comparable with Level B1 of the This means they must be able to follow and understand a lecture, review, work on Common European Framework of Reference) do represent a requirement for and edit an academic text, and possibly acceptance into such a course. also write such a text. They must also be able to converse appropriately in German Example on academic or related topics. Foreign study applicants are advised to improve their German language skills as Subject Hours per week much as possible while they are still in German 11 their home country. This is possible in Physics 6 most countries. Germanys higher educaMathematics 5 tion institutions offer language courses, English 4 which may be free of charge, while others Technical drawing 2 are meanwhile increasingly charging fees Computer science 2 for such courses. Please note that the Total hours 32 number of places on these courses is limited. Private language schools and instiA core course at a Studienkolleg generally tutes also offer German language courses lasts two semesters. However, students that prepare students for their studies. who perform excellently can already be All such courses charge fees. As a rule, admitted to the Feststellungsprfung after study applicants must take a test to demonjust one semester. Students study as a class strate their German language proficiency. and receive around 32 hours of teaching Beginners are urgently advised to attend a per week. Participation in the courses is pre-study German course. compulsory. Classes, as a rule, are free of charge, although participants are required To study at a Fachhochschule or univerto pay the semester fee which all students sity, applicants who do not come from a in Germany must pay (see pp. 45-46). German-speaking country and who have not completed a Studienkolleg with the Proof of German Language Feststellungsprfung must consequently Proficiency pass one of the following two tests: German is the language of instruction TestDaF (Test Deutsch als Fremdand study at German higher education sprache) = German as a Foreign institutions, with the exception of some Language Test, or programmes instructed in English. DSH (Deutsche Sprachprfung fr Besides having adequate educational den Hochschulzugang auslndischer qualifications, study applicants also need Studienbewerber) = German Language to have German language skills at a level Test for the Admission of Foreign that enables them to meet the language Study Applicants. requirements needed for academic study.
Studienkolleg timetable for a T1 priority programme at a Fachhochschule
Admissions Requirements 35
German as a Foreign Language Test If you hold one of the following language (Test certificates, however, you will generally be Deutsch als Fremdsprache TestDaF) exempted from having to take these tests: Deutsches Sprachdiplom der KultusTestDaF is offered at licensed test centres ministerkonferenz, 2. Stufe (DSD II),in Germany and in about 80 other coun Zentrale Oberstufenprfung des tries. This standardised test is made up of Goethe-Instituts, or written and oral sections that enable you Kleines or Groes Deutsches Sprach-to demonstrate that your German diplom des Goethe-Instituts. language skills are of a sufficient level for You will also be exempted if you gained academic study. One of the advantages your Abitur school leaving certificate thatat TestDaF has over the DSH is that you a recognised German school abroad. can take the test in your home country. This means that you can compile all the Sometimes, higher education institutions papers and documents that you need for admission dispense with the need for a language certi- to higher education even before you leave for Germany. ficate. This may apply to exchange students, to applicants only wishing to spend one The test results are graded at three levels semester in Germany, to doctoral students, and also to students enrolled in degree (TDN 3, 4 and 5). Candidates who score programmes that are completely or largely the middle TestDaF level (TDN 4) in all held in English. test sections fulfil all the language requirements needed for admission to higher Occasionally, applicants do not have to education. Whether a level TDN 3 score present the language certificates for in one or more of the test sections is still admission to a higher education instisufficient for admission generally depends tution at this stage. However, theyon must the higher education institutions admiscertainly be presented when registering sions / policy. So, please make sure that you contact the relevant International matriculating at the institution.
Office as soon as possible to get all the information you need. The requirements at colleges of art, film and music differ from one institution to the next. Sometimes, they also require Depending on the country the test costs applicants to hold a DSH or TestDaF certi80, 110 or 150 euros and is held six times a ficate; in some cases, lower level language year. The registration deadline is always 4 skills may also be accepted. weeks before the next test date. Because the rules and regulations differ so The website www.testdaf.de lists all the much, please do make sure that you test centres and test dates, and gives useinform yourself in good time by contacting ful tips on how best to prepare for the test. the International Office or by going onto the website of your chosen institution.
German Language Test for the Further Information Admission of Foreign Study Appliwww.daad.de/zulassung 3 This is where you can find out whether your higher cants (Deutsche Sprachprfung fr education entrance qualification entitles you to direct den Hochschulzugang DSH)
admission to a degree programme at a German higher education institution or whether you first have to pass The DSH test can generally only be taken an assessment test called the Feststellungsprfung in Germany. Many higher education institutions offer it: students usually sit the test www.learn-german.net three to four weeks before the semester 3 Information on online learning methods, materials, starts. Although the DSH tests differ from course providers, plus a list of all recognised German one institution to the next, they are subject to general guidelines that apply for all language tests higher education institutions in Germany www.anabin.de and so are comparable. The DSH also in3 Database with information on the recognition of forvolves a written section and an oral section. eign educational certificates; to find out what recommendations apply to certificates from your home The test results are graded at three levels: country, use the option Land whlen; German only DSH-1, DSH-2 and DSH-3. Students wishing to be admitted to higher education must pass it with at least a DSH-2 level3 www.goethe.de Goethe Institute website with information on various score. Depending on what the objective language certificates of your studies is, a DSH-1 score may also be accepted, although you may only be www.studienkollegs.de given conditional admission, meaning that 3 Website of the Studienkolleg directors; German only you have to take German language courses parallel to your normal studies. You can www.testas.de again contact the International Office at 3 Information about the Test for Academic Studies your institution of choice to find out what language level it requires. Website of the German as a Foreign Language Unit Some higher education institutions do not charge for the DSH test, while others (FADAF) with information on language tests and certificates, and a list of German course providers; charge up to 150 euros. The institutions German only set the test dates themselves.
3 www.fadaf.de
Most higher education institutions offer3 www.sprachnachweis.de Information on languages proficiency tests and lanlanguage courses that prepare students guage ability certificates for studying in Germany for the DSH. There is generally a charge for these courses. The fees differ from one institution to the next. In many cases, you 3 www.deutsch-uni.com learning platform on the German language already need to have a certain level of Interactive Gerand on aspects of cultural and everyday life man to be able to attend these courses.
Application and Registration 37
Application and Registration
Applying to your chosen Higher There are various ways to apply for a study Education Institution: Directly or place at a German higher education instivia uni-assist tution. Which of these options is best for you depends on which subject you choose and at which higher education institution Often, study applicants from abroad must you would like to study. Your countryapply of direct to the International Office at origin may also play a role. the higher education institution at which they would like to study (for addresses see enclosed CD-ROM). The application form As far as admissions regulations are concanwill be obtained from the higher education cerned, the following study applicants be largely treated on the same basis institution as or downloaded from the DAAD German applicants: website (see p. 39). Applicants from a contracting stateHigher education institutions expect you to the European Economic Area (EEA) to enclose ; certain documents and papers the EEA covers the member states of with your application. As a rule, this inthe European Union plus Liechtenstein, cludes an officially-certified copy of your Iceland and Norway; school leaving certificate plus language Bildungsinlnder (foreign applicantscertificates. You will also be required to holding a German higher education provide personal details in a curriculum entrance qualification, for example,vitae for- or rsum plus information on how eigners who gained their higher educayou plan to finance your studies (proof of tion entrance qualification in Germany sufficient financial resources). Please note or who hold a school leaving certificate that the higher education institution will awarded by a German school abroad). only process your admissions application once you have submitted all the required papers. The application deadline generally European Union member states ends several months before the semester Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, start date. Therefore, please ensure that Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, you contact the International Office as Finland, France, Germany, Greece, soon as possible, so that you can obtain Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, any documents that you may still need in Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, good time, i. e. before the closing date. Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
More than 90 German higher educationApplying through the Central institutions only process international University Admissions Service (ZVS) study applications once these have been formally pre-checked by uni-assist (a certification service for international So-called nationwide admissions restricstudent applications). The advantage for tions (Numerus clausus, NC) apply to subinternational study applicants lies in the jects that have more applicants than places fact that they only need to contact onethroughout Germany. Germans and equal central office to apply for a study placestatus at foreigners (i. e. EEA foreigners several higher education institutions atthat is, EU foreigners and applicants from once with just one set of application Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland and papers. The service provided by uni-assist foreigners who gained their school leaving ensures a quick check of papers. It alsocertificate in Germany or at a German contacts the applicant without delay if any school abroad) must initially send their papers are missing. If all the papers have application to the Central University been submitted in full and the applicant Admissions Service (Zentralstelle fr meets the formal academic requirements, die Vergabe von Studienpltzen ZVS, the application will be forwarded to thewww.zvs.de). All other applicants should selected higher education institutions. apply directly to their chosen higher eduApplicants from the European Economic cation institution or to uni-assist. Area (EEA) pay 30 euros for processing the first application to one higher education institution; Chinese applicants who passed the certification process at the Academic Evaluation Centre in Beijing (APS) pay 25 euros. All other applicants pay 55 euros. Each application for an additional institution costs 15 euros. For further information, please check the uni-assist website: www.uni-assist.de. Institutions are increasingly selecting students on the basis of quality criteria. Selection factors differ from one federal state to the next and from institution to institution. Please contact the institution of your choice for information and details. A fixed proportion of study places are reserved for students from abroad who have to pass through a different admissions procedure to that required for German and equivalent status students (see p. 37).
Application and Registration 39
Registration/Matriculation (Immatrikulation) As soon as youve received your letter of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) from the International Office or the ZVS, you can go and register at the specified institution. Please note that the registration deadlines can often be quite short and that you mostly have to go in person to your institution to register. You have to take a number of specific papers and documents with you to register for example, proof that you have health insurance and that you have paid the semester fee (see pp. 45-47). The International Office will tell you whether you have to bring any other papers along. Once you have done this, you will soon receive confirmation of your registration by post. As a registered student you can attend courses at the institution, take exams and gain an academic degree. You have access to all the facilities at your institution library, sports facilities, computer rooms and can vote at elections to the student parliament.
Further Information www.daad.de/zulassung
many as well as application forms
3 Provides information on admission to study in Ger-
Entry and Residence Provisions
Visa and Residence Permit
Students and applicants from Andorra, Australia, Canada, Honduras, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Monaco, In general, foreign students and study applicants from abroad need a national New Zealand, San Marino, Switzerland visa to enter Germany. For longer and the United States of America are stays, they additionally need to obtain also exempted from the visa requirea residence permit. ment. However, they do need to obtain a residence permit (AufenthaltserlaubExceptions apply for students and nis, see p. 42) if their stay lasts longer study applicants from the following than three months. countries: Nationals from the following countries may enter Germany for three months Citizens of countries belonging to the without a visa: Argentina, Bolivia, BraEuropean Economic Area (EEA, see zil, Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, p. 37) only need to present an identity El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, card or comparable proof of identity, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, such as a passport, for entry. After Singapore, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venarriving, they must go to the registra- ezuela. However, if you plan to stay in tion authority (Meldebehrde) in their Germany for more than three months, new place of residence to register theirthen you must enter Germany with a address. They then receive a certificate visa. Anyone entering Germany withconfirming their right of residence out a visa must leave the country again (Bescheinigung ber das Aufenthalts- after three months and return to their recht). Under certain circumstances, home country to apply for a visa. they may also have to prove that they are able to maintain themselves (i.e. that they have enough money to cover their living expenses) and that they have health insurance cover.
Entry and Residence Provisions 41
Applicant Visa (Visum zur Studienbewerbung)
Student Visa (Visum zu Studienzwecken)
Applicants who have not yet been If you have already been admitted to a admitted to a higher education institudegree programme or a Studienkolleg , you tion or a Studienkolleg can often already need a student visa. Generally you will apply for an applicant visa to the German have to submit the following papers along mission abroad (embassy, consulate) in with your visa application: their respective home country (the addresses of these missions can be found on Letter of admission from the higher the Federal Foreign Office website: education institution; this can be www.auswaertiges-amt.de). The visa is substituted by confirmation from the valid for three months and is meant to institution that there is good reason give you the opportunity to collect any to expect admission to be granted; information you need about studying in Proof of health insurance cover Germany and to meet the requirements (see pp. 4647); for admission. If the three months are not Proof of financial resources (see p. 42); enough, the length of stay can be extended Proof of previous educational qualifiby a maximum of six months. If you are cations and academic credits; admitted to a course of studies or to a Proof of any German language skills Studienkolleg in this time, you will be able you may have or of plans to take an to apply for a student residence permitintensive . language course in Germany. The student visa is generally issued for a There are no uniform provisions on which papers and documents you need to enclose period of three months. If your studies or with your visa application. They may project be are going to last longer, you must contact the foreigners authority (Austhe same as for the student visa (see below; but since you do not yet have the letter lnderbehrde) of at your German place of admission specified there, a higher eduresidence to apply for a residence permit. cation entrance qualification recognised in Germany will be accepted). Please contact the German mission in your country as soon as possible to find out which documents you need so that you do not waste any time unnecessarily.
Residence Permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis)
man higher education institutions. At the time of going to press, the new regulations had not yet been finalised. Generally, your studies, your project or your course at a Studienkolleg will last Financial Requirements longer than three months. If you do not come from an EU country or from a counBefore starting your studies, you must prove try of equivalent status, you must go to the that you are able to finance yourself. foreigners authority (Auslnderbehrde) As a rule, you already need to prove that in the town in which you are studying to you have sufficient financial resources apply for a residence permit. This is iniavailable to you when you apply for a tially issued for two years, but can be visa; but you must certainly present this extended each time by a further two years, proof at the latest when you apply for a subject to appropriate academic progress. residence permit. Your application for a residence permit As a rule, you will be required to prove that must be supported by the letter of admisyou have at least 585 euros per month sion from your higher education institution, (equal to 7,020 euros per year) available to by proof of health insurance cover, andyou. Some federal states may set different by proof that you have sufficient financial sums. You can prove that you have suffiresources to maintain yourself (living cient financial resources (Finanzierungsexpenses) while studying in Germany. nachweis) by presenting a scholarship award letter or an overview of your parents income and assets (e. g. bank After graduating successfully in Germany, you can apply for a one-year extensionstatements), to by depositing a bank guaranyour residence permit for the purpose of tee at a bank or by presenting other looking for a job. This application must securities. be The German mission abroad accompanied by proof that you have or the foreigners authority in Germany enough finances to maintain yourself and will give you details on exactly what the that you are seriously endeavouring to requirements find are. Students from EU and equivalent status countries generally only a job that corresponds with your qualifineed to make a written statement at the cations. Germans and applicants of equal status (citizens from the EEA and Switzerregistration authority in which they conland) have priority in the allocation of jobs. firm that they have sufficient financial Once you have found a position that corresources at their disposal. responds with your qualifications, you will get a residence permit that allows you to A useful tip take up gainful employment in Germany. If you want to study in Germany, never
enter on a tourist visa, because you
However, the German government has cannot subsequently convert this visa recently resolved to ease the employment into a student or applicant visa. restrictions for foreign graduates of Ger-
Entry and Residence Provisions 43
Medical Examination (Gesundheitsuntersuchung)
Please contact the foreigners authority at your place of study for exact information on the employment legislation provisions. When you apply for an entry visa, you may Further Information be required to present a health certificate. The German mission abroad will provide 3 www.daad.de/en/form Information on the Statutory Frameworks applicable you with information on this.
to the Pursuit of Gainful Employment by Foreign Students, Academics and Researchers; Information You may have to present a medical certiSheet can be downloaded ficate when you want to extend your residence permit in Germany. However, the regulations on this differ from one federal 3 www.daad.de/en/form Information on the Statutory Frameworks applicable state to the next. The foreigners authority at your place of study will inform you to Entry and Residence by Foreign Students, Academics and Researchers; Information Sheet can be accordingly. downloaded
Working and Studying

Under "Germany / Living in Germany / Entry and resiStudents from the EEA and Switzerland dence" you will find answers to important questions who wish to work in Germany do not need about entry and residence provisions a work permit. They have the same status as German students in this respect. Special regulations apply for citizens from the 3 The Federal Employment Agency new EU countries (except for Malta andin your university town Cyprus): they will be treated as students from third (non-EU countries) for a transi3 The foreigners authority in your university town tional period.
3 www.daad.de/deutschland
Students who do not come from the EEA 3 www.auswaertiges-amt.de or Switzerland are only allowed to workLook here for the addresses of German missions abroad for a maximum of 90 full or 180 half days per year. Any work exceeding these limits must be approved by the local Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fr Arbeit) and foreigners authority (Auslnderbehrde). Jobs related to higher education can be taken without any time limits, but must be reported to the foreigners authority. The authority then decides if a job can be classified a student employment and so is not subject to the above ruling.
Costs, Fees, Sources of Funding and Scholarships
What Does it Cost to Study?
the Deutsches Studentenwerk (Association of German Student Services Organisations) Cost of Living as per 2006). But students who find inexpensive accommodation and lead an otherGermany is not expensive compared towise moderate life can also make do with roughly 600 euros per month. other European countries. Food and drink, accommodation, leisure activities, cultural events and so on all cost around the EU Most of the monthly budget goes on rent. average. Compared with other countries Yet, rents differ greatly, with students like France, Britain and the Netherlands, paying between 185 and 345 euros per prices are actually quite low. month for accommodation, depending on which university town they live in. Rents Its difficult to say how much money a in major cities, like Hamburg, Munich or student generally needs per month in Frankfurt/Main, tend to be higher than Germany. The amount will differ from average. If you want to save money, try one town to the next and will depend not subtenancy or lodging or looking for a least on the students personal leisure room in a hall of residence or a shared flat activities. Students who don't live with (see Table; further information on looking their parents have around 770 euros per for a place to live on pp. 50-52). month available to them on average (as determined by the 18th Social Survey of Cost of Living (approximate values as per 2007)
Cost of Accommodation in a hall of residence / dormitory Room in a shared flat Own flat Refectory / student restaurant meal Loaf of bread (1 kg) various varieties Milk (1 litre) Daily paper (per month with student subscription) 100 km rail journey Cinema Amount in euros 200.00 245.00 315.00 1.502.50 1.503.00 0.600.70 14.0019.00 22.0025.00 4.008.00
Costs, Fees, Sources of Funding and Scholarships 45
Students can make use of various special Some federal states additionally charge rates. State theatres, museums and opera an administration fee. Depending on the institution in question, this can amount to houses offer cut-price or discount tickets, 50 and 75 euros per semester. and in some cases theatres, cinemas, between municipal libraries and other cultural facilities are free of charge. Daily papers and magaTypical example zines are also cheaper with a student subscription. Holders of a Semesterticket Semester Fee in the Winter Semester 2007/2008 at the University of Bielefeld (see below) can use buses, trams, suburban and local trains in and around their uniCost of Amount in euros versity town without having to pay any extra. Semester Fee and Administration Fee
Social contributions Student representation Semester ticket Sum total 60.00 11.70 81.30 153.00
All students in Germany pay a Semester Fee (Semesterbeitrag) for each semester of study; the amount can differ from one General Tuition Fees institution to the next: Since January 2005, when the Federal Social contributions are charged for Constitutional Court lifted the ban on using the social facilities maintained tuition fees for first degree (underby the student services organisations graduate) courses and consecutive Mas(Studentenwerke), like refectories (the ters programmes, more than half of the student restaurant), cafeterias, student federal states have introduced general halls of residence, and sports facilities; tuition fees. Since these fees differ from a financial contribution towards the one federal state to the next, and with student representations (for example, developments in this field also prothe student parliament); gressing very quickly at the moment, it is a payment for the Semesterticket: the advisable to contact the institution of your semester ticket allows the holder to use to find out exactly whether tuition choice local transport in and around the unifees are charged and, if so, how much. versity town at no extra cost (not availThe following trends can be seen to be emerging at present: able at all higher education institutions).
Health and Accident Insurance The ceiling for general tuition fees has been set almost everywhere at 500 euros. Some federal states allow the higherStudents who study in Germany must have insurance cover and must pay education institutions themselves to health set the level of their fees up to the general contributions for nursing care insurance. ceiling. Institutions in North Rhine- Students who cannot prove that they have Westphalia are also at liberty to comboth these types of insurance cannot regpletely dispense with tuition fees. ister/matriculate at a higher education institution. Doctoral candidates have generally been exempted from having to pay tuition fees. There are two kinds of health insurance: statutory (public) health insurance (GesetzIn addition, some higher education instiliche Krankenversicherung GKV) and tutions require foreign study applicantsprivate health insurance (Private Krankento pay application fees (usually aroundversicherung PKV). If you have not yet 50 euros). Some institutions also plan turned 30 years of age or have not yet to introduce so-called student support spent more than 14 semesters in academic fees to pay for the special services offered study (Fachsemester) you can be insured with a statutory health insurance carrier. to foreign students. Statutory health insurance carriers offer particularly favourable rates for students. Many federal states require students who have clearly exceeded the standard time The health insurance contribution, includto degree in their subject or who take up ing nursing care insurance, currently a second degree course to pay fees of amounts to around 55 euros per month. Doctoral students are not accepted by the between 500 and 1,500 euros. statutory health insurance carriers, unless they have already been insured there (as A regularly updated list of the tuition fees a student) for at least one year. charged in the various federal states can be found at: www.studis-online.de/ StudInfo/Gebuehren. Statutory health insurance carriers pay most of the treatment costs. However, insured persons are required to pay an excess (additional sum) for prescription drugs, in-patient treatment, and psychotherapy. If they need out-patient treatment, they pay a medical consultation fee of 10 euros per quarter direct to the doctor or dentist prior to treatment.
The statutory health insurance carriers Further Information Ziel credit any statutory qualifying periods 3 Deutschland/Destination Germany Booklet with extensive information on studying acquired in EU/EEA countries on the and living in Germany; please order from the DAAD basis of social security agreements and bilateral insurance agreements.
answers to important questions concerning costs Students from EU/EEA countries with For valid health insurance from their home country (European Health Card) should take out 3www.deutsche-sozialversicherung.de supplementary insurance in their homeWebsite of the European Representation of the German Social Insurance System which explains the country, since the home insurance only five pillars of the German social insurance system covers medically necessary treatment costs (illness / health, accident, unemployment, nursing (i. e. emergency treatment). care and old age)
3 www.daad.de/deutschland
Students do not need to take out accident www.internationale-studierende.de insurance. They are covered by law against 3 Website of the Deutsches Studentenwerk, the accidents during their training at the higher education institution and on the way tonational association of German student services organisations, with information on student finances and from the institution. Additional insurand on other general questions, such as residence ance may be a sensible option if you plan and employment law, health insurance, etc. to take up competitive sport, for example.
3 www.studis-online.de/StudInfo/
Gebuehren/tuition_fees.php
Student portal, includes information on tuition fees, scholarships and grants, and other financial questions
How Can I Finance My Studies? Grants and Scholarships
State Training Assistance
German students from low-income families receive state support based on the Federal Training Assistance Act (BundesausbilInternational students can apply to numerous organisations for grants or scholar-dungsfrderungsgesetz BAfG). BAfG ships, such as the DAAD, political foun-is paid half as a grant and half as an interest-free loan that only needs to be repaid dations, religious organisations, or business in instalments once the holder has taken and industry organisations. Higher education institutions themselves also offer a employment. The German government up certain number of scholarships or grants, also offers students in the advanced stages such as for students at partner institutions of their studies or training the opportunity toor take up a low-interest loan. who are in their study completion phase are doing a doctorate at a graduate school. Foreign students may also apply for BAfG To qualify for financial support, applicants payments or student loans (Bildungskredit). Yet, you generally have to meet a must primarily demonstrate above-average academic ability in the subject in question number of conditions. For example, you and particular political or social commitmust have been a resident in Germany ment; an applicants personal, social before you started studying or you are a recognised refugee or have asylum status circumstances only play a secondary role. or you come from an EU member state or The most extensive range of scholarship from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway and programmes for German and foreign were working in Germany before the start students, (post)graduates and researchers of your studies. Your work and academic is offered by the DAAD. The web-basedsubject must be related in terms of content. Other conditions may also apply. scholarship database provides a convenient way of researching the various kinds of scholarships, including those offeredPlease by contact the student services at your other funding organisations (additional institution to find out whether BAfG traincontact points listed below under Further ing assistance or another kind of student Information). loan (for example, as offered by state banks called Landesbanken) is available to you. Funding for a full course of studies from The government-owned KfW Banking the first to the last semester is not generally possible with the DAAD or with most Group offers student loan of up to 650 other organisations. euros per month. Germans and EU foreigners who have been living in Germany for at least three years may apply, as well as their immediate family members.
Part-Time and Temporary Jobs
www.funding-guide.de 3 In addition to providing information on DAAD
programmes, the scholarship database also lists If you wish to study in Germany, you must be able to prove that you can maintain funding opportunities for international students, graduates and postdocs offered by other selected yourself, i. e. that you have enough money organisations to live on (Proof of financial resources see p. 42). This means that you are not essentially dependent on part-time or tem3 Employment Agencies in your university town porary work. However, if you would like to earn some extra cash, you can find job Job agency and advice offers at the local Employment Agency, in local papers or on the noticeboards at uni 3 www.arbeitsagentur.de Website of the Federal Employment Agency with job or in cafs. However, you must not expect exchanges and special information for students and it to be easy to find a job. The number of jobs offered for students is quite small. graduates; German only
www.auswaertiges-amt.de A part-time or temporary job has a number 3 Website of the Federal Foreign Office with the of advantages, like more money and new contacts. But it also bears a number of addresses of the German missions in your home country from which you can obtain information risks. Students who work and study must about scholarships and grants expect this to delay their graduation. Some federal states charge fees for long-term students, which can become very expensive. 3 www.bafoeg.bmbf.de
Research BMBF with information on BAfG Students who are not nationals of an EU training assistance; German only or EEA member state can only work to a limited extent in Germany. You can find www.bildungskredit.de information on the employment legislation 3 Website of the Federal Administrative Office provisions on p. 43. Bundesverwaltungsamt with information on
Website of the Federal Ministry of Education and
Further Information DAAD-Scholarships for Foreign Academics and Students
student loans; German only
DAAD brochure with an overview of available scholarship and grant programmes
Website of the KfW Banking group with information on student loans (see section on Education for more details)
3 www.kfw-foerderbank.de
3 Information on grants, see pp. 66-71
www.daad.de/offices
How Best to Start Your Studies
Student Accommodation
In some university towns, student

services and various religious and faith
groups offer inexpensive overnight Anyone who studies in Germany is persostays for students seeking a room or flat. nally responsible for finding a place to live. Only in exceptions, such as at private uniIn some cases, you can take a room in versities, will you be able to find a system a private guesthouse for 15 euros per like in other countries, where students night, live including breakfast. Youth hostels on campus. (www.jugendherberge.de) charge between 12 and 24 euros per night for a bed and Since only little inexpensive accommodabreakfast in a multi-bed, for example tion is available in many university towns, shared room. However, you need to be a you should start searching for a flat or member of the German Youth Hostel room as soon as possible. Please contact Organisation (Deutsches Jugendherbergsthe International Office to find out what werk) or of another member organisation you have to be aware of when looking for of the a International Youth Hostel Federaplace to live and where vacant rooms or tion (12 euros per year if you are no older than 26 years of age). flats are advertised. Ask about the addresses of student halls of residence and dormiStudent Halls of Residence and tories as well as about other organisations Dormitories (Studentenwohnheime) that can help you in your flat hunting. You will often be able to find some initial tips on the International Office website.The student services organisations, religious and faith groups, and private organisations The First Few Nights run student halls of residence in practically all university towns. They generally offer reaIf you have to travel to your future uni- sonably-priced accommodation. versity town to look for a flat, you need to find some temporary accommodation. They also offer flats for one or two persons You can get some information on your plus rooms in shared flats (Wohngemeinoptions in the town by contacting the schaften = WG). Some rooms or flats are furInternational Office. nished and are equipped with inexpensive Internet access. Many of these halls have leisure and recreation rooms that all the residents share. Washing machines are often available for you to use at a charge.
How Best to Start Your Studies 51
Private Accommodation Market Unfortunately, it is often difficult to find a place in a hall of residence. If you are interested in such an option, you should apply Most students find a place to live on the as soon as you get the letter of admission private accommodation market. They from your higher education institution. either rent a flat of their own, a room in a The sooner you do this, the greater your shared flat or move in as a subtenant or chances will be. lodger (information on rent costs on p. 44). Several people live together in a WG and share the costs, like rent, standing charges Special Student Services for phone and Internet, and so on. A lodger Many student services (Studentenor subtenant is somebody who rents a flat werke) help international students and then rents out part of that flat (i. e. a living in their halls of residence to a room) to another person. smoother start in their studies by offering a number of special services. They You can start looking for a place to live provide tutors to help new students whilst you are still at home. Some shared with everyday questions like dealing flat agencies and flat exchanges have spewith the authorities, problems with cialised in student accommodation and others living in the hall, or questions on offer this via the Internet, for example: their studies or on how best to organise leisure activities. The Studentenwww.mitwohnzentrale.de werke also have a special Service Set www.homecompany.de that includes a room in the hall plus www.studenten-wg.de the semester fee, arrangement of www.studenten-wohnung.de health insurance and the provision of cutlery, crockery and bedlinen; If you dont succeed with this, you will depending on which services are have to travel to Germany and look for taken, the set costs between 185 and accommodation. Youll find most offers in 358 euros per month. The Studententhe daily papers (and mostly in the Saturwerke also operate a specific website day edition), city magazines and student for international students: or university mags . Get your edition as www.internationale-studierende.de
3 3 3 3
early as possible, since good offers are often taken up quickly. Flats or rooms that become vacant are often advertised at the institution through notices posted outside the student council offices (AStA), at the cafeterias, or on the noticeboards known in German as schwarze Bretter, although they are seldom black.
catalogue (Vorlesungsverzeichnis) that lists the courses offered in all subjects. There is no uniform format for setting Often, individual faculties and departrents. So when comparing prices, ments will also bring out annotated please pay attention to what exactly course catalogues (kommentierte Vorlethe euro sum includes: Kaltmiete sungsverzeichnisse KVV). Almost all means the base rent for the accommoinstitutions have meanwhile placed these dation, while Warmmiete means base on the Internet as well. The KVV contains rent plus extra costs for water, road more detailed information on seminars, cleaning, waste disposal, etc. courses and lectures as well as recommended reading lists to help you prepare for the semester. Of course, you can also ask a professional estate agent to look for a flat for you. But remember that the agency fee can amount Any changes made at short notice to the up to three monthly rent payments. range of courses are published on the noticeboard (schwarzes Brett) in your Planning Your Studies department. This is also where you will find the lists into which you must enter Students wishing to study in Germany your name if you want to attend certain need to be able to work, i. e. study, indecourses. pendently. The study regulations allow Advice and Support students a lot of freedom in the organisation of their studies (particularly students enrolled at universities). However, it also Introductory events are offered for all new means that you need to show a lot of students German and foreign at the personal initiative and self-discipline if start of each semester. They are organised you wish to reach your academic goal. by the universitys student council (AStA) This is why it is important that you inform and by the departmental student societies yourself about your studies and your (Fachschaften) and provide important infordegree programme as soon as possible. mation on the institution itself and on the structure of your degree programme. Study Regulations and Course Catalogue In addition, the International Office will offer an orientation meeting for new It is absolutely essential that you carefully students from abroad. This is really imread the study and examination regulations portant for your study planning, which is at the start of your studies. In some cases, why you should not miss it under any they are also published on the Internet, circumstances. You will get the invitation but of course you can request them from to this meeting together with your letter your future higher education institutionof admission. as well. Once a semester, each higher education institution publishes a course A Tip
How Best to Start Your Studies 53
If you have any other special questionsorganise regular roundtables (Stammabout your academic studies, please tische) dont where students meet in the same hesitate to contact the appropriate offices pub or bar each week for a cocktail of in your faculty, above all the faculty friends and shop talk. administration (Fakulttsverwaltung) and the departmental student advice services Outside uni, you will find that many (Studienberatung der Fachschaft). If you German towns and cities offer a very have any general questions about studying diverse and varied range of cultural and change of degree programme, how to leisure activities . Information and dates organise your study workload, support can for be found in the daily papers, the city women then the Central Student Advice magazines and student or uni mags. Service (Zentrale Studienberatung ZSB) Sometimes, the International Offices also is the place to ask. publish programmes of events of special interest to foreign students (daytrips, Some institutions also run special support, weekend outings, evening get-togethers, counselling and guidance programmes and so on). (Betreuungsprogramme). German students Religious Communities and help new students from abroad find their Faith Groups way around and settle in to the institution and new town. Make sure you use opportunities like these, if they are offeredMost at higher education institutions have a Protestant and Catholic student chapyour institution. A quick and uncomplicated solution can often be found to any problaincy. Larger institutions, in particular, lems that might arise. may have other faith groups as well. Since these communities and groups are interStudent Life ested in exchange with other cultures and religions, they are also often open to of other faiths and religions. Of course, you can do much more than members just study at a higher education institution in fact, they also offer really extensiveThe range student or university chaplaincies and faith groups offer religious services, send of leisure activities. The semester normally starts with parties organised by the out departinvites to panel discussions, and organise various leisure activities. For informental student societies or the universitys student council. Sports activities mation, just go to the respective website or at higher education institutions are very check the course catalogue published by popular, ranging from football via sailing your institution. You can also sometimes through to yoga; participation is largely find the contact addresses listed in the free of charge. Those who would rather phone book under Churches (Kirchen). engage in art will find that the theatre groups, choirs, orchestras and university radio stations offer plenty of opportunities. Some departmental student societies
Internships in Germany
Doing an internship in Germany is an from the European and International of the Federal Employment interesting option if you would first likeHotline to use a shorter stay to get to know the counAgency. try and its people, the working world and Further Information higher education institutions. Many young www.eu.daad.de people use internships before, during and 3 DAAD after their training to gain practical career website on EU educational programmes experience in a company or organisation. Depending on what was agreed, an intern3 Bundesagentur fr Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency) ship can last several months. Please note Europa- und Auslandshotline (European and that interns generally receive no payment International Hotline): Tel. 0180 100 30 60 (3.9 Cent per or only very little for their work.
minute)
Employers attach great importance to www.aiesec.org internships abroad, because your decision 3 AIESEC to gain such experience shows that you are website, an international student organisation flexible and willing to learn. If you then with lots of information for students, including information about an international internship programme plan to study in Germany, you should find it relatively easy to start your studies: www.iaeste.de youve already settled in and the German 3 Website of one of the world's largest internship language doesnt present any major difexchange programmes for students in the natural ficulties anymore.
sciences, engineering, forestry and agriculture
You can find internship places on the webwww.students-at-work.de sites of many organisations and companies 3 Advisory service offered for working students by and on the job exchange of the Federal
the Federation of German Trade Unions Deutscher Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fr Gewerkschaftsbund; German only Arbeit). However, remember that demand
for places is very great your search could www.unicum.de/beruf/praktikum take a while. The greater your personal3 iniWebsite offering internships and jobs for students tiative and motivation are, the better will plus lots of other information; German only be your chances of getting an internship. You can also make use of exchange, study and EU programmes; further information on this is available from the DAAD and
Appendix
University and College Towns in Germany
Flensburg
Kiel Heide SchleswigHolstein
Stralsund Rostock Greifswald
Lbeck Wismar Gstrow Elmshorn Pinneberg Neubrandenburg Wedel MecklenburgWilhelmshaven Hamburg Bremerhaven Western Pomerania Emden Hamburg Buxtehude Lneburg Bremen Ottersberg Oldenburg Bremen Brandenburg Eberswalde Berlin Elstal Berlin Brandenburg Potsdam Hannover Wildau Frankfurt/O. Osnabrck Braunschweig Wolfenbttel Friedensau Herford Magdeburg Hildesheim Bielefeld Lemgo Mnster Bernburg Cottbus Wernigerode North RhineDetmold Dessau ClausthalWestphaliaHamm Kthen SaxonyHolzminden Zellerfeld Gelsenkirchen Bochum Paderborn Anhalt Halle Senftenberg Essen Dortmund Duisburg Gttingen Merseburg Witten-Herdecke Iserlohn Nordhausen Krefeld Leipzig Hagen Kassel Wuppertal Grlitz Saxony Moritzburg BadSooden- Thuringia Dsseldorf Allendorf Dresden Zittau Weimar Mittweida Freiberg Erfurt Hesse Kln Jena Chemnitz Aachen Brhl Siegen Marburg St.Augustin Alfter Schmalkalden Zwickau Gieen Bonn Fulda Ilmenau BadHonnef Hachenburg Idstein Friedberg Vallendar Hof BadHomburg Koblenz Coburg Oberursel Frankfurta.M. Offenbach Rhineland- OestrichSchweinfurt Wiesbaden Palatinate Winkel Mainz Bayreuth Aschaffenburg Darmstadt Wrzburg Bamberg Bingen Trier Weiden Worms Erlangen Nrnberg Kaiserslautern Amberg Mannheim Ansbach Heidelberg SaarlandLudwigshafen Speyer Neuendettelsau Saarbrcken Bruchsal Landau Heilbronn Karlsruhe SchwbischHall Regensburg Eichsttt Ludwigsburg Deggendorf Pforzheim Stuttgart Aalen Calw Esslingen SchwbischGmnd Ingolstadt Passau Hohenheim Nrtingen Offenburg Tbingen Landshut Bavaria Reutlingen Rottenburg Lahr Ulm Neu-Ulm Trossingen AlbstadtFreisingAugsburg Weihenstephan Sigmaringen Riedlingen Furtwangen Erding Mnchen Freiburg Baden- Weingarten Biberach Ravensburg Wrttemberg Rosenheim Benediktbeuern WeilheimIsny Kempten Bierbronnen Konstanz Friedrichshafen Lower Saxony Vechta Stendal
Statistics: Foreign Students at German Higher Education Institutions 57
Statistics: Foreign Students at German Higher Education Institutions
The following statistics aim to provide an The figures come from the DAAD publioverview of the origin and subject focuses cation Wissenschaft weltoffen 2007 and of foreign students in Germany. For refer to the academic year 2006. Further statistical purposes, the following divides sources are the official higher education foreign students into Bildungsinlnder and statistics compiled by the Federal StatisBildungsauslnder: tical Office and the Social Surveys of the Deutsches Studentenwerk. Bildungsinlnder gained their higher education entrance qualification at a school in Germany or at a German school abroad. Bildungsauslnder gained their higher education entrance qualification at a foreign school. In some cases, students additionally had to attend a Studienkolleg (preparatory course) to qualify for entry to higher education in Germany.
German and foreign students at German higher education institutions

Number in 2006 German students Bildungsauslnder Bildungsinlnder Total 1,737,408 189,450 58,907 1,985,765 Percentage change over 2005 +1.2 +1.5 1.3 +1.2
Bildungsauslnder by type of higher education institution (as a percentage)

Universities, colleges of art, film and music Fachhochschulen 10.7 % 6.6 %
Bildungsauslnder students: regional origin

Number in 2006 Percentage of all Bildungsauslnder students in Germany 11.0 5.7 31.9 51.0 0.2 0.2
Africa America Asia Europe Australia and Oceania Stateless or unknown
20,842 10,865 60,345 96,588 345 465
Statistics: Foreign Students at German Higher Education Institutions 59
Bildungsauslnder students: the 10 key countries of origin

Number in 2006 Percentage change over 2005 +0.3 0.4 +0.8 +2.4 +2.9 +7.4 +6.1 +2.8 4.0 +1.9 Percentage of all Bildungsauslnder students in Germany 13.8 6.6 6.5 5.2 3.8 3.7 3.7 2.8 2.8 2.2
China Bulgaria Poland Russian Federation Morocco Turkey Ukraine Cameroon France Austria
26,061 12,423 12,301 9,826 7,190 7,077 6,928 5,389 5,293 4,225
Tips and Information
Where to Go with Your First Questions
Germanys universities. The International Offices or other relevant offices at universities in Germany will respond Contact the following institutions in your to your inquiry by sending you all the home country for advice on studying in material you need, such as information Germany: on study opportunities and degree programmes, on admissions requirements, The German missions abroad (embas- and on any other conditions you have sies, consulates). These provide infor- to meet. The addresses are contained mation on degree programmes and on the enclosed CD-ROM. study opportunities, on entry formal- DAAD Head Office in Bonn. Staff at ities and entry conditions. head office will be pleased to advise you The DAAD Regional Offices (see on questions relating to a study stay in Germany (see address on p. 66). pp. 66-71). These offer lots of information, including sources of funding The German missions abroad, the DAAD and scholarships. Lektors and lecturers, and the Goethe The DAAD Information Centres (ICs) Institute will also tell you which official located in almost 50 countries around agencies or authorities in your country the world (see pp. 66-71). are responsible for international acade The DAAD Lektors and lecturers placedmic contacts and where you can receive further information on sources of at universities abroad will be pleased to funding and scholarships. provide you with information and advice. The Goethe Institutes have 142 branches in 81 countries and perform language and cultural work for Germany. If no DAAD-placed Lektors or lecturers are working in the town in question, the local Goethe Institute will also provide information and advice normally given by the DAAD.
Tips and Information 61
Recommended Reading
Further literature sold by good book shops (not available from the DAAD):
The DAAD publishes information material on studying in Germany. The following 3 Studien- und Berufswahl ed.: The German Federal States (Lnder) and lists some publications that you can request from the DAAD and its Regional OfficesBundesagentur fr Arbeit; German only or Information Centres. You can also obtain information from the Goethe Insti3 Kunst- und Musikhochschulen in Deutschland / Colleges of Art and Music tutes and the German missions abroad.
eds.: Christian Bode, Werner Becker, Claudius Habbich; bilingual edition: German-English Studieren und Forschen in Deutschland. Kommentierte Weblinks / Study and Research in Germany. Annotated Weblinks Wissenschaft weltoffen 2007: Facts available in German and English and Figures on the International Nature of Studies and Research in Germany ed.: DAAD; bilingual edition: German-English Ziel Deutschland / Destination Germany
bilingual edition: German-English
3 DAAD-Scholarships for Foreign

Academics and Students
bilingual edition: German-English
3 International Bachelor, Master and

Doctoral Programmes in Germany
three brochures and CD-ROM, English
Summer Schools in Germany 3 bilingual edition: German-English
3 Degree Courses at Institutions of

Higher Education in Germany
English only
3 Deutsch als Fremdsprache.

German only
Sprachprfungen fr den Hochschulzugang. Zielsetzung, Verfahren, Beispiele
Information on TestDaF 3 Flyer; available in German and English
Evaluation of Foreign Higher Education Entrance Qualifications
The most important prerequisite for your HZB does not qualify you for admission to studies at a German higher direct admission to higher education, education institution is that you hold a which means you must first attend a secondary school leaving certificate or Studienkolleg (preparatory course) qualification that entitles you to study in and pass the Feststellungsprfung your home country. If your home country (assessment test) (see pp. 32-34) before additionally requires you to pass a univeryou can be admitted to higher educasity entrance exam, you must also prove tion; alternatively and under certain that you have passed such an exam before circumstances, proof of having successyou can enter a course of academic studies fully completed one or two years of at a higher education institution in Ger- academic (university) study in your many. home country may also be accepted as a qualification. Your second step is to check carefully how To find out which category applies to your the higher education entrance qualification (known in Germany as the Hochschul- higher education entrance qualification, zugangsberechtigung or HZB) you gained please go to www.anabin.de. Click on in your home country compares with the Land whlen to see a map where you can German school leaving qualification called choose your country. You then get a list of Abitur. This differs and depends on your countries and can click on yours. Finally, country of origin and on your school leavclick on Zeugnisbewertung to find the ing certificate. Essentially, there are three information. On its website www.daad.de/ evaluation levels: zulassung the DAAD offers general introductory information on how certificates your HZB qualifies you for direct from all countries of origin are evaluated. admission to higher education , i.e. you Detailed information with relevance to 17 can choose to study practically any countries of origin is currently also available. subject; your HZB only qualifies you for subjectThe admissions decision is generally made specific admission to higher education by, the higher education institution to which i. e. within a specific subject group, for you are applying. The institution is autonoexample in the natural sciences, which mous in its decision. So it is always advismeans you can choose to study physics, able to contact the International Office first chemistry, etc.; to obtain information about the specific requirements at the chosen institution.
German Schools Abroad 63
German Schools Abroad
The German Government allocates funds to the Federal Foreign Office to support 117 German schools abroad (Auslandsschulen). In addition to these, another 428 schools abroad receive special support in the field of German language teaching. In most cases, students who complete the secondary stage at a German school abroad can gain the Abitur qualification. In many cases, schools offer a national school leaving certificate or alternatively an International Baccalaureate parallel to the Abitur. Students who leave these schools with an Abitur certificate (general higher education entrance qualification) are treated on the same basis as German applicants as far as admission to higher education is concerned. Students who gain a national school leaving certificate, but have also passed the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (known as DSD II), are exempted from the requirement to provide proof of their German language proficiency.
Further Information www.auslandsschulwesen.de
3 German only
DAAD
Goals, Roles and Programmes of the DAAD
in 1950 as a registered association under private law. The DAADs full members are on application the higher education institutions represented in the German The DAAD is a joint organisation of Rectors Conference (HochschulrektorenGermanys higher education institutions and is responsible for promoting inter- konferenz HRK) and the student bodies national academic relations, primarily of these institutions. At the end of 2006, through the exchange of students, acadeDAAD membership numbered 231 higher institutions and 127 student mics and researchers. Its programmes education are generally open to all disciplines and all bodies, with all the various types of higher countries and equally benefit foreigners education institutions represented. and Germans. Five strategic objectives give the various The DAAD also supports the international DAAD programmes their long-term activities of Germanys higher education orientation: institutions by providing a number of ser1. Scholarships for foreigners: To promote vices. These include information and publication programmes, marketing, consul-studies and research by outstanding young tancy, support and guidance services, plus foreign students and academics at German an increasing number of institutional prouniversities and research institutes. grammes that serve to raise the interna2. Scholarships for Germans: To promote tional profile and worldwide appeal of young German professionals in their Germanys higher education institutions. studies and research abroad (including ERASMUS). And, finally, the DAAD advises the German 3. Internationalising the higher education government on the formation of its policies institutions: To raise the appeal of in the fields of international cultural relations and academic relations at European Germanys higher education institutions and international level, as well as on ques(including marketing and funding to raise tions of national higher education and the international dimension of German higher education). development cooperation. The predecessor to the German Academic Exchange Service, the Austauschdienst der Hochschulen, was first established in 1925 in response to an initiative in academic circles. It was dissolved in 1945 and newly established
DAAD 65
4. Supporting German studies and the German language abroad: To promote
German language and culture and encourage a knowledge of and interest in Germany as part of the process of global cultural exchange.
5. Educational cooperation with developing countries: To promote higher edu-
cation development in developing and reforming countries as means of supporting their economic and democratic reform processes. The DAAD also performs a number of special responsibilities that aim to encourage and fund Europe-wide mobility by students, academics and professionals. The DAAD is the so-called national agency for the EU ERASMUS programme and an information centre for ERASMUS Mundus, Europass, TEMPUS / cooperation between EU and non-EU countries and the Bologna process.
DAAD Addresses in Germany and Abroad
Bonn Head Office

German Academic Exchange Service
Azerbaijan
DAAD Information Centre Baku
Kennedyallee 50 53175 Bonn (Germany) P.O. Box 20 04 04, 53134 Bonn Tel. (+49/228) 882-0 Fax (+49/228) 882-444 E-Mail: postmaster@daad.de Internet: http://www.daad.de Berlin Office
German Academic Exchange Service
E-Mail: info@daad.baku.az Internet: http://ic.daad.de/baku Belarus

DAAD Information Centre Minsk
E-Mail: daad-ic-minsk@bntu.by Internet: http://www.daad-ic-minsk.by Brazil

Rio de Janeiro Branch Office
Im Wissenschaftsforum am Gendarmenmarkt Servio Alemo de Intercmbio Acadmico Markgrafenstrae 37 Rua Presidente Carlos de Campos 417 10117 Berlin (Germany) 22231-080 Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Tel. (+49/30) 20 22 08-0 Tel. (+55/21) 25 53-32 96 Fax (+49/30) 204 12 67 Fax (+55/21) 25 53-92 61 E-Mail: info.berlin@daad.de E-Mail: info@daad.org.br Internet: http://www.daad-berlin.de Internet: http://rio.daad.de Argentina
DAAD Information Centre Buenos Aires DAAD Information Centre So Paulo
E-Mail: daad_sao_paulo@daad.org.br Canada

DAAD Information Centre Toronto
E-Mail: ic@daad.org.ar Internet: http://www.daad.org.ar Armenia

DAAD Information Centre Erevan
E-Mail: stefan.haas@utoronto.ca Internet: http://www.daad.org/?p=canada Chile

DAAD Information Centre Santiago de Chile
E-Mail: info@daad.am Internet: http://www.daad.am Australia

DAAD Information Centre Sydney
E-Mail: ic@daad.cl Internet: http://www.daad.cl
E-Mail: daad.australia@gmail.com Internet: http://ic.daad.de/sydney
DAAD Addresses in Germany and Abroad 67
China, People's Republic of

Beijing Branch Office
Egypt
Cairo Branch Office
German Academic Exchange Service German Academic Exchange Service Unit 1718, Landmark Tower 2, 11 Sharia Saleh Ayoub 8 North Dongsanhuan Road, Chaoyang Dis- Cairo-Zamalek (Egypt) trict Tel. (+20/2) 2735 27 26 100004 Beijing (People's Republic of China) Fax (+20/2) 2738 41 36 E-Mail: info@daadcairo.org Tel. (+86/10) 6590-6656, -6676 Internet: http://cairo.daad.de Fax (+86/10) 6590-6393 E-Mail: postmaster@daad.org.cn France Internet: http://www.daad.org.cn
Paris Branch Office DAAD Information Centre Guangzhou
Office Allemand d'Echanges Universitaires E-Mail: guangzhou@daad.org.cn 24, rue Marbeau Internet: 75116 Paris (France) http://www.daad.org.cn/guangzhou.htm Tel. (+33/1) 44 17 02 30 Fax (+33/1) 44 17 02 31 DAAD Information Centre Shanghai E-Mail: info@daad.asso.fr E-Mail: shanghai@daad.org.cn Internet: http://paris.daad.de Internet: http://www.daad.org.cn/shanghai.htm Georgia
DAAD Information Centre Tbilissi
Colombia
DAAD Information Centre Bogot
E-Mail: info@daad.org.ge Internet: http://ic.daad.de/tbilissi
E-Mail: daadbogota@web.de Ghana Internet: http://www.icdaadcolombia.org

DAAD Information Centre Accra
Costa Rica
DAAD Information Centre San Jos
E-Mail: daadghana@web.de Internet: http://ic.daad.de/accra
E-Mail: daad@conare.ac.cr Internet: http://www.conare.ac.cr/daadGreece

DAAD Information Centre Athens
Cuba
DAAD Information Centre Havana
E-Mail: daad@athen.goethe.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/athen Hong Kong
E-Mail: ic-havanna@gmx.de Czech Republic

DAAD Information Centre Prague DAAD Information Centre Hong Kong & Macau
E-Mail: info@daad.cz Internet: http://www.daad.cz
E-Mail: daadhk@hkbu.edu.hk Internet: http://ic.daad.de/hongkong
Hungary
DAAD Information Centre Budapest
Italy
DAAD Information Centre Rome
E-Mail: mail@daad.info.hu Internet: http://www.daad.info.hu India

New Delhi Branch Office
E-Mail: daad-rom@libero.it Internet: http://ic.daad.de/rom Japan

Tokyo Branch Office
German Academic Exchange Service Office Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka 72, Lodi Estate, Lodi Road 110003 New Delhi (India) Tel. (+91/11) 246 15-148, -009 Fax (+91/11) 246 90-919 E-Mail: info@daaddelhi.org Internet: http://newdelhi.daad.de
DAAD Information Centre Chennai
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Akasaka 7-5-56, Minato-ku 107-0052 Tokyo (Japan) Tel. (+81/3) 35 82-59 62 Fax (+81/3) 35 82-55 54 E-Mail: daad-tokyo@daadjp.com Internet: http://tokyo.daad.de Kazakhstan
DAAD Information Centre Almaty
E-Mail: chennai@daadindia.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/chennai

DAAD Information Centre Mumbai
E-Mail: daad@mailbox.kz Internet: http://www.daad.kz Kenya

Nairobi Branch Office
E-Mail: mumbai@daadindia.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/mumbai Indonesia

Jakarta Branch Office
DAAD Jakarta Office JI. Jend. Sudirman, Kav. 6162, Summitmas I, Lt. 19 12190 Jakarta (Indonesia) Tel. (+62/21) 5 20 08 70, 5 25 28 07 Fax (+62/21) 5 25 28 22 E-Mail: info@daadjkt.com Internet: http://jakarta.daad.de Iran
DAAD Information Centre Tehran
German Academic Exchange Service, Regional Office for Africa Madison Insurance House, 3rd floor, Upper Hill Road P.O. Box 14050 00800 Nairobi (Kenya) Tel. (+254/20) 2 72 26 60 Fax (+254/20) 2 71 67 10 E-Mail: info@daadafrica.org Internet: http://nairobi.daad.de Korea, Republic of
DAAD Information Centre Seoul
E-Mail: seouldaad@yahoo.co.kr Internet: http://www.daad.or.kr Kyrgyzstan

DAAD Information Centre Bishkek
E-Mail: daad.tehran@gmx.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/tehran
E-Mail: daad@mail.auca.kg Internet: http://www.daad.edu.kg
DAAD Addresses in GermanyDeutschland 69
Latvia
DAAD Information Centre Riga
Russian Federation
Moscow Branch Office
E-Mail: daad@lu.lv Internet: http://www.daad.lv
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Leninskij Prospekt 95a 119313 Moscow (Russian Federation) Malaysia Tel. (+7/495) 1 32-24 29, -23 11 DAAD Information Centre Kuala Lumpur Fax (+7/495) 1 32-49 88 E-Mail: daadkl@tm.net.my E-Mail: daad@daad.ru Internet: http://ic.daad.de/kualalumpurInternet: http://www.daad.ru Mexico
Mexico City Branch Office DAAD Information Centre Novosibirsk
E-Mail: info@daad-novosibirsk.de Internet: http://www.daad-novosibirsk.de Servicio Alemn de Intercambio Acadmico Calle Kepler 157, Col. Nueva Anzures, DAAD Information Centre St. Petersburg Del. Miguel Hidalgo E-Mail: daad@herzen.spb.ru C.P. 11550 Ciudad de Mxico (Mexico) Internet: http://www.daad.spb.ru Tel. (+52/55) 52 50 18 83 Fax (+52/55) 52 50 18 04 E-Mail: info@daadmx.org Internet: http://www.daadmx.org Poland
Warsaw Branch Office
Singapore
DAAD Information Centre Singapore
E-Mail: daadsin@singnet.com.sg Internet: http://ic.daad.de/singapore
Niemiecka Centrala Wymiany Akademickiej South Africa DAAD Information Centre Johannesburg Przedstawicielstwo w Warszawie E-Mail: daad@wits.ac.za ul. Czeska 24 Internet: http://ic.daad.de/johannesburg 03-902 Warszawa (Poland) Tel. (+48/22) 6 16 13 08, 6 17 48 47 Spain Fax (+48/22) 6 16 12 96 E-Mail: daad@daad.pl Internet: http://www.daad.pl Romania
DAAD Information Centre Bucharest DAAD Information Centre Barcelona
E-Mail: info@daad.es Internet: http://www.daad.es Sudan

DAAD Information Centre Khartoum
E-Mail: info@daad.ro Internet: http://www.daad.ro
E-Mail: info@daad-sudan.org Internet: http://www.daad-sudan.org
Syria
DAAD Information Centre Damascus
United Kingdom
London Branch Office
E-Mail: info@daad-syr.org German Academic Exchange Service Internet: 34 Belgrave Square http://www.icdaad.com/syria_lebanon SW1X8QB London (United Kingdom) Tel. (+44/20) 72 35 17 36 Taiwan Fax (+44/20) 72 35 96 02 DAAD Information Centre Taipei E-Mail: info@daad.org.uk E-Mail: rummel@daad.org.tw Internet: http://london.daad.de Internet: http://www.daad.org.tw United States of America Tajikistan New York Branch Office
DAAD Information Centre Dushanbe
E-Mail: daad-ic-dushanbe@gmx.net Internet: http://www.daad.tj Thailand

DAAD Information Centre Bangkok
E-Mail: info@daad.or.th Internet: http://www.daad.or.th Turkey

DAAD Information Centre Ankara
German Academic Exchange Service 871 United Nations Plaza N.Y. 10017 New York (United States of America) Tel. (+1/212) 7 58-32 23 Fax (+1/212) 7 55-57 80 E-Mail: daadny@daad.org Internet: http://www.daad.org
DAAD Information Centre San Francisco
E-Mail: daad.ankara@daad.de Internet: http://ic.daad.de/ankara

DAAD Information Centre Istanbul
E-Mail: daadsf@daad.org Internet: http://www.daad.org/?p=daadsf Uzbekistan

DAAD Information Centre Tashkent
E-Mail: info@daad-istanbul.com E-Mail: info@daad.uz Internet: http://www.daad-istanbul.com Internet: http://www.daad.uz Ukraine

DAAD Information Centre Kiev
Venezuela
DAAD Information Centre Caracas
E-Mail: info@daad.org.ua Internet: http://www.daad.org.ua United Arab Emirates

DAAD Information Centre Abu Dhabi
E-Mail: daad-caracas@cantv.net Internet: http://ic.daad.de/caracas
E-Mail: info@ic-daad-abudhabi.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/abudhabi
DAAD Addresses in Germany and Abroad 71
Viet Nam
Hanoi Branch Office
Vietnamesisch-Deutsches Zentrum an der Technischen Universitt Hanoi 1 Dai Co Viet Hanoi (Viet Nam) Tel. (+84/4) 868 37-73, -81 Fax (+84/4) 868 37-72 E-Mail: daad@daadvn.org Internet: http://www.daadvn.org
DAAD Information Centre Ho Chi Minh City
E-Mail: daad-hcmc@daadvn.org Internet: http://ic.daad.de/hcmc Westbank and Gaza

DAAD Information Centre East Jerusalem
E-Mail: daad@netvision.net.il Internet: http://www.daad.de/westbank_gaza
DAAD-affiliated Institutions
Maison Heinrich Heine
Fondation de lAllemagne la Cit Internationale Universitaire de Paris
27c, bd. Jourdan 75014 Paris (France) Tel. (++33/1) 44 16 13-00 Fax (++33/1) 44 16 13-01 E-Mail: info@maison-heinrich-heine.org Internet: http://www.maison-heinrich-heine.org
Please note: a continually updated list of the
addresses is available on the DAAD website from: www.daad.de/offices.
Index
Abitur
12-13 Dissertation 17-18 the highest German school leaving dissertation certificate and higher education DSH 34-36 entrance qualification a German language test that Akademisches Auslandsamt qualifies foreign students for 28 International Office admission to higher education
Allgemeine Hochschulreife
see Abitur
AStA
12-13 EU 10, 37, 40, 43, 46-47, 54 EU (European Union)

Exkursion
29 student council (institutional level) 40-42 residence permit
15
excursion
Fachhochschulreife
Aufenthaltserlaubnis
Bachelor
Bachelors degree
BAfG
21 a higher education entrance qualification for Fachhochschulen (univer10-11, 13, 16, 22, 26 sities of applied sciences) 48
Fachschaft
Federal Training Assistance Act (student loans and grants)

Diplom
29, 52 departmental student society 28, 52-53 faculty
Fakultt
17, 21, 26 Feststellungsprfung a German degree mainly awarded 32-34, 62 in the natural sciences, engineering, assessment test economics/business administration, Graduiertenkolleg 18 or education (in the case of education, graduate school, research training group please note that school teachers (LehrGrundstudium amt) must hold a Staatsexamen degree) 13 basic study stage Disputation 17 oral defence of a dissertation, also Hauptstudium 13-14 known as a viva voce main study stage
Index 73
Hochschulreife
higher education entrance qualification higher education entrance qualification

Job
12-13, 25 Praktikum internship

Prsident
13, 15, 21, 54 29 17-18
Hochschulzugangsberechtigung 32, 37, 62 president, rector, vice-chancellor (UK) Promotion
doctorate 43, 49 15
Regelstudienzeit
job
Kolloquium
14, 21, 25, 46 standard time to degree 29 rector
colloquium
Krankenversicherung
Rektor
41, 46-47, 51 32
health insurance
Kultusministerkonferenz (KMK)
Rigorosum
17 oral defence of a dissertation, also known as a viva voce 52 14, 21, 25 45 45 14, 52 noticeboard
Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs

KVV
Schwarzes Brett
52
Semester
annotated course catalogue (departmental)

Magister Artium
semester
Semesterbeitrag
16 Semesterticket a German degree mainly awarded in fields of the arts and humanities, semester ticket cultural studies or social sciences
Seminar
semester fee
Master
10-11, 13, 16, 22, 26seminar

Staatsexamen
Masters degree
Meisterschler
26 38
master pupil
NC/numerus clausus
admissions restrictions
17, 26 a German degree awarded in state-supervised professions, like teaching, law, medicine, or pharmacy 50-51 32-34 student hall of residence
Studentenwohnheim
Studienkolleg
preparatory course
Studierendenrat
28-29 28-29 32-33
student council
StuPa
student parliament
TestAS
Test for Academic Studies

TestDaF
34-35 German as a foreign language test 14, 25 exercise
bung
uni-assist
37-38 a certification service that aims to make the application procedure easier for foreign students seeking admission to one of the uni-assist member institutions 40-42 14 52 50-52 38 visa
Visum
Vorlesung
lecture
Vorlesungsverzeichnis
course catalogue
Wohngemeinschaft
shared flat
ZVS
Central Universities Admissions Service

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Studying in Germany A Guide for International Students 2nd Edition

W. Bertelsmann Verlag, Bielefeld

This publication was funded by the Federal Foreign Office.

Bachelors and Masters | Magister Artium | Diplom | Staatsexamen Promotion (Doctorate)

School Qualifications | Internships and Aptitude Tests

Diplom FH | Bachelors and Masters

School Qualifications | Internships and Aptitude Tests

Diplom | Institution-own Degrees | Staatsexamen Meisterschler/Konzertexamen | Bachelors and Masters

A Guide for International Students 5

How Best to Start Your Studies Student Accommodation

Study Regulations and Course Catalogue | Advice and Support

A Guide for International Students 7

Studying in Germany the Higher Education System

Types of Higher Education Institutions

And by the way,

Fachhochschulen (FH): Universities of

The Higher Education System 9

State and state-recognised higher education institutions

Source: Hochschulrektorenkonferenz, as per: winter semester 2006/2007

The Higher Education System 11

3 Website of the Federal Ministry of Education and

International Bachelor, Master and Doctoral Programmes in Germany

Universities and Equivalent Institutions

Universities and Equivalent Institutions 13

Universities and Equivalent Institutions 15

Bachelors and Masters

ECTS Credit Points

Universities and Equivalent Institutions 17

Universities and Equivalent Institutions 19

Kiel SchleswigHolstein Lbeck Hamburg Hamburg Bremen Oldenburg Bremen

Lneburg Brandenburg Berlin Berlin Frankfurt/O.

Hildesheim ClausthalZellerfeld Gttingen

Witten-Herdecke Wuppertal Hagen Dsseldorf Kln Aachen Bonn St.Augustin

Saxony Dresden Zittau

Hesse Marburg Gieen Fulda

Neuendettelsau Regensburg Ingolstadt Passau

Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences)

Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) 21

Admissions Requirements School Qualifications

Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Sciences) 23

Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany

Buxtehude Bremen Ottersberg Oldenburg Bremen

Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music)

Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music) 25

Academic Degrees Diplom

Kunst-, Film- und Musikhochschulen (Colleges of Art, Film and Music) 27

Colleges of Art, Film and Music in Germany

Schleswig- Kiel Holstein Lbeck Hamburg Hamburg Bremen Bremen

Berlin Berlin Brandenburg

North RhineEssen Westphalia

Frankfurta.M. Offenbach Bayreuth Wrzburg Nrnberg

Mannheim Heidelberg Karlsruhe Stuttgart Tbingen

Rottenburg Trossingen BadenWrttemberg Freiburg

Bavaria Augsburg Mnchen

Higher Education Institutions and their Facilities

Higher Education Institutions and their Facilities 29

Proof of Adequate School or Educational Qualifications

Application and Registration 37

Application and Registration

Application and Registration 39

3 Provides information on admission to study in Ger-

Entry and Residence Provisions

Visa and Residence Permit

Entry and Residence Provisions 41