Germany...The next destination for your higher educational dream!

"You blew 150k on an education you could have gotten in $1.50 in late fees from the library". 

Will Hunting has a valid point here. Saying that, high quality formal education isn't expensive all the time. You just need to find the right opportunity. 

United States & United Kingdom are the most popular international student destinations, especially for STEM fields.  However, Germany, which is ranked 5th in that list is unique in the aspect of tuition fees for graduate & postgraduate study programs. In simple terms, German universities are publicly funded, hence offer high quality (If you are a person who decides the quality based on University rankings, 10+ German universities are ranked among the top 100 global universities overall. Numbers look better when it comes to STEM fields.) study opportunities with heavily subsidized or no tuition fees. 

Ok sounds great! But where I can find suitable programs matching my interest and skills?

That's pretty easy. Just visit International Programs section of the DAAD website. DAAD stands for "Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst" in German, which translates into "German Academic Exchange Service". It is a self-governed organization, funded by federal government and individual states and has the responsibility to overlook the higher educational institutes in Germany. Good news is that you can filter this database of thousands of programs by level of education, field of study, language of instruction, tuition fees, duration and many other criteria. 

German universities follow two major semesters system. Winter semester starts in October and Summer semester starts in April. Note that some programs are offered (starts) in both semesters and some only in one of those semesters. To get admitted into winter semester, you must start your application process latest by Jan/Feb and for summer semester by July/August of previous year.  Why that early? Because getting admission is just one step, which will be followed by getting your German student visa, which could take up to 3-4 months depending on your embassy. Take this into account if you have a specific start date preference in mind.

That's awesome. I found my match. What's next?

The next part changes a bit from each course to each university. The general guideline is that you should refer to the course website, which is provided in the DAAD results. Visit the program website and understand the basic application process. Some universities have their own tool/platform to manage applications and some universities rely on Uni Assist platform to manage applicants. You will see list of requirements/documents needed in the application process. Start collecting these documents. In general, you will need 

• Certified copies of your bachelor transcripts, degree certificate, curriculum
• Personal statement or/and essay on a given topic
• CV/resume
• Language results (IELTS/TOEFL to prove English skills or German language proficiency results in case your program is conducted in German)
• Other required test results (some programs need GRE/GMAT)
• Employee references 
• Other professional certificates
• Passport copy/photo

To certify copies of your documents local German embassy is a good choice. University will provide more details on which other bodies or individuals are accepted to get your documents certified. If any of these documents are in a language other than English or German, you need to get it translated through a professional translation service as well. 

If you submit all the required documents, now it is up to the admission committee to make the decision. In general, German universities are very fast to react on applications. Sometimes they do direct admissions. In some cases, they will request for a personal interview(online). Either way, you will get an acceptance, a rejection or a conditional acceptance. Conditional acceptance indicates you are accepted to the program, but you are required to complete some mandatory courses in your first semester, because the university believes there is a gap between your prior qualification (e.g. your bachelors) and the German counterpart of the same degree. 

Yippee! I got accepted. Everything is great right?

Congratulations. Job well done! 
But next part is equally important. Don't relax just yet. Now you need to apply for your student visa. The process is simple. This page has all the required documents and process in detail. The highlight is that you need to open a blocked account with an initial deposit of 10236 euro (~2million Sri Lankan rupees).  

What is a blocked account? Your selected course may not have any tuition fees. But you still need to pay for your rent, food and other expenses. German government wants to make sure that even without another form of income (e.g. student job), you still have access to enough funds to survive in Germany during your studies. "Blocked" indicates that you are only allowed to withdraw a limited amount of money in each month. The limit is somewhere between 700-800 euros/month. There are few banks in Germany who offer this service for international students. You can find more details here. 

Visa received. All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go?

Awesome. Yeah, once you get your visa you can look for a good deal on flight ticket. Round trips could be cheaper. Try to get a ticket with the possibility of date changes, so you can change your mind about the return date later. If you plan to arrive in winter, it is a good idea to buy some winter clothes. If not, it's always cheaper to buy them in Germany.  Pack your laptop, camera, other personal electronics and may be some Sri Lankan food to remind you of home. 

Can I find a student job in Germany?

This is an important question. Yes, you can. However, there are few conditions. 

• As a student, you can work only limited number of hours. 20 hours maximum for each week. 120 full days (full day=8hrs) for each year or 240 half days (half day= anything less than 4hr) for each year. When you sign a student job contract, make sure you do not violate any of these rules because it could ultimately result in termination of your student visa and being deported. There are some exceptions to these limitations when it comes to jobs within the university. Refer to relevant DAAD page for up to date information. 

• How easy is it to find a job? This depends on many factors. Where do you live? is it a big city? small city? What do you study? Business? Technology? Do you have prior experience? How is your German? Good? ok? none? For example, a techie/programmer with some prior work experience, studying in a major city like Munich/Berlin, will be able to find a student job very easily even without any German language skills. Some German skills will certainly improve your chances. Even if you cannot find a student job in the same field as your studies, there are other options that you can look into. Example: Delivery jobs. Look up companies like Foodora who offer delivery jobs which requires little or no German. 

• How much money should you expect to earn? Don't get your hopes up on salaries as a student. In most cases, it would be just enough to pay up your living expenses and in rare cases (working for a major company) to save few hundred euros per month. A good estimation would be to expect something in between 600-1000 euros/month (assuming you work 20hrs per week). 

Great. One final question. What's life after finishing my studies. Can I remain in Germany?

Yes, You can. 

Germany is very generous in regard to life after studies compared to many other countries who kick students out of the country the moment you stop being a student. You will get an 18 months job seeking visa upon finishing your studies. You still need to show a source of funds during your job seeking period. 

After you find a job, depending on the salary mentioned in your job contract, you can either apply for a normal work permit or an EU blue card. EU blue card is certainly the preferable choice as it provides you with a fast track to permanent residency in Germany.  Read more about the EU blue card system and required salary levels here. 

Good luck and depending on follow up questions, I will either update this post and write a new post to clarify certain areas.