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Contents:
0. Introduction
1. Possibilities for Studying in Germany
2. Types of Universities in Germany
3. Tuition Fees at German Universities
4. Foreign Students at German Universities
5. Visa
6. Counseling
7. Enrollment
8. Health Insurance
9. Studying
10. Exams and Degrees
11. Culture, Leisure in Germany
Many German universities look back on a tradition of several centuries and major scholars. The university reformer Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767 - 1835) once coined the mission statement "Einheit von Forschung und Lehre" (unity of research and teachings) and it still applies, i.e., every university teacher and advanced students should also do research. Given the large numbers of students today that ideal forfeited much of its splendor, however. For many students, professional applicability and practical experience are more important than "pure science" (which certainly still has ardent admirers). Therefore, universities of applied sciences ("Fachhochschulen") are very popular, since there the duration of study is shorter and the program is more practically oriented than at universities. Every university is autonomous to a certain degree, i.e. it can more or less make its own decisions concerning the employment of professors and the admission of students.
In smaller and often idyllic university towns, students not infrequently dominate the whole townscape and the town's course of events. More than 400 fields of study are available and allow for nearly every desired specialization and interdisciplinary research. German universities are characterized by the so-called "academic freedom" ("akademische Freiheit"), i.e. there is no fixed curriculum, only few obligatory lectures, and much is left to the student's interest. For some students from abroad who are used to a rather fixed curriculum at the university, studying in Germany seems obscure at first.
Before you decide in favor of studying in Germany, the following issues should be resolved:
- Which type of German university is the right one for you? Do you rather want to study fast and practically oriented? Do you rather want to profit from science and research while studying? Or has it always been your dream and passionate goal to attend an art or music college? (see Types of Universities in Germany)
- Do you want to complete a study in Germany or does it make more sense in light of your subsequent career to spend only half a year or an entire year at a German university in order to bring your language skills to perfection and to gain international experiences?
- Maybe you already graduated in your home country and want to complete postgraduate studies in Germany?
- Is a German "Diplom", "Magister", "Staatsexamen" or perhaps a German "FH-Diplom" ("Fachhochschule" (FH) = "university of applied sciences") equally acknowledged as a degree in your home country? You should choose the route to a German university and plan in detail if and only if you have also got a general idea of the transition back into your home country and your professional prospects for the chosen field of study as well as of the funding of your academic stay abroad.
Bottom line: Studying at a university abroad should open up new and better opportunities and not block them!
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