Indians form the second largest group of international students at German universities. There was a record-breaking growth in the winter semester of 2019-20, showing a 20.85 percent growth in intake over the previous academic year of Indian students. Approximately 21,000 Indian students were enrolled into German universities in 2019.
The growth rate in the intake of Indian students in Germany is 3 times the global average, having almost doubled in the last five years. Indian students who wish to study in Germany need a German national visa for programmes that are longer than 3 months. You can get a Schengen visa for a 3-month course.
The Germany study visa requirements are quite stringent. International students are required to have valid documents and a residence permit in Germany for a national visa. Read on to know about this and the other requirements in depth.
Let’s take a look at the requirements for the Germany Study visa, one at a time.
1. Correct and Complete Documentation
There are some documents that Indian students need to get a German student visa. This is one of the main Germany study visa requirements. The documents required (original and 2 copies) include:
Note: The German embassy can have extra German study visa conditions. They would ask you for the additional documents if necessary.
Get your checklist of documents
2. Financial Resources Proof
3. University Letter of Admission
Another of the Germany study visa requirements is a letter from the university of choice. This appears after a few weeks of the application submission in an email. You need to print the email and show that as the admission letter proof. You should show it in your home country's German embassy during the visa application.
4. German Entrance Qualification for Higher Education
Students need to show that they can qualify for higher education programs in Germany. The requirements under this topic are as follows.
Zulassungsbescheid
The requirements for this are:
Bedingter Zulassungsbescheid
Indian students need to show conditional admission proof of this.
They should also show proof of admission in 'Intensiv-Sprachkurs,’ an intensive course. The letter shows that you can participate in this intensive language course before getting admission. The course lasts for 6 months, with 18 lesson hours in one week. The requirements for this are:
Studienkolleg
It is a foundation-level course of 1 year. It prepares students for 'Feststellungsprüfung'. It means a university-level assessment examination one has to sit for. You need to have good language skills at CEFR B1 level to attend the course. The documents required are:
The study visa requirements for ‘Studienkolleg’ are:
5. Proof of Previous Educational Qualification
One of the important Germany study visa requirements for Indian students is showing their education proof. The documents necessary are:
One of the German study visa requirements is language skills. Indian students need to show proficiency in either the German language or the English language. Students can also show both certificates if they are fluent in both.
Rules for German language skills
Foreign students need to show their skill level in the basic German language. They can also show certificates from German-learning courses.
Students can also give an education completion certificate of a study program in German.
In German international programs, knowing some basic German language is helpful.
The acceptable German language grades for each program are:
Educational program (in Germany) |
Grade level (Language test) |
Bachelor’s Degree |
DSH II Level CEFR C1 Level |
Master’s Degree |
DSH I Level DSH II Level |
Doctoral Degree |
No specific requirement. The individual education providers choose the language they allow for admission. |
The certificates that Indian students can show as German skill proof are:
DSH I Level
CEFR C1 Level
Other certificates include:
Rules for English language skills
International study programs in Germany are held in English completely. These students need to have strong English-speaking skills.
Non-international study programs need basic English skills or good German skills from students.
The institutes for higher education in Germany have their own rules for non-English speaking students. The certificates that Indian students can show as English skill proof are:
7. Health Coverage
One of the main visa requirements is applying for health insurance. Indian students have to cover their medical needs for emergencies.
There are two types of health-care insurance in Germany. They are:
The health coverage plans for Indian students in Germany have certain rules. The rules for Ph.D. students are:
The rules for preparatory course students are:
The rules for foreign exchange students are:
The rules for scholarship doctorate students are:
8. Visa Fees
Paying Visa Fees is one of the important Germany study visa requirements. This is a required step. The payment costs are as follow:
Note: The processing period can go up for visa processing. Thus, you should apply for this very early.
9. Tuition fees
Indian students need to show that they can pay for the tuition fees in Germany. The fees for the courses are different for each university.
The average costs are as mentioned below.
Program |
Average Tuition Fees (yearly) |
Undergraduate Bachelor Degree |
€500 -€20,000 |
Postgraduate Master’s Degree |
€5,000 – €30,000 |
Note: Students can study without pay in Public German universities. But they still need to pay for their administration and enrolment charges annually. Thus, they need to show they have enough funds to cover this.
10. Scholarships
Germany provides various scholarships for Indian students and other international students. Many of the institutions in Germany allow this. Those with low funds can apply for such scholarships from top universities.
It is another of the Germany study visa requirements. Scholarship students need to show proof of confirmation during their visa application.
Some of the most popular higher-education German scholarships for Indian students are:
higher-education German scholarships for Indian students are:
Students applying to study in Germany must meet the different requirements to get a visa. You need to complete most of the criteria before the visa application.
Make sure that you have the following checklist of German Study Visa requirements before you apply:
Kindly note:
In case of any confusion, you can contact our team of experts, who will guide you through the entire process and will also help you with admission essays, cover letters, documentation and settlement services in Germany.