When it comes to international students looking for affordable yet quality education, there is no other country as highly ranked as Germany. Germany is one of the most favoured educational centres for international students. The country provides a sturdy educational system as well as a lot of different attractive career opportunities. This is the reason why a lot of international students prefer to go to Germany to pursue their higher education.

The country is considered extremely accommodating to international students and provides various need and merit-based scholarships in addition to affordable tuition fees. For admission, Germany typically offers two intakes, in the summer and the winter season. In this article, we will take a look at the summer intake in detail.

What are the main admission intakes offered in Germany?

There are two primary admission intakes offered in Germany each year:

●     Summer Intake:

      Commonly known as the April Intake, the summer intake begins in March or April, based on the academic year in question. The summer intake generally lasts until September. This intake is generally thought of as the secondary admission intake in the country. Being the secondary intake, it receives a lesser number of applications and fewer courses are offered during this time. Since the number of candidates applying for an admission is less, the competition among them naturally decreases, and international students have a higher chance of getting into the programs of their choice during the summer intake.

●     Winter Intake:

      Commonly known as the October or the September Intake, the winter intake begins in September or October, based on the academic year in question. The summer intake generally lasts until March. This intake is generally thought of as the primary admission intake in the country. Being the main intake for admission, it receives a large number of applications, and many courses are offered during this time. Since the number of candidates applying for an admission is more, the competition among them is also quite high during the winter intake.

Main factors applying for Summer Intake in Germany

When international students are thinking of applying for the summer intake in Germany, there are a few factors that they should consider. These are:

● Application deadlines:

      Even though the specific deadline for applications is largely based on the academic institutions that you are applying to, the date is generally in January or December. International students must strictly adhere to the application deadlines and hand in their completed applications along with all supporting documents. Make sure that you visit the official website of the course as well as the university that you wish to attend and check their particular deadlines.

● Limited course availability:

      In Germany, it is not guaranteed that all programs and courses will be available for admission in the summer intake. International students need to ideally focus on their research and make sure that the course that they are interested in pursuing is offered in the summer intake.

● Visa requirements:

      International students may even have to align with different visa requirements as well as processing times based on their home country. It is important for international students to plan their applications for the summer intake accordingly and keep enough time in hand to ensure that their student visas will be processed in time for their semesters to start.

● Accommodation:

      Since there is less competition among applicants during the summer intake, the chances of international students finding good student accommodation increase.

● Pre-courses:

      Summer intake at different colleges also includes some introductory pre-courses for international students. These are obligatory to be completed before you start taking your regular courses. These courses are usually related to domains like cultural courses and language courses, but in some cases, they may be basic courses from your field.

● Language proficiency requirement:

       A lot of courses in Germany are taught entirely in German. It is recommended that international students get a good grasp of the language before their semester starts.

Which colleges offer courses during the summer intake in Germany?

Here are some academic institutes in Germany that provide courses for admission during the summer intake:

●    TU Munich

●    Technical University of Berlin

●    University of Mannheim

●    RWTH Aachen

 

Which programs in Germany are offered in the summer intake?

Here are some courses that are typically offered for admission in the summer intake:

●    Civil engineering

●    Business administration

●    History

●    Mechanical engineering

●    Management

●    International relations

●    Chemical engineering

●    Economics

●    Electrical engineering

●    Political science

●    Renewable energy

●    Biology

●    Information technology

●    Mathematics

●    Cultural studies

●    Telecommunications

●    Chemistry

●    Sociology

●    Physics

●    German language

 

What is the policy to waive tuition fees for international students in Germany?

Germany is quite famous throughout the world due to its policy of waiving tuition costs for all students who are pursuing their higher education in public universities. The goal of this policy is to ensure that higher education is affordable for all students who wish to get an education in Germany, irrespective of their background. The German government explicitly manages the finances for higher education in all public academic institutes in Germany. This means that international students can take advantage of this policy for free education.

Does Germany offer financial aid for international students?

Germany offers diverse types of financial aid to help international students in managing their expenses. Some of these scholarships are usually offered by private establishments, while some scholarships may be provided directly by the German government to boost enrollment in the country. These scholarships focus on the field of education, a specific country of origin, the merit of the applicant as well as financial need. Some financial aid options offered to international students are:

● DAAD Scholarship:

       DAAD stands for the German Academic Exchange Service. It is a completely independent society that offers financial aid in terms of scholarships, particularly for international students. They provide scholarships for researchers, PhD students, undergraduates, and graduates.

● Student Loans:

      International students can apply for student educational loans from banks located in the country. These loans are generally provided to help students in covering their living expenses. Even though some loans need a German citizen to be a cosigner, it is not a definite prerequisite.

● Part-Time Jobs:

      International students are authorized by law to be able to work while pursuing their education in Germany. They are typically allowed to work on a part-time basis. These jobs can help international students in covering their everyday expenses.

 

What are the overall costs of living in Germany?

Apart from the waiving policy for tuition fees, the country also offers a low cost of living for international students. When compared to other countries in the continent, Germany is considered to be quite affordable. As per a recent study conducted on the cost of living in European countries, cities in Germany currently lie in the bottom hundred of the list which ranks cities based on their cost of living.

In Germany, international students can live and study comfortably by spending less than 1000 EUR a month. This fact illustrates how cost-friendly German cities are for international students as compared to cities in other countries. International students could also get employment on a part-time basis during their time in Germany to support their overall expenses and education. To manage their expenses easily, a lot of international students looking for accommodation that is located on the outskirts of popular areas or opt to live in shared quarters.  

Conclusion

Germany is an extremely affordable country in terms of higher education for international students. However, that does not mean that the country compromises on the quality of education. On the contrary, German infrastructure and technology are considered to be one of the best in the world. The country is an amazing choice for international students in terms of their career and educational aspirations.

Every year, colleges and universities in Germany are ranked highly in world rankings in various domains and industries. For international students who are willing to seek admission in courses that are being offered in the summer intake, it is crucial to ensure that you follow the timelines associated with the process strictly and adhere to the prerequisites to maximize your chances of admission.

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