Looking for a University in Germany

Considering college as an international student? Read this, first.

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As I mentioned in this post, we moved to Berlin with two teenagers. My daughter—the oldest—started 10th grade at an international school that offered the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

She’s now 17, finishing her senior year, and about to earn her IB Diploma. So, like her friends back in the States, we’ve been looking at colleges.¹

Applying to schools in Germany and the rest of the European Union is a very different process than the one in the U.S. So, I wanted to do a post highlighting some key differences.

Thanks to a good bit of marketing on behalf of European schools, many American parents know that tuition costs can be much lower than that of American universities—even paying international tuition at many universities for four years can be lower than the cost of just one year at a U.S. one.

Most German public universities offer free tuition to students who are legally resident in Germany—including students who have a valid study visa.

But many families don’t know the different admission criteria, language requirements, and financial obligations that studying in Europe entails. This post is what I’ve learned so far—and some stuff I wish I knew ahead of our move.

Because my daughter is mostly focused on German universities—this article is too—but I will include some information that I’ve learned about other European systems along the way.

Admissions requirements

Unlike the system in the United States, there are no broadly accepted standardized tests, such as the ACT or SAT.² For German universities, you would need a “general university entrance qualification” (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung), or a secondary school leaving certificate that is recognized as its equivalent.

In Germany, the Abitur is the standard Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, it is the leaving certificate issued by German Gymnasium or comprehensive secondary schools for students who have completed the educational requirements.³

If your student doesn’t have a German Abi, you can check whether their school diploma is considered a HZB-equivalent by looking at the Anabin online database. In some cases, an American high school diploma would be considered an equivalent, provided the student took certain subjects and also a number of subjects at college level (such as Advanced Placement or dual enrollment classes).

In our case, my daughter’s IB Diploma is considered an equivalent qualification. When she gets it (!), we will submit it to the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen, or ZAB, for short), which must certify that she has an appropriate qualification for admission to her desired program.

(Even though she is getting her diploma from a German school, it is a foreign educational qualification. The IB accrediting body is based on Switzerland and it is considered a Swiss educational qualification by Germany.)

If your diploma is not recognized as an equivalent, you can make up needed credits by enrolling in a Studienkolleg, first, a kind of pre-college academy that offers courses designed to fill in gaps between a student’s education and the HZB. There are Studienkollege affiliated with particular universities as well as private ones.

Be aware that the courses at the Studienkolleg are taught in German., which brings me to my next point …

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Language requirements

Most German universities require undergraduate students to have documented fluency in German—even if the program you are enrolling in will be taught in English. For example, Freie Universität in Berlin requires undergraduate applicants to have “CEFR level C1 - certificate with grades” when applying for any program of study.

There are private universities that offer degree programs in English and do not require documented German language skills.

But for public (tuition-free) institutions, this is mostly true. I have only found one - Leuphana University in Lüneburg - that does not.

You can also study German at a Studienkolleg to get to C1, but most will require that you pass an entrance test demonstrating at least B1 proficiency to start.

This is one of the reasons that my daughter is planning to do a gap year after graduation. She did not want the additional pressure of trying to take an intensive language course - on top of her demanding high school program. She will use the time after high school graduation, to earn the language certificate and take time to look at different programs before applying.

Apply to programs, not schools

Another thing that is different in Europe is that students apply directly to particular areas of study (majors) and not to the school as a whole.

If you are interested in two different majors at Humboldt Universität, for example, you must apply to each one separately. Also, different programs may have different or additional admission requirements to the university’s general requirements.

Thus, changing your major or area of study, will involve an entirely new application - though some of your credits may transfer.

Fees, room and board

I mentioned before that students living in Germany can study without paying tuition - though I think certain public schools are starting to implement limited tuition for some programs.

All students usually have to pay semester fees to remain in good standing - these usually cover the cost of a transit ticket and other costs associated with studying. In the schools we have looked at, these are three or four hundred euros per semester.

Also, students are usually responsible for finding their own housing - and most schools do not have dorms. Some universities have a limited number of dormitories - known as Studentenwohnheim - but many do not. Students have to look for housing on the private rental market - often as a member of a WG (Wohngemeinschaft - a formal shared housing/roommates situation).

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If you come to Germany on a student visa—the terms of the visa require you to place a certain amount of funds in a “blocked account,” called a Sperrkonto. This is a special banking account offered by some banks that allows the owner to only make limited withdrawals. The purpose is to ensure that students can provide for themselves while they are here and won’t be a burden on the state.

And not all countries in the EU offer ‘free’ tuition:⁴ for example in the Netherlands, Dutch citizens and nationals of the European Union pay ‘statutory tuition’ which is lower than ‘international tuition’ that is charged to students from outside the EU.

But what if you are a legal resident of the EU and not a citizen?

In that case, it is often up to the country to decide when to consider someone without EU citizenship a ‘national’ of the country they are living in—for universities in the Netherlands it comes down to the type of residence permit the applicant has and length of time.

In general, I have heard that you would need to have lived legally in the EU for the previous three years without interruption in order to qualify for statutory tuition. But this should be verified with the specific institution you are applying to.

Know the portals

Several countries in Europe have dedicated online application portals for international students to help manage applications to different programs and their deadlines.

Not all schools and programs participate - some have their own admissions procedures - so it’s important to check each program’s application requirements.

• In Germany, the portal for international students is Uni-Assist.

• In the United Kingdom, the portal is UCAS.

• For the Netherlands, international students use Studielink

• And, in Ireland, you have the CAO.

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The gap year

Taking a ‘gap year’ between the end of secondary school and the start of university is rather common in Europe.

In Germany, many students do what is called a ‘volunteer year’ or ‘service year’ where they do a year of service work or they work in a national park to get experience and take a break before entering the grind of university. There are lots of opportunities (you can see some of them at the link above) but spots fill up, and applications for these are often submitted at least a year in advance.

Some students plan to travel or work and do a language program, like we are.

The German university system does not require that you apply far in advance to be considered for admission—and they do want to see your actual grades and qualifications.

So, if you want to apply to start in the winter semester after secondary graduation—you are in something of a time crunch. In my daughter’s case, we would have to get her diploma in June, get it recognized, and then have her completed applications ready by the end of the month in order to be considered for winter admission.

Instead of worrying about looking at programs while she was preparing for IB exams, completing her Extended Essay and other requirements—she decided she would do a language program during a gap year to give her more options for programs of study as well as a chance to visit schools and countries.

We all realize how lucky she is that she can do this, but it will take hard work and planning.

Are you looking at universities in Germany? If so, what programs? Maybe you have some advice for me!

Do you have questions I should tackle in a follow-up article? Let me know if the comments.

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More Info

Study in Germany

Study in the Netherlands

Study EU

1. I am using the terms college and university here, interchangeably, because they are virtually synonymous with each other where I’m from. That’s not the case in Germany or much of Europe. Universities offer more advanced degrees (as well as undergraduate) and have a more pedagogical and theoretical focus. A college, specifically, would be one school within a university—or that term may not be used at all. Also, Universities of Applied Sciences here (called, Hochschule in German to distinguish from the Universität) offer a more practical, career-focused degree programs, and may not offer doctoral studies.

2. For high school students here who want to attend university in the United States, there are places that students can take the SAT or ACT. If your family is also considering a move with teenagers…

3. In Berlin, the comprehensive secondary schools offering all types of leaving certificates—the BBR, the MSA, and also the Abitur—are called integrated secondary schools (integrierte sekundarschule or ISS for short). Other federal states have similar schools, but may call them by different names.

4. I have ‘free’ in scare quotes there and here because, of course, university isn’t really free of cost. The professors and staff are paid, the buildings have heat, light, and running water. Tuition is covered by the government. It’s not just non-existent.