About Germany

Germany has been known to be the technological and economic powerhouse of the Europe. German universities have drawn a large number of international students since the last couple of decades. The universities for higher education are dispersed all over the country. The proximity of these universities to industrial plants and various research centres provide an opportunity for students to find employment and stay in the same city. German universities offer over 350 English-taught courses available in varying domains.

The Federal Republic of Germany, also known as Deutschland is located at the convergence of Central and Western Europe. It is surrounded by the Baltic and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south.

Germany shares its land borders with Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south and France, Luxemburg, Belgium and Netherlands to the west.

Germany is a global leader in developing renewable energy and has also earned an international reputation for expertise in technology. The country is also praised for its notable invention in the automobile industry like airbags and according to the 2019 Best Countries global survey, people find automobiles made in Germany as the most reliable.

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and Bavaria is the largest city. Other famous cities in Germany are Munich, Cologne and Hamburg.

Germany is the world’s leading book nation as it publishes over 94,000 books every year. Germany also published the world's first magazine in 1663.

Geography

Germany encompasses a wide variety of landforms like sheer mountains to the south, rolling plains to the north, alluvial plain for agriculture to the east and urbanized land to the west.

The highest point is the Zugspitze in the Alps at the height of 2,962, and the lowest point is Neuendorf-Saxhsenbande at 3.54 meters below sea level.

Diverse terrain can be found in Germany including mountains, forested hills, medieval castles, rolling plains and many more picturesque scenes which attracts millions of tourists.

Climate

Germany has a temperate seasonal climate as it's exposed to both cold air masses from Russia and the North Pole and mild air masses from the Atlantic Ocean which keeps the weather fluctuating.

Winter : Germany has extremely cold and cloudy weather from December to February the minimum average temperature falls to 0 degrees Celsius, and even lower, snowfalls are witnessed quite frequently.

Spring : The present spring is from the month of March to May when the temperature rises with an average temperature ranging between 0 - 15 degree Celsius.

Summer : The temperature begins to rise from June to August with a rise in average maximum temperature to 25-degree Celsius, the weather is pleasant with clear skies.

Autumn : Germany has autumn weather from September to November with pleasant temperature, but as the months progress the weather tends to become cold, rainy and misty.

Natural Resources

Germany has relatively few domestic natural resources, and it imports its raw materials from other countries.

Germany is a major producer of brown coal and bituminous coal, basically found in the west of Cologne, east of Halle, southwest of Leipzig.

Other minerals which are found in abundance in Germany are salt and potash mines in Harz Mountains.

The mining of metallic minerals plays an important role in boosting the German economy.

A small reserve of natural gas and oil is also found in northern Germany.

Economy

Germany has the 5th largest economy in the world in different sectors such as exports of machinery, vehicles, equipment and purchasing power parity.

The German economy suffers from low levels of investment, and the government plans to invest 15 billion euros in encouraging private investment. Elements such as domestic consumption, investment, and exports are expected to drive German GDP growth over the next several years, and the country’s budget and trade surpluses are most likely to remain high.

In the future, Germany plans to replace nuclear power largely with renewable energy sources. Prior to the shutdown of the nuclear power plants, Germany relied heavily on nuclear power for 23% of its electricity generating capacity.

Why Study in Germany?

Higher education in Germany is acclaimed the best globally with “Made in Germany” as the seal of quality, whether it is a product, education, or service. Germany has top universities; 43 German universities have featured in QS World University Ranking & Times Higher Education World University Rankings. German University of Technology (TU9) is and alliance of nine leading Technical University.

The members of TU9 are:

RWTH Aachen

Technical Universities of Berlin

Technical University Braunschweig

Technical University of Darmstadt

Technical University of Dresden

Leibniz University Hannover

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Technical University of Munich

University of Stuttgart

Other Top German University

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich

The Technical University of Munich

Heidelberg University

Humboldt University of Berlin

RWTH Aachen University

Germany is member of Schengen country, which will allow students studying there to enjoy the freedom of movement in other Schengen countries.

One of the significant reasons to study in Germany is that government funded universities have no Tuition fee. Students need to pay semester contribution up to 250 Euros, and it might vary depending upon the universities.

Academics in Germany

Germany has more that 500+ universities offering more than 19300 courses. German language is highly recommended for students willing to go Germany for higher education.

Germany is widely known for its Research intensive courses as the country is the founder of world’s first Research University – Heidelberg University.

Despite having many reputed universities, Germany also offers numerous degrees designed to suit student’s interests. Germany has also introduced several traditional courses. Most of the programs are taught in their native language i.e. German, but a few universities offer courses in English language. English language courses are quite common for Master’s program.

A few universities also offer Master courses Bilingual i.e. both in German and English.

Top preferred Specialized Courses

Mechanical & Mechatronic

Automobile & Automotive

Computation Science & Energy Studies

Intakes in Germany

German Universities have two intakes

Summer Intake: March to September

Winter Intake: October to March

Scholarships for students to study in Germany

Even though the tuition fee is waived-off for most public universities' courses, the cost of living and miscellaneous charges are still considerable. There are several resources of funding like scholarships, i.e., DAAD Scholarship Programs.

Students in Germany work part-time during their studies to provide extra income and also as an opportunity to improve skills and knowledge. Around 2/3rd of international students in Germany work while studying. In Germany, international students are allowed to work for 120 days a year.

Requirements of student visa in Germany

Once you receive a Letter of Offer from your respective university, you need to apply for the student visa. The Germany student visa covers different study levels such as undergraduate, exchange, graduate, or postgraduate. There are three categories of German student Visas.

German Student Visa

German Student Applicant Visa

German Language Course Visa

Post-Graduation Work (PSW) Permit in Germany

According to a recent survey, Germany will face a shortage of 3 million skilled employees by 2030.

Germany provides exceptional job opportunities for graduates and postgraduates. Students can stay in Germany for up to 18 months to look for job opportunities after completing their degrees.

Germany is breeding home of many top companies like Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Siemens, SAP, Texas Instrumentations, Intel and many more opening doors for many opportunities for students.

Cost of Accommodation, Living & Education in Germany

Living in Germany is quite affordable as compared to other European countries. Accommodation is a considerable expense; housing rent depends on the city; students can look for a shared flat to save on accommodation expenses. The monthly living expense may range from 750-850 euros, the range might vary from region to region.

The bachelor’s degree is entirely free in Germany if the student chooses to attend Studienkolleg (1 year Foundation course) prior the bachelor’s degree in German language. The education coast for master’s degree in public university is approximately up to 20,000 Euros and for private university is up to 30,000 Euros.

The no tuition fee in Germany reduces a substantial financial burden for international students. Overall the expenses depend upon the location and the lifestyle you choose.

International students are permitted to work part-time for 20 hours per week during studies. The average income from part-time usually ranges from €500-€1500*. Part-Time work opportunists help students to manage expenses.