I am a programmer from Minsk, and this year I successfully enrolled in a master's program in Germany. In this article, I would like to share my experience of admission, including choosing the right program, passing all the tests, applying, communicating with German universities, obtaining a student visa, hostels, insurance and administrative procedures upon arrival in Germany.
The admission process turned out to be much more troublesome than I expected. I ran into a number of pitfalls and periodically suffered from a lack of information on a number of aspects. On the Internet (including on Habré) many articles have already been posted on this topic, but none of them, it seemed to me, contained enough details to understand the whole process. In this article, I tried to describe my experience step by step and in detail, as well as share tips, warnings and my personal impression of what is happening. I hope that by reading this article, you will be able to avoid some of my mistakes, feel more confident in your introductory campaign, and save yourself some time and money.
This article will be useful for those who are planning or starting to enroll in a master's program in Germany in specialties related to Computer Science. In part, this article may be useful for applicants to other specialties. Readers who do not plan to enroll anywhere may find this article boring due to the abundance of all sorts of bureaucratic details and the lack of photographs.
Content
About MeMy name is Yalchik Ilya, I am 26 years old, I was born and raised in the small town of Postavy in the Republic of Belarus, I graduated from BSUIR with a degree in Artificial Intelligence, and for more than 5 years I worked as a java programmer in Belarusian IT companies, such as iTechArt Group and TouchSoft. And I have long dreamed of studying at a university in one of the leading developed countries. This autumn I came to Bonn and started my master's program “Life Science Informatics” at the University of Bonn.
1. Preparation for admission
1.1. My motivation
Higher education is often criticized. For many, it never worked. Someone never got it and still succeeded. It is especially difficult to convince yourself of the need to continue your education when you are a software developer, and the job market is filled with a large number of vacancies with interesting projects, comfortable working conditions and dizzying salaries, while not requiring any diplomas. However, I decided to get a master's degree. I see a lot of advantages in this:
- My first stage of higher education helped me a lot. My eyes were opened to many things, I began to think better and easily mastered my profession as a software developer. I became interested in what the Western education system has to offer. If it is really better than Belarusian, as many say, then I definitely need it.
- A master's degree will provide an opportunity to get a Ph.D. in the future, which may open up opportunities to work in research groups and teach at the university. For me, this is an ideal continuation of a career when the financial issue will no longer worry.
- Some of the world's leading technology companies (such as Google) often list a master's degree in job postings as a desirable requirement. These guys must know what they're doing.
- This is a great opportunity to take a break from work, from commercial programming, from routine, to spend time with benefit and understand where to move on.
- This is an opportunity to master any related field and expand the number of vacancies available to me.
Of course, there are also disadvantages:
- Two years without a stable salary, but with stable spending, will empty your pocket. Fortunately, I managed to collect enough financial cushion to study quietly and not depend on anyone.
- There is a risk of falling behind modern trends in 2 years and losing dexterity in commercial development.
- There is a risk of failing exams and being left with nothing - no degree, no money, no work experience for the last 2 years - and start a career all over again.
For me, there are more pros than cons. Next, I decided on the criteria for choosing a training program:
- A field related to computer science, software engineering and/or artificial intelligence.
- Teaching in English.
- Payment does not exceed 5000 EUR per year of study.
- [desirable] Opportunity to master a related field (for example, bioinformatics).
- [desirable] Available places in the hostel.
Now choose a country:
- Most of the developed English-speaking countries fall away because of the high cost of education. According to site data , a year of study in the US on average (not at the best universities) costs $20,000, in the UK - £14,620, in Australia - 33,400 AUD. For me, this is an unbearable amount.
- Many non-English-speaking European countries offer good rates for EU citizens, but English-language programs for other citizens soar to US levels. In Sweden - 15,000 EUR/year. In the Netherlands - 20,000 EUR/year. In Denmark - 15,000 EUR/year, in Finland - 16,000 EUR/year.
- In Norway, as far as I understand, there is an option for free education in English at the University of Oslo, but I did not have time to apply there. The fall semester enrollment ended in December before I received my IELTS results. Also in Norway, the cost of living scares away.
- In Germany, there are a huge number of excellent universities and a huge number of English-language programs. Education is free almost everywhere (the exception is the universities of Baden-Württemberg, where you have to pay 3000 EUR / year, which is also not much compared to neighboring countries). And even the cost of living is much lower than in many other European countries (especially if you do not live in Munich). Also, living in Germany will be an excellent opportunity to learn German, which will open up good career prospects for working in the EU.
That's why I chose Germany.
1.2. Program selection
To choose a study program in Germany, there is a wonderful site: . I created the following :
- COURSE TYPE = "Master"
- FIELD OF STUDY = "Mathematics, Natural Sciences"
- Subject = "Computer Science"
- COURSE LANGUAGE = "English only"
Now there are 166 programs. At the beginning of 2019, there were 141.
Although I chose Subject=”Computer Science”, this list includes programs related to management, BI, embedded, pure data science, cognitive science, neuroscience, bioinformatics, physics, mechanics, electronics, business, robots, construction, security, SAP, games, geoinformatics and mobile development. In most cases, **with the right motivation**, it is indeed possible to get into these programs with an education related to "Computer Science", even if it does not match the chosen program very closely.
From this list, I chose 13 programs that interested me. I placed them in descending order of the university ranking. I also collected information on the dates of submission of applications. Somewhere only the deadline is indicated, and somewhere the start date for receiving documents is also indicated.
| Rating in Germany | University | Program | Application deadline for the winter semester |
| 3 | Technical University of Munich | Informatics | 01.01.2019 – 31.03.2019 |
| 5 | RWTH Aachen University of Technology (RWTH Aachen University) |
Software Systems Engineering | 20.12.2018/XNUMX/XNUMX (or maybe earlier) -? |
| 6 | Technische University Berlin | Computer Science | 01.03.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX –? |
| 8 | University of Hamburg | Intelligent Adaptive Systems | 15.02.2019 – 31.03.2019 |
| 9 | University of Bonn | Life Science Informatics | 01.01.2019 – 01.03.2019 |
| 17 | Technical University Dresden | Computational Logic | 01.04.2019 – 31.05.2019 |
| 18 | FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg | Computational Engineering – Medical Image and Data Processing | 21.01.2019 – 15.04.2019 |
| 19 | University of Stuttgart | Computer Science | ? – 15.01.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX |
| 37 | Technische Universität Kaiserslautern | Computer Science | ? – 30.04.2019/XNUMX/XNUMX |
| 51 | University of Augsburg | Software Engineering | 17.01.2019 – 01.03.2019 |
| 58 | technical university Ilmenau | Research in Computer & Systems Engineering | 16.01.2019 – 15.07.2019 |
| 60 | Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg | Information and Communication Systems | 03.01.2019 – 01.03.2019 |
| 92 | Hochschule Fulda (Fulda University of Applied Sciences) |
Global Software Development | 01.02.2019 – 15.07.2019 |
Below I will describe the experience of applying for each of these programs.
University or Hochschule
In Germany, universities are divided into two types:
- Universität is a classical university. It has more theoretical disciplines, more research, and there is also the opportunity to get a Ph.D.
- Hochschule (lit. “high school”) is a practice-oriented university.
Hochschule tends to rank lower (with the exception of RWTH Aachen University, which is a Hochschule and has a very high rating). Admission to the Universität is recommended for those who plan to pursue a Ph.D in the future, and for those who plan to work after graduation, they are recommended to choose Hochschule. Personally, I was more focused on "Universität", but included two "Hochschule" in my list - RWTH Aachen University because of the high ranking and Hochschule Fulda as a backup plan.
1.3. Entry Requirements
Requirements for admission may differ both in different universities and in different programs of the same university, so the list of requirements must be specified on the university website in the program description. However, it is possible to single out a basic set of requirements that are relevant for any university:
- Higher education diploma ("degree certificate")
- Grading sheet ("transcript of records")
- Language certificate (IELTS or TOEFL)
- Motivational letter (“statement of purpose”)
- Resume (CV)
Some universities have additional requirements:
- Scientific essay on a given topic
- GRE test
- Letters of recommendation
- Description of specialty - an official document indicating the number of hours in each subject and the topics studied (for the specialty indicated in your diploma).
- Cirruculum analysis - comparing subjects from your diploma and subjects taught at the university, dividing your subjects into given categories, etc.
- Brief description of the essence of your thesis project.
- School certificate.
In addition, universities usually provide the ability to upload any other documents confirming your achievements and qualifications (publications, course certificates, professional certificates, etc.).
1.4. IELTS
I started my introductory campaign with the preparation and passing of IELTS, because. without a confirmed sufficient level of English, you will not pass purely by formal criteria, and everything else will no longer be needed.
The delivery of IELTS takes place in the auditorium of a special accredited center. Exams are held every month in Minsk. Registration is required approximately 5 weeks prior to the date. Moreover, the recording was carried out for only 3 days - there was a risk of missing the recording on a date that was convenient for me. Registration and payment can be made online on the IELTS website.
For most universities, it is enough to score 6.5 points out of 9. This roughly corresponds to the Upper-Intermediate level. For some universities (and not always the last in the ranking, for example, for RWTH Aachen University), 5.5 points are enough. More than 7.0 is not required by any university in Germany. Also, I have often seen it mentioned that a higher score on a language certificate does not guarantee you a better chance of getting in. In most universities, it only matters if you passed the bar or not.
Even if you have a high level of English, do not neglect the preparation for the exam itself, because. it requires some skill in passing the test itself and knowledge of its structure and requirements. To prepare, I signed up for a corresponding two-month face-to-face course in Minsk, as well as a free .
In full-time courses, they helped me a lot to understand the Writing part (how to analyze graphs and write essays), because. the examiner expects to see a very strict structure, deviating from which points are deducted. Also in the courses, I understood why it is impossible to answer TRUE or FALSE if they ask “YES or NO”, why it is more profitable to fill in the answer bank in capital letters, when to include the article in the answer, and when not, and similar purely exam moments. Compared to the face-to-face course, the edX course seemed a little boring and not very effective, but, in general, all the necessary information for the exam is also presented there. Theoretically, if you take that online course on edX and then solve 3-4 collections of tests over the past years (can be found on torrents), then the skills should be enough. The books “Check your vocabulary for IELTS” and “IELTS Language Practice” also helped me. We were also recommended the books “IELTS vocabulary in use”, “Using Collocations for Natural English”, “IELTS for Academic Purposes – Practice Tests”, “IELTS Practice Tests Plus”, but I didn’t have enough time for them.
2 weeks after taking the test, you can see the results on the IELTS website. It's just information not suitable for sending to anyone other than your friends. The official result is a certificate, which will need to be obtained at the examination center where you took the test. This is an A4 sheet with the signature and seal of the examination center. Copies of this document can be sent to universities (it is possible without notarization, because universities can check the authenticity on the IELTS website).
My IELTS resultPersonally, I passed IELTS with Listening: 8.5, Reading: 8.5, Writing: 7.0, Speaking: 7.0. My overall score (Overall band score) is 8.0.
1.5. GRE
Unlike American universities, GRE requirements are not as common in German universities. If it is required somewhere, then rather as an additional indicator of your abilities (for example, at Universität Bonn, TU Kaiserslautern). Strict requirements for specific GRE results from the programs I reviewed existed only at Universität Konstanz.
In mid-December, when I got my IELTS results, I started preparing the rest of the papers and also signed up for the GRE test. Since I took at most 1 day to prepare for the GRE, I predictably flunked it (in my opinion). My result was as follows: 149 points for Verbal Reasoning, 154 points for Quantitive Analysis, 3.0 points for Analytical Writing. However, I also applied such results to applications to those universities where GRE results were required. As practice has shown, it did not get worse from this.
1.6. Preparation of documents
A diploma of higher education, a sheet with grades, a school certificate must be apostilled, translated into English or German and notarized. All this can be done in any translation agency. If you are going to apply to universities that accept documents through the uni-assist system (for example, TU München, TU Berlin, TU Dresden), then immediately request 1 additional notarized copy of each document from the translation agency). Some universities (eg TU München, Universitat Hamburg, FAU Erlangen-Nurnberg) require you to send them copies of your documents by paper mail. In this case, for each such university, ask the translation agency for 1 additional notarized copy of each document.
I received translated, apostilled and notarized translations of documents a week after contacting the translation agency.
When you go to pick up translations, be sure to double-check the quality! In my case, the translator made several mistakes and typos like “Operation systems” (instead of “operating”), “Sate ideology” (instead of “state”). Unfortunately, I noticed this rather late. Fortunately, none of the universities have found fault with this. It makes sense to ask for electronic copies of the translated documents - you can copy the titles from there, and this will save you time in the process of filling out the application forms.
Also, if a German university requires a major description, then check if it exists for your major in English. If you are not sure and/or cannot find it, feel free to send a letter with a question to the dean's/rector's office. In my case, the description of the specialty was the “Standard of Education of the Republic of Belarus”, the official translation of which did not exist. In this case, there are two options: translate yourself or go to the translation agency again. Fortunately, notarization is not required for it. Personally, I turned to the translation agency, having previously cut out any meaningless bureaucracy from the mentioned “Education Standard”.
The IELTS certificate can be provided in the form of a regular, uncertified copy. Most universities have access to the IELTS verification system, where they can verify the authenticity of your certificate. Do not send them the original of your certificate (as well as other documents) by paper mail - if you do not enter, it is unlikely to be returned to you.
GRE test results are usually sent electronically from the ets.org site of the organizers, however, some universities (for example, TU Kaiserslautern) are ready to accept the results in the form of a regular certificate downloaded from your personal account on the site .
I prepared a motivation letter separately for each program that I entered. Often on the website of the university / program you can find information about what exactly they expect to see in your letter and in what volume. If there are no wishes from the university, then most likely it should be 1-2 pages with answers to the questions “Why am I applying for a master’s degree?”, “Why am I applying to this particular university?”, “Why did I choose this particular program? ”, “Why did I decide to study in Germany?”, “What interests you in the subject area?”, “How does this program compare with your previous educational and professional experience (or hobby)?”, “Do you have any publications in this subject area?”, “Have you attended courses/conferences related to this field?”, “What do you plan to do after completing this program?” etc.
A resume is usually provided in a tabular form, showing all your activities from school to the moment of admission, indicating all dates of commencement and completion of activities, achievements during this period (for example, GPA at school and university, completed projects at work), as well as your skills and abilities (for example, knowledge of programming languages). Some universities require a resume in the format .
As for letters of recommendation, it is also necessary to clarify the required form and content on the website of the university / program. For example, somewhere letters are accepted only from teachers and university professors, and somewhere they can accept a letter from your boss or work colleague. Somewhere it is possible to download these letters yourself, and somewhere (for example, Universität des Saarlandes) the university sends your teacher a link by which he himself must download his letter. Somewhere they accept simple PDF documents with the specified official mail of the teacher, and somewhere a letter on the letterhead of the university with a seal is required. Some require a signature, some do not. Luckily, I didn't need letters of recommendation for most of the programs, but I still asked for them from 4 teachers. As a result, one immediately refused to write, because. 5 years have passed since we met, and he did not remember me. One teacher ignored me. Two teachers wrote me 3 letters of recommendation (for 3 different programs). Although this was not required everywhere, but just in case, I asked the teachers to put a signature and a university seal on each letter.
In terms of content, my letters of recommendation looked as follows: “I, <academic title> <Name Surname, department, university, city>, recommend <me> to <program> at <university>. We knew each other from <date> to <date>. I taught him <subjects>. In general, he was <such> a student. <The following is a description of what you have achieved as part of the training, how quickly and efficiently you passed assignments, how well you showed yourself in exams, how you defended your diploma, what personal qualities you have>. Sincerely, <Name, Surname, academic degree, academic title, positions, department, university, email>, <signature, date, seal>”. The volume is a little less than a page. Teachers cannot know what form you need letters of recommendation in, so it always makes sense to send them some kind of template in advance. I also included all the factual information in the template so that teachers do not have to look up and remember what he taught me and when.
Where it was possible to provide “other documents”, I attached my work record with more than 3 years of experience as a software engineer, as well as a certificate of successful completion of the “Machine Learning” course on Coursera.
2. Applying
I created the following application calendar for myself:
- December 20 - apply to RWTH Aachen University and Universität Stuttgart
- January 13 – Apply to TU Hamburg-Harburg
- January 16 – apply to TU Ilmenau
- February 2 – Apply to Hochschule Fulda
- February 25 – apply to Universität Bonn
- March 26 – apply to TU München, Universität Hamburg, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universität Augsburg
- March 29 – Apply to TU Berlin
- April 2 – Apply to TU Dresden
- April 20 – Apply to TU Kaiserslautern
The idea was to apply gradually over 4 months, where the deadlines allow. With this approach, if a university refuses due to a low-quality motivation letter (recommendation letter, etc.), then there will be time to correct the mistakes and submit already corrected documents to the next university. So, for example, Universität Stuttgart quickly informed me that among the documents I uploaded, there were not enough scans of original documents in Russian.
On the website of each university you can read about the method of applying. Conventionally, these methods can be divided into the following groups:
- "Online" - you create an account on the university website, go to your personal account, fill out a questionnaire there and upload scanned documents. After a while, in the same personal account you will be able to download an invitation to study (Offer) or a letter of refusal. If an Offer has arrived, then in the same personal account you can click on a button like "Accept Offer" or "Withdraw Application" to accept or reject the offer. Alternatively, an offer or a letter of refusal will not be sent to your personal account, but to the email address you specified.
- "Postal" - you fill out a questionnaire on the university website, print it out, sign it, pack it in an envelope along with notarized copies of your documents and send it by paper mail to the specified address to the university. The offer will be sent to you by paper mail (however, you will also receive notifications in advance either by e-mail or in your personal account on the university website).
- "uni-assist" - you fill out the questionnaire not on the website of the university itself, but on the website of the special organization "Uni-assist" (more on it below). You also send notarized copies of your documents by paper mail to the address of this organization (if you have not already done so). This organization checks your documents, and if they think you are suitable for admission, they send your application to the university of your choice. The offer will come to you directly from the university by e-mail or by paper mail.
Individual universities can combine these methods (for example, “Online + Postal” or “uni-assist + Postal”).
I will describe in more detail the process of applying through uni-assist, as well as to each of the universities I mentioned separately.
2.1. Uniassist
Uni-assist is a company engaged in the verification of foreign documents and verification of applications for admission to a number of universities. The result of their work is "VPD" - a special document that contains confirmation of the authenticity of your diploma, the average score in the German grading system and permission to enter the selected program at the selected university. I needed to pass Uni-assist for admission to TU München, TU Berlin and TU Dresden. Moreover, this document (VPD) is used by them in different ways.
For example, in the case of admission to TU München, Uni-assist sends the VPD to you personally. This VPD must then be uploaded to TUMOnline, TU München's online application system. In addition to this, this VPD will need to be sent to the TU München along with your other paper mail documents.
Other universities (such as TU Berlin, TU Dresden) do not require you to create any separate applications on their websites, and Uni-assist sends the VPD (along with your documents and contact details) directly to them, after which the universities can send you an invitation to study by email.
The cost of the first application to uni-assist is 75 euros. Each subsequent application to other universities will cost 30 euros. It is enough to send documents 1 time - uni-assist will use them for all your applications.
Payment methods surprised me a little. The first way is to attach a special sheet with the specified details of my card to the package of documents (including the CV2 code, i.e. all secret information). For some reason they call this method convenient. I never understood how they would withdraw money, provided that I have two-factor payment authorization, and for each payment a new code is sent to my mobile. I'll probably refuse. It is strange that there is no possibility of paying by card through any payment system.
The second way is SWIFT transfer. I had never dealt with SWIFT transfers before and faced the following surprises:
- The first bank I came to refused to transfer me, because. a letter from uni-assist is not the basis for a money transfer to a foreign legal account. You need either a contract or an invoice.
- The second bank refused to transfer me, because. the letter was not in Russian (it was in English and in German). When I translated the letter into Russian, they refused me, because. it did not indicate "Place of Services".
- The third bank accepted my documents "as is" and made a SWIFT transfer.
- The cost of a money transfer in different banks ranges from 17 to 30 dollars.
I translated the letter from Uni-assist myself and submitted it to the bank, no proof of translation is required. Money comes to the company's account within 5 days. Uni-assist already on the 3rd day sent a letter about receiving funds.
The next step is to send the documents to uni-assist. The recommended shipping method is DHL. I think that the local postal service (for example, "Belposhta") is also suitable, but I decided not to risk it and use DHL. During the delivery process, the following problem appeared - uni-assist did not indicate the exact address in his request (in fact, there was only a postal code, the city of Berlin and the name of the organization). The DHL employee determined the address herself, because this is a popular destination for parcels. If you will be using another courier service, please specify the exact delivery address in advance. And yes, delivery via DHL cost 148 BYN (62 EUR). My documents were delivered the very next day, and a week and a half later, Uni-assist sent me a VPD. It indicated that I could enter the university of my choice, as well as my average score in the German grading system - 1.4.
Chronology of events:
- December 25 - created an application in uni-assist for admission to TU München.
- January 26 - I received a letter from Uni-assist with a request to pay a fee of 75 euros to the specified details, as well as send documents by mail through a courier service.
- January 8 - sent 75 euros via SWIFT transfer.
- January 10 - sent copies of my documents to uni-assist via DHL.
- January 11 - I received an SMS from DHL that my documents were delivered to uni-assist.
- January 11 - uni-assist sent confirmation of receipt of my money transfer.
- January 15 - uni-assist sent a confirmation of receipt of documents.
- Jan 22 - uni-assist emailed me a VPD.
- February 5 - I received the VPD by paper mail.
2.2. How is your application evaluated?
How does the average score affect? Of course, this depends entirely on the university. For example, TU München uses the following methodology [, ]:
Each candidate receives from 0 to 100 points. They include:
- Correspondence of subjects in your specialty and subjects in the master's program: 55 points maximum.
- Impressions from your motivational letter: 10 points maximum.
- Scientific essay: 15 points maximum.
- Average score: 20 points maximum.
The average score is translated into the German system (where 1.0 is the best mark, and 4.0 is the worst)
- For every 0.1 GPA between 3.0 and 1.0, the candidate receives 1 point.
- If the average score is 3.0 - 0 points.
- If the average score is 2.9 - 1 point.
- If the average score is 1.0 - 20 points.
So with my GPA of 1.4, I'm guaranteed to get 16 points.
How are these glasses used?
- 70 points and above: instant credit.
- 50–70: Admission based on interview results.
- less than 50: refusal.
And this is how they evaluate candidates at the University of Hamburg []:
- Impressions from your motivation letter - 40%.
- Grades and compliance of subjects of your specialty and subjects studied in the master's program - 30%.
- Relevant professional experience, as well as experience of studying and working in international teams or abroad - 30%.
Unfortunately, most universities do not publish the details of candidate evaluation.
2.3. Applying to RWTH Aachen University
Process 100% Online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents.
On December 20, applications for the winter semester were already open, and the list of required documents included only a grade sheet, a description of the specialty and a resume (CV). Optionally you can download “Other Proof of Performance/Assessments”. I uploaded my certificate from Coursera for Machine Learning there.
December 20, I filled out an application on their website. A week and a half later, without any notification, a green icon “Formal entry requirements met” appeared in my account.
The university allows you to fill out applications for several specialties at once (no more than 10). For example, I filled out applications for the specialties “Software Systems Engineering”, “Media Informatics” and “Data Science”.
On March 26, I received a refusal to enter the specialty "Data Science" on formal grounds - in the list of subjects studied by me at the university, there were not enough mathematical subjects.
On May 20, and again on June 5, the university sent letters informing them that the verification of documents in the specialties "Media Informatics" and "Software Systems Engineering" was delayed, and they needed more time.
On June 26, I received a refusal to enter the specialty “Media Informatics”.
On July 14, I received a refusal to enter the specialty “Software Systems Engineering”.
2.4. Applying to Universität Stuttgart
Process 100% Online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents.
Feature: it was necessary to fill out and upload a Cirruculum analysis, in which it was necessary to correlate the subjects from their diploma with the subjects studied at Universität Stuttgart, and also briefly describe the essence of their thesis.
January 5 - applied for the specialty "Computer Science".
On January 7, they answered me that the application was not accepted, because. it does not contain copies of the diploma and the sheet with grades (I have attached only the translated versions). At the same time, my application was marked with a red cross. I uploaded the missing documents, but for a month I did not receive any letters, and the red cross next to my application continued to stand. Since the letter asked to refrain from any additional letters, I decided that my application was no longer relevant, and forgot about it.
April 12 - I received a notification that I was accepted to study. The official offer could be downloaded in your personal account in pdf format on their website. Two buttons appeared there - “Accept study place offer”, “Decline study place offer”.
On May 14, a university employee sent information about the next steps - when classes begin (October 14), how to find accommodation in Stuttgart, where to come after arriving in Germany, etc.
A little later, I clicked on the “Decline study place offer” button. chose another university.
2.5. Applying to TU Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH)
Process 100% Online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents.
Feature: you must go through a pre-check before they give access to filling out the questionnaire.
January 13 - filled out a mini-questionnaire for the pre-check stage.
January 14 - they sent me a confirmation of passing the pre-check and sent an access code to my personal account.
January 14 - applied for the specialty "Information and Communication Systems".
March 22 - sent a notification that I was accepted. The offer for training in electronic form in pdf format could be downloaded in the personal account on the university website. Also, 2 buttons appeared there - “Accept Offer” and “Decline Offer”.
April 24 - a guide was sent on the next steps (how to solve the issue with housing, how to sign up for a free German course upon arrival, what documents are needed for the enrollment procedure, etc.)
A little later, I clicked on the “Decline Offer” button. I chose another university.
2.6. Applying to TU Ilmenau (TUI)
Process 100% Online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents.
Features: I had to pay 25 euros for the consideration of my application, and I also had to pass an exam via Skype.
January 16 - applied for the Research in Computer & Systems Engineering (RCSE) specialty.
January 18 - they sent me a request for payment of 25 euros and indicated the details.
January 21 - made a payment (SWIFT).
January 30 - sent confirmation of receipt of payment
February 17 - they sent the results of checking my diploma. This is a PDF document that stated the following:
- my university belongs to the H + class (i.e. it is fully recognized in Germany). There are also H± (this means that only some specialties / faculties are recognized) and H- (this means that the university is not recognized in Germany).
- my average score in the German grading system (turned out to be 1.5, which is 0.1 points lower than the average score calculated in uni-assist - apparently universities make a different sample of subjects for calculation).
- a relative score that said "Oberes Drittel" (first third), whatever that meant.
Thus, my application has moved to the status C1 - Decision Prepared.
March 19 - I received a letter from a university employee, in which she said that I get 65 points for my diploma. The next step is a Skype oral exam where I can score 20 points. For admission, you need to have 70 points (thus, in the exam I had to score 5 points out of 20). Theoretically, someone could get 70 points for their diploma, then you do not need to take the exam.
To organize the exam, it was necessary to write to another university employee and confirm that I was ready for the exam. If this is not done, then after 2 weeks the application for admission will be canceled.
On March 22, the first employee answered me and told me the topics that will be covered in the exam:
- Theory: Basic Algorithms & Data Structures, Complexity.
- Software Engineering & Design: Development Process, Modeling using UML.
- Operating Systems: Process & Thread Model, Synchronization, Scheduling.
- Database Systems: Database Design, Querying Databases.
- Networking: OSI, protocols.
On April 9, I was told the date and time of the exam.
On April 11, the Skype exam was held in English. The professor asked the following questions:
- What is your favorite topic in Computer Science?
- What is Big-O notation?
- What is the difference between processes and threads in OS?
- How can processes be synchronized?
- What is the IP protocol for?
I briefly answered each of the questions (2-3 sentences), after which the professor said that I was accepted and that he was waiting for me in October. The exam lasted 6 minutes.
On April 25, they sent me an official offer for training (in electronic form). It could be downloaded in your personal account on the TUI website in pdf format.
A little later, I sent them a letter with the rejection of the offer, because. I chose another university.
2.7. Applying to Hochschule Fulda
The process is 100% online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents.
February 2 - applied for the specialty "Global Software Development".
On February 25, they sent me confirmation that my application was accepted for consideration and that a response could be expected in mid-April - early May.
On May 27, I received a letter informing me that the verification of documents was delayed and the commission needed a few more weeks to make a decision.
On July 18, I received a letter inviting me to take an online test on July 22. The test will run from 15:00 to 17:00 (UTC+2) and will include questions on the following topics: networking, operating systems, sql and database, computer architecture, programming and mathematics. You can use Java, C++, or JavaScript in your responses.
Another interesting detail that was reported in this letter is the need to pass an interview. I can only assume that if you successfully pass the test and interview, the offer may come somewhere in the middle of August. Registration at the German embassy in Minsk took one and a half months (that is, at the time of July 18, the nearest date for registration at the embassy was September 3). Thus, if you register at the embassy in mid-August at the beginning of October, then the visa will be made at best, by November. Usually at German universities, classes begin on October 7th. I would like to believe that Hochschule Fulda takes into account the possibility of students being late. Alternatively, it may be worth immediately signing up at the embassy for the end of August, even before the offer arrives.
Since I had already accepted an offer from another university, I refused to take the test.
2.8. Applying to Universität Bonn
The application process is 100% online. It was necessary to create an account on their website, fill out a questionnaire, upload scans of your documents. Feature: if successful, the offer is sent by paper mail.
At the end of February, I applied for the specialty Life Science Informatics.
At the end of March, I also uploaded my A1 German certificate (Goethe-Zertifikat A1).
On April 29, I received a notification that I was accepted for training, and they also clarified my mailing address. The official offer had to be expected by paper mail.
On May 13, I received a notification that the offer had been sent and that I should receive it within 2-4 weeks.
On May 30, I received an official offer to study by registered mail at the local post office.
On June 5, information was sent about finding accommodation in Bonn - links to sites where you can book hostels. Dormitories are available, but you need to apply for a room as soon as possible. The application is submitted on the website of the local "Studierendenwerk" - the organization that manages the hostels.
On June 27, a university employee sent information about health insurance, recommendations for buying a laptop, and a link to a Facebook group to discuss issues with other students in this course. A little later, she also sent information about the administrative procedures required after moving to Germany, about German courses, about the schedule and much more. Information support impressed!
As a result, of all those offered to me, I chose this particular program. At the time of writing this article, I am already studying at this university.
2.9. Applying to TU München (TUM)
TUM had the most difficult admission process, which included filling out a questionnaire in a personal account, obtaining a VPD in uni-assist, and sending documents by paper mail. In addition, upon admission to the specialty “Informatics”, you must complete “Cirruculum analysis” (correlation of subjects from your diploma with subjects studied in this specialty), as well as write a 1000-word scientific essay on one of four topics:
- The role of Artificial Intelligence in future technology.
- The influence of social networks on human society.
- The characteristics of Big Data platforms and their importance for data exploration.
- Can computers think?
I described the information regarding obtaining VPD above in the paragraph “Uni-assist”. Thus, on February 5, I had my VPD ready. It gives the right to enroll in all specialties of the university.
Then for a month I wrote a scientific essay on the topic “The role of Artificial Intelligence in future technology”.
March 26 - I filled out an application for the "Informatics" program in my account in TUMOnline. This application must then be printed, signed and attached to the package of documents for sending by paper mail.
March 27 - sent a package of documents by paper mail via DHL. My package of documents included notarized copies of the certificate, diploma, grade sheet and work book with notarized translations into English. Also, the package of documents included ordinary (non-certified) copies of language certificates (IELTS, Goethe A1), a motivation letter, an essay, a resume and a signed application exported from TUMOnline.
On March 28, I received an SMS message from the DHL service that my package was delivered to the address.
On April 1, confirmation came from the university that my documents had been received.
On April 2, I received a notification that my documents meet the formal criteria and will now be evaluated by the admissions committee.
On April 25, I received a refusal to enter the specialty “Informatics”. The reason is “your qualifications do not meet the requirements for the course in question”. Then there was a reference to some Bavarian law, but it never became clear to me what exactly was the discrepancy between my qualifications. For example, RWTH Aachen University, for a similar reason, refused me admission to the Data Science program, but they at least indicated a list of subjects missing in my diploma, and there was no such information from TUM. Personally, I expected to be evaluated on a scale from 0 to 100, as described on their website. If I got a low score, then I would understand that I had a weak scientific essay and motivation letter. And it turns out that neither my letter nor the essay was read by the admissions committee, but filtered me out without giving a score at all. It was pretty embarrassing.
I have another story connected with my admission to TUM. Among the requirements for admission is "Health Insurance". For foreigners with their own insurance, it is possible to obtain confirmation from a German insurance company that this insurance is recognized in Germany. I didn't have any health insurance. For people like me, it is mandatory to get German insurance. The requirement itself was not a surprise to me, but it was unexpected that insurance was required already at the stage of filling out the application for admission. I have sent emails with this question to insurance companies (TK, AOC, Barmer) as well as Coracle, an intermediary firm. TK replied that I needed a German postal address to get insurance. A specialist from this company even called me and clarified several times whether I really didn’t have any German address lying around, or at least friends in Germany who would accept my documents by mail. All in all, this was not an option for me. AOC wrote that I can find all the information on their website. Thanks AOC. Barmer wrote that they would contact me in a couple of days. I heard nothing more from them. Coracle replied that yes, they arrange insurance for students remotely, but to receive this insurance you need ... a letter of admission to a German university. To my bewilderment about how I will receive this letter, if I cannot even apply without insurance, they answered that other students successfully enter without insurance. Finally, I got a response from TUM itself and was informed that in fact, at the stage of applying for admission, insurance is optional, and this item can be skipped. I will need insurance by the time of enrollment, when I already have a letter of enrollment.
2.10. Applying to Universität Hamburg
Process type "postal". First you need to fill out an online form, print it, sign it and send it along with copies of all documents by mail.
On February 16, I filled out an application for the Intelligent Adaptive Systems program on the university website. This specialty related to robotics is the only master's degree in Computer Science with English as the language of instruction at this university. I didn't have any special hopes, but rather applied for an experiment.
On March 27 (4 days before the deadline for accepting documents) I sent a package of documents via DHL.
On March 28, I received a notification from DHL that my package had been delivered to the address.
On April 11, I received a letter from the university confirming that all the documents were in order, I passed the “screening”, and now the admission committee has begun processing my application.
On May 15, I received a rejection letter. The reason for the refusal was that I did not pass the competitive test. The letter indicated the rating given to me (73.6), which put me in 68th place, and in total the program provides for 38 places. There was also a waiting list, but the places in it are also limited, and I didn’t even get there. Given so many applicants, it was logical that I did not pass, since I have zero experience in robotics.
2.11. Applying to FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
The application process is two-stage - the commission immediately considers the online application, and if successful, requires documents by paper mail, after which the offer is also sent by paper mail.
So, in March, I created an account on their website, filled out a questionnaire, uploaded scans of my documents, and applied for Computational Engineering, specializing in Medical Image and Data Processing.
On June 2, I received a notification that I was accepted for training, and now I need to send them a package of documents by paper mail. The documents are the same as those attached to the online application. Of course, the certificate, diploma and score sheet must be notarized copies with notarized translations into English or German.
I did not send them any documents, because By this time I had already chosen another university.
2.12. Applying to Universität Augsburg
The process is 100% online.
On March 26, I submitted an application for admission to the Software Engineering program. I immediately received an automatic confirmation that my application was accepted.
On July 8, the refusal came. The reason is that I did not pass the competitive test, in which 1011 candidates participated.
2.13. Applying to TU Berlin (TUB)
Application to TU Berlin (hereinafter referred to as TUB) is entirely through uni-assist.
Since I had previously sent documents to Uni-assist during the admission process to TU München, I did not need to send documents again for admission to TUB. Also, for some reason, it was not required to pay for the application (in the “Fee” column it was 0.00 EUR). Perhaps it was a discount for the 2nd application, taking into account the expensive 1st application (75 euros), or this application was paid by TUB itself.
Thus, in order to apply for admission to TUB, I only had to fill out a questionnaire in my personal account on the uni-assist website.
March 28 - applied to uni-assist for admission to TUB in the specialty "Computer Science".
On April 3rd, I received a notification from uni-assist that my application had been submitted directly to TUB.
On June 19, a confirmation was sent that my application was accepted. I think it's rather late. Considering that an appointment with the German embassy can take a month, and the preparation of a student visa can take a month and a half, then the end of June is the deadline for registering with the embassy. Therefore, all other universities are trying to send either an offer or a refusal by mid-June (and even earlier). And TUB is just starting to consider your application. Alternatively, if you want to study specifically at TUB, you can try to sign up at the embassy in advance even before receiving an offer. Otherwise, there is a risk of not having time to get a visa by the beginning of training.
On August 23 they sent me, and on August 28 I received a paper letter in which I was informed of the refusal. The reason is “in the field of Theoretical Computer Science 12 CP are required, 0 CP were approved by your transcript”, i.e. The selection committee did not find any of the subjects I studied that lay in the field of Theoretical Computer Science. I didn't argue with them.
2.14. Applying to TU Dresden (TUD)
Application to TU Dresden (hereinafter referred to as TUD) is entirely through uni-assist.
On April 2, I filled out the questionnaire and applied in my personal account in uni-assist for admission to TUD for the “Computational Logic” program.
On the same day, April 2, I received an automatic notification from uni-assist asking me to pay for the verification of the application (30 euros).
On April 20, I made a SWIFT transfer to pay for the application.
On April 25, uni-assist sent me a notification that my payment had been received.
On May 3rd, I received a notification from uni-assist that my application had been submitted directly to TUD.
On the same day, May 3rd, I received an automatic email from TUD containing my username and password for logging into my personal account on the TUD website. My application was already filled out there and I didn’t need to do anything with it, and access to my personal account is necessary in order to view the current status of my application, as well as download the official response of the university from there.
On June 24, I received a letter from a university employee, in which she said that I had been accepted for training in the chosen specialty. The official answer should have appeared a little later in your account.
On June 26, the official offer for training (in pdf format) became available for download in your personal account on the TUD website. Also there appeared a guide on further steps (search for housing in Dresden, start dates for classes, enrollment, etc.).
I sent them an offer rejection letter. I chose another university.
2.15. Applying to TU Kaiserslautern (TUK)
The application process is 100% online. Features: I had to pay 50 euros for the consideration of my application. If successful, the offer is sent by paper mail.
On April 20, I filled out an application for admission to the Computer Science program in my account on the university website. There, in the personal account, the details for payment were indicated. On the same day, I made a SWIFT transfer (50 euros) using the specified details. On the same day, I attached a scan of the bank order to the application and sent the application for consideration.
On May 6, confirmation came that my application and payment were received, and the selection committee begins consideration.
On June 6, I received a notification that I was accepted into the TUK.
On June 11, a university employee sent me a letter asking me to fill out a special form stating that I accept an offer to study at TUK, and also indicate my mailing address to which they should send the offer. This form is filled out electronically, after which it had to be sent to a university employee by email, and then wait for an offer.
Also, that employee said that on August 21, the integration course begins, by the beginning of which it is highly recommended (“highly recommended”) to arrive in Germany, and training in the specialty will begin on October 28. TUK was the only university (of those that sent me offers) that organized integration courses, and TUK also has the latest start of classes (others usually start on October 7 or 14).
A little later, I sent him a letter with the rejection of the offer, because. I chose another university.
2.16. My results
So, I applied for admission to the master's program at 13 universities: TU München, RWTH Aachen University, TU Berlin, Universität Hamburg, Universität Bonn, TU Dresden, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universität Stuttgart, TU Kaiserslautern, Universität Augsburg, TU Ilmenau, TU Hamburg-Harburg, Hochschule Fulda.
I received 7 offers from the following universities: Universität Bonn, TU Dresden, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Universität Stuttgart, TU Kaiserslautern, TU Ilmenau, TU Hamburg-Harburg.
I received 6 rejections from the following universities: TU München, RWTH Aachen University, TU Berlin, Universität Hamburg, Universität Augsburg, Hochschule Fulda.
I accepted an offer from Universität Bonn to study under the Life Science Informatics program.
3. An offer for training has arrived. What's next?
So, you have a document that says that you are accepted to the chosen program of study. This means that you have passed the first stage of admission - “admission”. The second stage is called "enrollment" - you must come to the university itself with the originals of all your documents and your "letter of admission". You must also have a student visa and local insurance by this time. Only after passing the enrollment procedure, you are issued a student ID, and you officially become a university student.
What should you do after receiving an offer?
- Immediately sign up at the embassy for a national visa (i.e. non-Schengen). In my case, the next date for recording was more than a month away. It should be borne in mind that the visa procedure itself will take 4-6 weeks, and in my case it took even more.
- Immediately send an application for a room in a hostel. In some cities, such a preliminary application will almost completely guarantee you a place in a hostel by the beginning of your studies, and in some it’s good if in a year (according to rumors, in Munich you have to wait about a year).
- Contact one of the organizations that open blocked accounts (for example, Coracle), send an application to create such an account, and then transfer the necessary amount of money there via SWIFT transfer. Having such an account is a prerequisite for obtaining a student visa (unless, of course, you have official sponsors or scholarships).
- Contact one of the organizations that open medical insurance (you can in the same Coracle) and send an application for insurance (they will ask you for a letter of admission).
When you have a visa, insurance and housing, you can book a plane ticket and look forward to further studies, because. the main chores are over.
3.1. Opening a blocked account
A blocked account is an account from which you cannot withdraw money. Instead, the bank will send you money in monthly installments to your other bank account. Having such an account is a prerequisite for obtaining a student visa to Germany. This is how the German government insures that you will spend all your money in the first month and become homeless.
The process for opening a blocked account is as follows:
- Fill out an application on the website of one of the intermediaries (for example, Coracle, Expatrio).
- Receive your account details by email. The account is opened very quickly (during the day).
- Go to a branch of a local bank and make a SWIFT transfer for the amount indicated in the letter. SWIFT transfer from Minsk to Germany takes up to 5 days.
- Get confirmation by email.
- Attach this confirmation to the student visa application at the embassy.
Regarding intermediaries, I personally used the services . Some of my classmates used . Both that and that (as well as a couple of others) are listed in the list of possible intermediaries on the website of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs ().
In my case, I needed to transfer 8819 euros, of which:
- 8640 euros will be returned to me in the form of monthly transfers of 720 euros to my future account in Germany.
- 80 euros (so-called buffer) will be returned to me along with the first monthly transfer.
- 99 euros - Coracle commission.
Also, your bank will take its commission for the transfer (in my case, about 50 euros).
I want to warn you that from September 1, 2019, the minimum monthly amount that an international student in Germany must have has increased from 720 to 853 euros. thus, you will most likely need to transfer something around 10415 euros to a blocked account (if this amount has not changed again by the time you read the article).
I have already described the surprises associated with the process of SWIFT transfers in the “uni-assist” paragraph.
How to use this blocked account in Germany later, I will describe in the next paragraph “After arrival”.
3.2. Medical insurance
Before visiting the embassy, you must also take care of obtaining medical insurance. There are two types of required insurance:
- "Student Health Insurance" is the main insurance under which you will be able to receive medical assistance throughout the entire period of study and for which you will need to pay approximately 100 euros per month upon arrival in Germany. You do not need to pay for Student Health Insurance before coming to Germany. You will also first need to select the desired insurance company (TK, Barmer, HEK, many of them). On the Coracle website, a small comparative description is given (from which, however, it follows that there is not much difference, and they cost about the same). Confirmation of the opening of this type of insurance is required when applying for a student visa and when registering at the university.
- "Travel Insurance" is a short-term insurance covering the period from the moment you arrive in Germany and is valid until you receive the main insurance. If you order it together with "Student Health Insurance" in one of the intermediary agencies (Coracle, Expatrio), then it will be free, otherwise it may cost 5-15 euros (one-time). It can also be bought from any local insurance company. This insurance is required when obtaining the visa itself.
By the time you apply for insurance, you must have an offer for training (and if there are several, then decide on the specific offer that you accept). it will need to be uploaded along with your application.
On June 28, I submitted an application for TK health insurance and free “Travel Insurance” on the Coracle website.
On July 2, I received confirmation of the opening of “Student Health Insurance”, “Travel Insurance”, as well as information about what I will need to do upon arrival in Germany in order to “activate” this insurance and start paying for it.
How insurance is activated and paid for upon arrival in Germany, I will describe in the next paragraph “After arrival”.
3.3. Obtaining a visa
This stage presented a couple of surprises for me and turned out to be quite nervous.
On May 27, I signed up to apply for a national visa to the German Embassy in Minsk on July 1 (that is, the appointment was made a little more than a month in advance, the nearest date was not available).
An important point: if you have several offers from different universities, then by the time you submit documents at the embassy, you need to decide which offer you accept and attach it to the application. This is important because copies of all your documents will be sent at your place of study to the appropriate city office, where a local official will have to give consent for you to receive a visa. Also, the place of study will be indicated on your visa.
The embassy provides a memo on the preparation of a package of documents, as well as a questionnaire that must be filled out in German. Also on the website of the embassy, one could find information on opening a blocked account, indicating possible intermediary agents.
Link to и from the website of the German Embassy in Minsk.
And here was one of the pitfalls! In this memo, such documents as a diploma, certificate, motivation letter, resume are listed in the column “For applicants applying for admission to a higher educational institution”. I thought that I was not applying for admission, since I already have an acceptance letter from a German university, so I skipped this point, which turned out to be a big mistake. My documents were simply not accepted and they were not even given the opportunity to convey them in the following days. I had to re-record. The next date for re-entry was August 15, which, in general, was not critical for me, but it meant that I would receive a visa “back to back”, because. according to the acceptance letter, I had to arrive at the university for registration no later than October 1. And if, for example, I had chosen TU Kaiserslautern, I would not have had time for the integration course.
I started looking at the available dates for recording every 3-4 hours, and a couple of days later on the morning of July 3rd, I found an open window for July 8th. Hooray! This time I took all the necessary and unnecessary documents that I had and successfully submitted my application for a national visa. During the submission of documents, I also had to fill out a small additional questionnaire at the embassy itself. There were 3 questions in the questionnaire: “Why do you want to study in Germany?”, “Why did you choose this university and specialty?” and “What will you do after graduation?”. You could answer in English. Next, I paid a consular fee of 75 euros and I was given a receipt for payment. This is a very important document that will come in handy for the subsequent visa application, do not throw away this receipt! The embassy official informed me that I could expect a response in 4 weeks. I heard that in addition to this national visa applicants are invited to interview with the consul, but I was not invited. They put a stamp in my passport (they reserved a place for a visa), they gave the passport to me.
The next trouble was that the consideration of a visa application can be very delayed. After 7 weeks, I still have not received any information from the embassy. There was anxiety associated with the fact that suddenly they were actually waiting for me for an interview with the consul, but I didn’t know, I didn’t come, and my application was canceled. On August 22, I clarified the status of the visa processing (this can only be done via email, such questions are not answered by phone), and they told me that my application was still being considered at the local office in Bonn, so I calmed down.
On August 29, I received a call from the embassy and was told that I could come for a visa. In addition to the passport, it was also necessary to have temporary medical insurance (the so-called “Travel Insurance”) and a receipt for payment of the consular fee with you. It is no longer necessary to register at the embassy, it was possible to come on any working day. The receipt of payment of the consular fee serves as an "entry ticket" to the embassy.
I came to the embassy the next day, August 30th. There I was asked the desired date of entry. Initially, I asked for “September 1” so that I could travel around Europe before the start of my studies, but they refused me, citing the fact that it is not recommended for them to open a visa earlier than 2 weeks before the required arrival date. Then I chose September 22nd.
It was necessary to come for a passport in 2 hours. I had to wait another hour in the waiting room and, finally, my passport with a visa was in my pocket.
Comrades from India have developed a special approach to checking the status of a visa. I will give here the original post in English, copied from the public facebook group “BharatInGermany”. Personally, I did not use this process, but suddenly it will help someone.
Process from India
- First you can check the status of visa, by contacting the VFS by either chat/mail quoting your reference ID. This is preliminary to check whether documents has reached the respective Consulates if you take the interview at VFS. This step is only confined to know that your visa documents has reached the Embassy. The VFS executives cannot answer much than this as they are not the decision makers.
- By the contact form in the respective consulate website, you can get to know the status of your visa application. But unfortunately, the people are not responsive all the time. I don't know how things work in your home country!
- You can draft an email to "[email protected]» with the subject line: status of student visa. This approach will give you an instantaneous reply. You must send the following information in the mail including surname, firstname, Passport number, Date of birth, Date of visa interview, Place of interview. I guess all these information are crucial and missing of information will result in requisition mail of those detail from them. So, you will get a reply that your visa application has been recorded in their system and for further information contact the competing Ausländerbehörde office where you expect to head.
- Finally, if you get delayed after a very long time, you can contact the Ausländerbehörde office by email. You can google for the respective email Id. For example: Ausländerbehörde Munich, Ausländerbehörde Frankfurt. Surely, you can find out the email id and you get write them. In this it Ausländerbehörde Bonn. They are the real decision makers who process your visa application. They reply whether either your visa is granted or declined.
3.4. Dormitory
Hostels in Germany are public and private. The state-owned ones are run by organizations with the prefix “Studierendenwerk” (for example, in Bonn this organization is “Studierendenwerk Bonn”), and they are usually cheaper, all other things being equal housing conditions. Also, in state hostels it is convenient that all utilities and the Internet are included in the rent. I have not come across private hostels, so below I will talk about my experience of interacting with Studierendenwerk Bonn.
All information about hostels in Bonn is presented on . For other cities, there should be corresponding sites. There you could also see the addresses, photos and prices of specific dormitories. The dormitories themselves turned out to be scattered around the city, so I first chose those dormitories that are more or less close to my academic building. Places in hostels can be separate rooms or apartments, they can be furnished or unfurnished, they can vary in area (range approx. 9-20 sq.m.). The price range is approximately 200-500 euros. That is, for 200 euros you can get a separate small room with a shared bathroom and a kitchen on the floor, without furniture, in a hostel remote from the educational buildings. And for 500 euros - a separate one-room furnished apartment not far from the educational buildings. Studierendenwerk Bonn does not offer options for cohabitation of several people in one room. The hostel fee includes the payment of all utilities and the Internet.
In the application for a hostel, it was necessary to select from 1 to 3 desired hostels, indicate the desired price range and type of accommodation (room or apartment), as well as indicate the desired date of settlement. Moreover, it was possible to indicate only the 1st of the month. Since I had to arrive at the university before October 1, in my application I indicated the desired date of settlement - September 1.
After sending the application, it was necessary to confirm it from my e-mail, after which I received an automatic letter informing me that my application was accepted for consideration.
A month later, I received another letter asking me to confirm my application. To do this, it was necessary to go to the specified link within 5 days. During this period I was on vacation in another country, but fortunately I had Internet access and I checked my mail regularly, otherwise I could have been left without a place in the hostel.
Half a month later, they sent me an e-mail with a contract with a proposal for a specific hostel. I got a small furnished room in a fairly large but old hostel 5 minutes walk from my academic building for 270 euros per month. Everything as I wanted. By the way, at this stage there is no longer any choice - you can only decide whether to agree to this proposal or not. If you refuse, there will be no other offer (or there will be, but not soon, in six months, for example).
In addition to the contract, the letter also included other documents - the rules of conduct in the hostel, details for paying the security deposit and a number of other papers. Thus, at that time it was required:
- Print and sign the tenancy agreement for a place in the dormitory in three copies.
- Print and sign the rules of conduct in the hostel in two copies.
- Pay a deposit of 541 euros via SWIFT transfer.
- Print, fill out and sign a direct withdrawal authorization from my bank account (“SEPA”) for monthly hostel payments.
- Print a copy of the certificate of registration at the university (i.e. "enrollment").
All these documents had to be put in an envelope and sent by paper mail within 5 days.
If the first two points are quite clear, then the 4th and 5th raised questions for me. Firstly, what kind of permission to directly withdraw money from the account? I could not even think that someone could withdraw money directly from my bank account, guided only by some kind of permission. It turned out that this is a common practice in Germany - a number of services are linked directly to a bank account - but, of course, this process does not work with a Belarusian bank account. It also cannot be linked to a blocked account, and at that time I did not have another account in a German bank.
The fifth point - a copy of the certificate of registration at the university - was complicated by the fact that the registration (“enrollment”) can be done only upon arrival at the university, and I don’t even have a visa yet.
Unfortunately, the representative of the hostel administration did not answer my questions within 3 days, and I had only 2 days to send the documents, otherwise my application for the hostel will be deleted. Therefore, in the SEPA permit, I indicated my Belarusian account, although I knew that this would not work. It seemed to me that an empty form might look suspicious, and it is better to solve problems as they come up. Instead of a university registration certificate (“enrollment”), I attached my letter of acceptance (“Notification of Admission”). I wasn't sure if my paperwork and bank transfer would arrive on time, so I sent an email asking them to wait a little longer than expected. The next day, the dormitory management employee replied that she would wait for my documents.
A week later, the administration confirmed that they had received my package of documents and payment of the deposit. So I got a place in a hostel.
After another 3 days, the dormitory accountant informed me by email that my SEPA permit was not working (which I had no doubt about), and asked me to pay for the 1st month of the dormitory through a SWIFT transfer. This must be done by September 3rd.
In addition to the room, "Studierendenwerk Bonn" offered the so-called "Dorm Basic Set" - a set of necessary things for a hostel. It included a set of bed linen (sheet, duvet cover, pillowcase), pillow, 2 towels, 4 hangers, 2 sets of cutlery (spoon, fork, knife, dessert spoon), 2 sets of dishes (cup, bowl, plate), saucepan, a frying pan, a set of plastic kitchen utensils (tongs, a spatula, a spoon), 2 kitchen towels, a roll of toilet paper and a LAN cable. This set had to be pre-ordered. The price of the set is 60 euros. It was possible to order it by e-mail indicating the address of your hostel and the desired date of settlement. In my opinion, this set is quite convenient (especially with a set of bed linen). day 1 will be a lot of hassle without finding a hardware store and a suitable size sheet.
Further, it was necessary to arrange a meeting with the house manager (“Hausverwalter”) of my hostel in order to get the keys to my room from him and move in. Due to the flight schedule, I was able to arrive in Bonn only in the evening, when the house manager was no longer working, so I decided to spend the night at the hotel upon arrival in Bonn and go to the hostel in the morning. I sent an e-mail to the house manager asking for a meeting at a convenient time for me. 3 days later he sent a letter with consent.
On the day of the meeting, I had to show the house manager the contract for renting a place in the hostel, my passport, proof of payment for the 1st month and provide my passport photo. I had a small problem with the contract, in that the administration of the hostel sent me a signed contract by mail, and it had not yet arrived before my departure to Germany. Therefore, I showed the house manager another copy of the contract, which had only my signature (that is, without the hostel administrator's signature). There were no problems with this. As proof of payment for the 1st month, I showed a SWIFT transfer receipt from a Belarusian bank. In exchange for this, the house manager gave me a special paper, indicating that I now live here, escorted me to my room and handed me the keys. That paper then had to be taken to the city government to obtain registration in the city.
Additionally, after checking in, I had to fill out a form in which I had to confirm that I had received the indicated pieces of furniture (table, chair, etc.), and that I had no complaints about them, as well as about the rest of the room (to walls, window, etc.). If there are complaints about something, then this must also be indicated so that later there will be no complaints against you. All in all, I was in pretty good shape. I left only one small complaint about the towel rack, which was loose and hung on one bolt. The house manager then promised to fix it, but then, apparently, he forgot. He also ignored my email, so I fixed it myself.
In general, by law, the house manager does not have to enter your room, even if you yourself asked him to fix something. Therefore, you need to either send him a letter with official permission to enter your room in your absence (then he can fix something faster), or make an appointment for a certain time when you are at home (and when the house manager has a free slot, which is may not be soon).
On the day of my arrival in the hostel, there was a general cleaning, so the corridors were littered. However, the room I got was very clean and bright. From the furniture there was a table, a chair, a bed, a bedside table with drawers, a bookshelf, a wardrobe. The room also had its own sink. The chair was very uncomfortable, it hurt my back, so I later bought myself another one.
We have a shared kitchen for 7 people. The kitchen has 2 refrigerators. When I moved in, the refrigerators were in a terrible state - everything was yellow-green smudges, with mold, a layer of dead midges stuck to it and a stink that made me sick. When I was cleaning there, I discovered that milk “lives” in this refrigerator with an expiration date that expired the year before last. As it turned out, no one knew where whose food was, so when someone moved out and forgot something of their own in the refrigerator, it remained there for years. It was a discovery for me not even that people could start refrigerators to such a state, but that they continued to store their products in such refrigerators. There were also two small freezers, covered with snow so much that it was impossible to use them. At the time of my check-in, only 2 girls lived on the floor, one of whom was about to move out, and the second admitted that she did not know whose products were in this refrigerator and was embarrassed to touch them. It took me 2 days to put things in order there.
All my other neighbors have moved in since October 1st. We have a truly multinational cast, all of them from different countries - from Spain, India, Morocco, Ethiopia, Italy, France, and I am from Belarus.
After checking in, I bought the following things for my room: a Wi-fi router, a more comfortable chair, a second set of bedding, a table lamp, an electric kettle, a trash can, a soap dish, a glass for a toothbrush, a mop, a broom.
Several of my classmates decided not to spend money on paying for an extra month in a hostel (September) and sent an application for a hostel with a check-in in October. As a result, by October they did not receive a hostel. Because of this, one guy had to live in a hostel for the first month with a payment of 22 euros per day, and the second had to urgently look for a private hostel, which turned out to be much more expensive and farther from the educational buildings), and wait for a place in the “state” hostel until January. Therefore, I recommend in the application for a hostel to ask for check-in as early as possible, even if you are going to arrive only at the end of the month.
Another interesting question is whether it is possible to change the hostel. In short, changing the hostel is almost impossible. It is a little more realistic to change a room within the same hostel. The minimum contract period for a hostel provided by Studierendenwerk Bonn is 2 years. That is, if you want to improve your living conditions in a year, then no one will let you move to another “state” hostel. Yes, you can terminate the contract, but then there is a 3-month period during which you are not eligible to submit a new application for a hostel. And even after 3 months, when you apply for another hostel, it will take some time before it will be considered and you will be offered something. Thus, between eviction and settlement in a new place, six months can pass. If you do not terminate the contract, but simply do not renew it, then there will be no 3-month period before a new application, but you will still need to wait for confirmation of your new application 2-3 months after the eviction.
Chronology of events:
- On June 26, I sent an application for a place in a hostel.
- On July 28, within 5 days, it was necessary to confirm your application.
- August 14 sent a contract for a hostel.
- On August 17, I paid the deposit and sent a package of documents to the hostel management.
- On August 19, the administration confirmed that they would wait for my documents for more than 5 days.
- On August 26, the administration confirmed that they had received my package of documents and payment of the deposit.
- On August 29, the accountant sent me the details for paying for the 1st month in the hostel.
- On August 30, I paid for the 1st month in the hostel.
- On August 30, I ordered the "Dorm Basic Set".
- On August 30, I proposed a date and time for a meeting with the house manager.
- On September 3, the accountant confirmed that my payment had been received.
- On September 3, the house manager confirmed the date and time of my check-in.
- September 22 I arrived in Bonn.
- On September 23, I checked into the hostel.
3.5. What documents do I need to take with me to Germany?
Required:
- Diploma (original and certified translation) – needed for enrollment.
- Sheet with grades (original and certified translation) – needed for enrollment.
- Training offer (original) – needed for enrollment.
- Language certificate (for example, "IELTS", original) - needed for enrollment.
- Permanent medical insurance (“Health insurance”, copy) – needed for enrollment and residence permit.
- Temporary medical insurance ("Travel insurance", original) - is needed in case of illness before receiving permanent insurance.
- An agreement on renting a place in a hostel is needed for settling in a hostel.
- Bank receipts for payment of the deposit and the 1st month in the hostel (copies are possible) are needed for settling in the hostel.
- 2 photos (as for a Schengen visa) - one is needed for a hostel, the second for a residence permit.
- Confirmation of the amount on the blocked account (copy) - necessary for a residence permit.
- A passport is needed for everything.
I also recommend that you print it out in advance, fill it out if possible and take it with you:
- Enrollment form - can be downloaded from the university website.
- Application for registration in the city ("Meldeformular") - can be downloaded from the website of the local city government ("Bürgeramt").
3.6. Road
On Sunday, September 22, I arrived at Frankfurt Airport. There I had to transfer to the train to Bonn.
Conveniently, you can take the train at the airport itself without having to go straight to the city. The ticket could be bought on , but I decided to look for terminals.
Following the signs to "Fahrbahnhof" I came across the DB (Deutsche Bahn) terminals, through which I was able to purchase a train ticket to Bonn. The ticket cost 44 euros. During the purchase process, there was an opportunity to “reserve a seat”, but this option was not available on my flight. Does this mean that I can take any place or just all the places are already booked, I did not understand.
At a certain point, the signs split into “short-range trains” and “long-distance trains”. I didn’t know what type the train to Bonn was, so I had to run around and find out. My train turned out to be a "long distance" train.
On the train, I was overcome by the fear of inadvertently breaking some law, for example, getting into the wrong car or taking someone's reserved seat, and that I would be fined for this. The information on the ticket was not very accessible. There were enough free seats. In addition, each seat had a “Reserved” sign on it. Finally, a ticket inspector approached me and offered me to take one of the seats. During my trip, no one else applied for my place. Perhaps the seats were booked for a trip from Cologne, through which the train went later.
In total, an hour and a half spent at the airport going through passport control, buying a train ticket, searching for and waiting for a train, another hour and a half on the train, and I am in a warm and cozy Bonn.
4. After arrival
After my arrival, another series of bureaucratic procedures awaited me. Fortunately, I had 2 more weeks before the start of my studies to pass them without haste. In general, it is believed that 1 week is enough for them. Some of my classmates, due to visa problems, arrived in Germany 1-3 weeks after the start of their studies. The university was sympathetic to this.
So, after arriving, I needed to do the following:
- Register with the City of Bonn ("Bürgeramt Bonn").
- Register at the university ("Enrollment").
- Open a bank account at a local bank.
- Activate health insurance.
- Activate blocked account.
- Register to pay the radio tax (“Rundfunkbeitrag”).
- Get a temporary residence permit ("Aufenthaltstitel").
Each step had its own list of necessary papers from the previous steps, so it was important not to get confused and do everything in the right order.
4.1. Registration in the city
Registration in the city must be completed within the first two weeks of your stay in Germany.
To register with the city government of Bonn, it was necessary to download a form (“Meldeformular”) on the website of the city government (“Bürgeramt Bonn”), print it out and fill it out in German. Also, on the site of the management, it was necessary to make an appointment, for which it was necessary to bring a completed questionnaire, a paper from the house manager indicating where I settled, and a passport.
On the same day that I moved into the hostel, I began to deal with registration. There was a small problem: the nearest available date of admission was only a month later (and you need to register within the first two weeks). I did not book this slot and decided to wait a bit, and, lo and behold, a couple of hours later, a series of free slots appeared for the same day. Perhaps the city administration attracted an additional worker, which made it possible to open so many slots.
The administration itself was a huge open-space, in which about 50 employees worked at the same time. There was an electronic board in the hall showing which employee you should go to. I was taken half an hour after the appointed time. The reception itself lasted about 15 minutes, during which the employee retyped the information from my profile into her electronic form, asked a couple of clarifying questions and printed out a registration certificate - “Amtliche Meldebestätigung für die Anmeldung”. This paper is needed for almost all subsequent procedures (opening a bank account, activating medical insurance, obtaining a residence permit, etc.)
4.2. Registration at the university
Registration at the university - "Enrollment" - the final step in entering the university.
The offer for training indicated that we should arrive for registration before October 1, but if necessary, this period can be easily extended. October 1 is more like information for the embassy, giving them the right to give you a visa with the right to enter as early as September. The actual registration deadline is November 15th (i.e. more than a month after the start of training). Thus, there are risks that some student will not have time to get a visa by the start of their studies. Some of my classmates arrived towards the end of October.
For registration, it was necessary to bring the following documents to the department of studies of the university:
- Diploma (original and certified translation).
- Sheet with grades (original and certified translation).
- Offer for training (original).
- Language certificate (for example, "IELTS", original).
- Permanent health insurance (“Health insurance”, a copy, the same as that attached to the visa application).
It was also necessary to fill out the form (“Enrollment form”), which could be downloaded in advance from the university website, but it was possible to ask for this form already at the university itself and fill it out on the spot.
Initially, I imagined some kind of verification process for my documents, where a university employee would compare the original of my diploma with the copy that I sent them as part of my application for admission in terms of correspondence between grades and specialty. It turned out to be a little different. A university employee compared the original of my diploma with the copy that I brought him myself. What is the meaning of this, I do not understand.
After registration, I was given a temporary student ID for 2 weeks. During these two weeks, I had to pay a semester fee in order to get a permanent student card. To pay the semester fee, bank details are issued, according to which you can pay either without commission from your bank account, or in cash at the bank (with a commission). My semester fee is 280 euros. I paid for it on the same day, and received a student ID in a week and a half by mail. The student card was printed on a regular A4 sheet, from which it still had to be cut.
The student card entitles you to free travel on local public transport throughout the North Rhine-Westphalia region (except for the fast trains IC, ICE and the airport bus).
4.3. Opening a bank account
In order to receive transfers from your blocked account, pay for medical insurance, dormitory and semester fees at the university, you need a bank account in Germany. To open it, you must have registration in the city.
The first question that will arise is which bank to choose. For me, the important criteria were the availability of information in English, the availability of convenient Internet and mobile banking, as well as the proximity of a bank branch and ATMs. After a brief comparison, I decided to open an account with Commerzbank.
I came to their office and turned to the consultant, who asked if I had an appointment. Since I did not have an appointment, she handed me a tablet on which I had to fill out an appointment form. It could have been done at home ahead of time, which would have been much easier, but I didn't know that. The questionnaire was in German, and since my knowledge of German was not enough, I had to pass questions through an interpreter, which is why it took me 30 minutes to fill out the questionnaire. After filling out the questionnaire, I was immediately booked for an appointment, but I had to wait about half an hour. As a result, I opened a bank account.
I had to use the bank account on the same day to pay the semester fee and get a student ID as soon as possible. To do this, I had to separately enroll in the queue at the cashier, where I could replenish my account and immediately make the payment. Here you need to be careful and make sure that the cashier really makes the payment from your account to the university account, and not directly in cash, because if you pay the semester fee in cash, then a commission is charged for this.
In the following days, I received a pin code, a photo code for accessing mobile banking and a plastic card by paper mail. There was a slight inconvenience with the card in that it turned out to be the simplest card without the ability to make payments on it on the Internet and link it to, for example, a bicycle rental service. I was also a little surprised by the process of withdrawing cash from this card. Through mobile banking, I found out about the nearest ATM where you can withdraw cash without a fee. When I got there, there was a gas station there. I walked around it from all sides, but there was no ATM there. Then I turned to the cashier at this gas station with the question “where is the ATM”, after which he took my card, inserted it into his terminal and asked “how much do you want to withdraw?”. That is, the cashier at the gas station turned out to be the same ATM that dispenses cash.
Mobile banking disappointed me a little with its primitiveness compared to the banking that I had in Belarus. If in Belarusian mobile banking I could make any payment (for example, for mobile communications, the Internet), send applications to the bank (for example, to issue a new card), view all transactions (including incomplete ones), instantly change currency, open deposits and take loans, then here I can only see the balance, see the completed transactions and make a transfer to the specified bank account. That is, in order to pay for mobile communications, I need to go to the branch of the corresponding company and pay at their checkout, or buy a prepaid card in a supermarket. As I understand it, when local residents buy a SIM card, they enter into an agreement under which money is debited directly from their account in the same way as money for health insurance. Then, perhaps, this inconvenience is not so manifested.
4.4. Activation of health insurance
To activate medical insurance, you must specify the following data in your personal Coracle account:
- Address (may be temporary if you have not yet received a permanent place of residence).
- Bank account number in Germany.
- Certificate of registration at the university ("Enrollment Certificate").
After that, Coracle forwarded this data to the insurance company (TK). The next day, TK mailed me a password to access my TK account. There you had to upload your photo (they will then print it on a plastic card). Also in this personal account it is possible to send an electronic authorization for direct withdrawal of money to pay for insurance from your bank account. If such permission is not given, then it will be necessary to pay insurance for six months in advance.
The cost of insurance for me is 105.8 euros per month. Money is withdrawn directly from the bank account in the middle of the month for the past month. Since my insurance was activated on October 1st, the amount for October was withdrawn on November 15th.
Chronology of events:
- September 23 - received a letter from Coracle with a password to access the personal account of Coracle.
- September 23 - indicated his address in the personal account of Coracle.
- September 24 - received a letter from TK with a password to access TK's personal account.
- On September 24, he indicated his bank account number in his Coracle account.
- October 1 - Received an email from TK confirming my insurance activation.
- October 5th - Uploaded my University Enrollment Certificate in my Coracle account.
- October 10 - received a plastic card from TK by mail.
- November 15 - payment for October.
How to use health insurance?
You must immediately choose a “home doctor”. You can enter something like “Hausarzt ”, choose the one closest to your home and call for an appointment. When you call, you will most likely be asked for your insurance type and number. If necessary, your family doctor will refer you to a specialist.
Also, comrades from India have developed a different process for finding doctors. Here is the instruction in English, written by my classmate Ram Kumar Surulinathan:
Instruction from IndiaInformation about searching English speaking doctors in your locality:
- Log on to the website
- You can find a tab "Patienten" on the top, do click on that.
- Under that, choose "Arzt Suche"
- Following this, you encounter a new web page where you can fill out the form in the left side of the page. Do fill the Postleitzahl (PLZ) which is the pincode and Fachgebiete (the type of treatment you wish to take) and click on treffer anzeigen at the end.
- Now, you could find a list of Doctors on the right hand side. To know whether they speak English or any other languages, you could click on their name.
4.5. Activation of a blocked account
To activate transfers from my blocked account, it was necessary to send copies of the following documents by e-mail to Coracle:
- Confirmation of registration at the university (Enrollment).
- Registration at the place of residence (paper from "Bürgeramt").
- Confirmation of the opening of a bank account (where the name, surname and account number are indicated).
Since I did not have a scanner at hand, I sent photos of these documents.
The next day, a Coracle employee answered me and said that my documents were accepted. The first money transfer must occur within two weeks, and all subsequent transfers must occur on the 1st business day of each subsequent month.
Chronology of events:
- September 30 - sent documents to Coracle.
- October 1 - received a response from Coracle.
- October 7 - 1st transfer of 800 euros (80 euros of which is the same “buffer” that was included in my blocked account). The following transfers are equal to 720 euros.
4.6. Radio tax
In Germany, it is believed that since radio and television waves are available to everyone, everyone should pay. Even those who don't have a radio or TV. This fee is called “Rundfunkbeitrag”. The amount of this fee at the end of 2019 is 17.5 euros per month.
There is one relief: if you only rent a dorm room, then this fee can be divided with all the neighbors who are in the same block with you. A shared flat is a space that has its own kitchen, shower and toilet. Thus, since we are 7 people in the block, we divided the payment into seven. It turns out 2.5 euros per month per person.
It all started with a paper mail letter signed by three companies - ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. The letter contained a special 10-digit number (“Aktenzeichen”), by which I should register in their system. You can also register by paper mail (for this they even carefully attached their envelope), or on their website -
During the registration process, it was necessary to indicate:
- Since what month / year I have been registered at the specified place of residence.
- Do I want to pay separately, or join the block neighbor's payment (in the second case, you need to know his payer number).
Unfortunately, joining another payer's account does not mean that equal shares will be withdrawn from everyone. The tax will be withdrawn from the bank account of one payer, so in order to achieve justice, the payer must then collect money from neighbors.
An unpleasant situation arose in my block: the guy who used to pay, and to whose payment everyone joined, had already moved out, no one had his contact details, and no one remembered his payer number. All my neighbors could remember was that the guy paid the tax before the end of the year. So I had to register as a new payer.
A week after registration, I received confirmation of my registration as a payer in our block and my payer number (“Beitragsnummer”) by paper mail. I told my neighbors on the block my payer number so that they could join my payment. Now it's my burden to collect money from my neighbors for something that neither I nor they really need (ie radio and television).
Also in that letter, I was asked to send permission for the direct withdrawal of tax from my bank account by paper mail. The form of this permission and the envelope were also attached. I did not have to pay for sending the letter, it was enough just to put the form in an envelope and take it to the nearest post office.
The next day I received a new email from these companies informing me that my authorization for direct withdrawal of money from my account had been accepted.
A month later, I received a notification that 87.5 euros would be withdrawn from my account for 5 months (October - February), and subsequently they would withdraw 52.5 euros for every 3 months.
Chronology of events:
- October 16 - Received a letter with a request to register for tax.
- November 8 - registered as a new payer.
- November 11 - received a payer number.
- November 11 - sent permission to withdraw money from my bank account.
- November 12 - received confirmation of receipt of my permission to withdraw money from my bank account.
- December 20 - I received a notification about how much money they would take from me.
4.7. Obtaining a residence permit
A student visa entitles you to stay in Germany for six months. Since the training lasts longer, it is necessary to obtain a temporary residence permit. To do this, you need to make an appointment at the local immigration service (“Ausländeramt”), where you need to leave an application for a residence permit, and then come there to get the residence permit this time.
The process of making an appointment for each city may be different. In my case, it was possible to fill out a form on the site , after which I received an email notification about where and when I need to come, as well as what I need to take with me. In other cities, you may need to call them by phone to make an appointment.
It is interesting that in that questionnaire on the site it was necessary to indicate the days of the week and the time at which it would be convenient for me to come, but the appointment was made without taking into account my wishes, so I had to skip classes at the university on the day of the appointment.
You had to take the following things with you:
- Passport.
- Certificate of registration in the city.
- Photo.
- Evidence of financial resources (for example, a copy of the confirmation of the state of the blocked account that you attached to the visa application).
- Medical insurance (you need a sheet with your insurance number, but I showed my plastic card with insurance data, and this also worked, although some of my classmates refused to accept it).
- Student ticket.
- 100 euro.
Also in the letter they demanded the following documents, but in fact they did not check them with me:
- Language certificates.
- Diploma.
- Rating sheet.
- Offer to study at the university.
- Lease contract.
The reception lasted about 20 minutes, during which the employee checked my documents, measured my height, eye color, took my fingerprints and sent me to the cashier to pay a fee of 100 euros. He also suggested a possible time and date of admission to obtain a residence permit. Unfortunately, it turned out that the earliest date is February 27th, a week after my exams are over, so I won't be able to fly home right after my exams.
The residence permit will be open for 2 years. If I do not have time to finish my studies at the university by this time (for example, I fail the session), then I will have to renew the residence permit, which means again demonstrating my financial condition. However, in order to extend the residence permit, it will no longer be necessary to have a blocked account, but it will be enough to have money in a regular bank account.
Chronology of events:
- October 21 - filled out the form for an appointment.
- October 23 - received the exact place and time of reception at the immigration service.
- December 13 - went to an appointment with the immigration service.
- February 27 - I will receive a residence permit.
5. My expenses
5.1. Admission costs
For the preparation of documents - 1000 EUR:
- Translation of documents into English (diploma, grades, certificate of basic education, certificate of secondary education, work book): 600 BYN ~ 245 EUR.
- 5 additional notarized copies: 5 x 4 documents x 30 BYN/document = 600 BYN ~ 244 EUR.
- Translation of a specialty description (27 A4 sheets): 715 BYN ~ 291 EUR.
- Consular fee at the German Embassy: 75 EUR.
- Blocked account: 8819 EUR, from which we subtract 8720 EUR (they will be on your account), thus the costs are 99 EUR (for creating and maintaining an account) + 110 BYN (bank commission for SWIFT transfer). For everything ~ 145 EUR.
For the study of languages - 1385 EUR:
- IELTS preparation course: 576 BYN ~ 235 EUR.
- German tutor: 40 BYN / lesson x 3 lessons / week x 23 weeks = 2760 BYN ~ 1150 EUR.
For exams - 441 EUR:
- IELTS exam: 420.00 BYN ~ 171 EUR.
- GRE exam: 205 USD ~ 180 EUR.
- Goethe exam (A1): 90 EUR.
For applications for admission - 385 EUR:
- Payment for TU Munchen VPD in uni-assist: 70 EUR (SWIFT) + 20 EUR (bank fee) = 90 EUR.
- Sending documents to uni-assist by DHL: 148 BYN ~ 62 EUR.
- Sending documents to Munchen by DHL: 148 BYN ~ 62 EUR.
- Sending documents to Hamburg by DHL: 148 BYN ~ 62 EUR.
- Application fee at TU Ilmenau: 25 EUR (SWIFT) + 19 USD (bank fee) ~ 42 EUR.
- Application fee to TU Kaiserslautern: 50 EUR (SWIFT) + 19 USD (bank fee) ~ 67 EUR.
Thus, my expenses for the introductory campaign amounted to 3211 EUR, and an additional 8720 EUR was required to demonstrate financial solvency.
How can you save money?
- Do not translate the certificate of basic school education if you have a separate certificate of secondary general education.
- Calculate exactly how many notarized copies of your documents you will need and do not make them "in reserve".
- Translate the description of the specialty yourself (or find one that has already been translated).
- Do not go to an IELTS preparation course, but prepare yourself.
- Do not take the GRE and refuse to enter universities that require the GRE (for example, Universität Freiburg, Universität Konstanz).
- Refuse to enter universities operating through the uni-asist system (for example, TU München, TU Berlin, TU Dresden).
- Refuse to apply to universities that require documents to be sent by mail (for example, TU München, Universität Hamburg).
- Refuse admission to universities that require payment for the verification of your application (for example, TU Ilmenau, TU Kaiserslautern).
- Learn German on your own and not go to courses.
- Do not take the Goethe exam and refuse to enter universities that require a basic knowledge of the German language (for example, TU Berlin, TU Kaiserslautern).
5.2. Living costs in Germany
For the 1st year of life in Germany - 8903 EUR:
- Medical insurance: 105 EUR/month * 12 months = 1260 EUR.
- University service fee: 280 EUR/semester * 2 semesters = 560 EUR.
- Hostel fee: 270.22 EUR/month * 12 months = 3243 EUR.
- For food and other expenses: 300 EUR/month * 12 months = 3600 EUR.
- For mobile communications (pre-paid): 55 EUR / 6 months * 12 months = 110 EUR.
- Radio tax: 17.5 EUR/month * 12 months / 7 neighbors = 30 EUR.
- Residence permit payment: 100 EUR.
I gave the “universal” living expenses in Germany, although in fact I, of course, spent more, incl. for tickets, clothes, games, entertainment, etc., which can be very different for different people. In fact, for me, a year of living in Germany is worth 10000 EUR.
6. Organization of studies
Start and end dates for each semester may vary from university to university. I will describe the organization of studies at my university, but according to my observations, in most other universities there are no big differences.
- October 1 is the official start of the winter semester.
- October 7 - the winter semester classes begin (yes, it turns out that studies begin a week after the beginning of the semester).
- December 25 - January 6 - Christmas holidays. If you are going to fly somewhere at this time, be sure to book tickets in advance, because. already a month before these holidays, ticket prices skyrocket.
- January 27 - February 14 - winter semester exams.
- February 15 - March 31 - winter holidays.
- April 1 is the official start of the summer semester.
- April 7 – Summer semester classes begin.
- July 8 - July 26 - summer semester exams.
- July 27 - September 30 - summer holidays.
If you receive an unsatisfactory mark on the exam, you will be able to come to the 2nd attempt. You can’t come to the 2nd attempt just for the sake of the opportunity to get a slightly higher score, only if the 1st attempt is completely overwhelmed. Because of this, some students specifically did not come to the 1st attempt in order to be more prepared to come to the 2nd. Some teachers did not like this very much, and now it is possible to be absent from the 1st attempt only for a good reason (for example, if you have a certificate from a doctor). If you fail for the 2nd time, you can continue your studies with your group, but you will have to go through the subject again (i.e. go to lectures again and complete tasks already with the younger group). What will happen if after that you fail the exam 2 more times, I don’t know for sure, but according to rumors, they put a stigma, so it will never be possible to pass and retake this subject again.
To obtain a diploma, you must have positive grades in all compulsory subjects and in a set of optional subjects so that in total they give at least a certain number of credits (the description of each subject indicates how many credits it gives).
I don’t describe the educational process in detail, since our 1st semester is designed to “level” knowledge among the group, so nothing special is happening in it now. Every day 2-3 pairs. They assign a lot of homework. What I really like is the frequent presentations by professors from other universities (including from the USA, Switzerland, Italy). From them, I learned how Python and ML are used to screen chemical molecules in order to find new drugs, as well as the use of Agent-based models for modeling the immune system, and much more.
Finale
I hope that my article was informative, exciting and useful for you. If you are just going to enter a master's program in Germany (or in another country), then I wish you success! Feel free to ask questions, I will answer them as soon as possible. If you have already enrolled or have already graduated from a master's program, and / or you have experience different from mine, then please tell us about it in the comments! I would be interested to hear about your experience. Also, please report any errors found in the article, I will try to fix them promptly.
Thank you for attention,
Yalchik Ilya.
Source: habr.com