International Office

How to enter German higher educational establishment

One of the main reasons why education in Germany is so popular is that there’s an actual real opportunity for Ukrainian students to study for free! In the years 2005-2006 government gave the universities the right to decide on their own whether to provide education for free or to charge students with university fees. So the situation is different in different parts of Germany.

Thus free education you can get in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hessen, Hamburg, Saar, Saxony, Macklenburg-Vorpommern, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, Schleswig-Holstein.

Though the education is free the student anyway has to pay the so-called semester fee in the amount 30-200 euro, and medical insurance – 40-65 euro a month. Just to compare – university fee is approximately 20 000 euro per year.

SEARCHING GERMAN UNIVERSITY

German pupils study for 13 years, not 11 – as Ukrainian ones. That’s why to enter German institution right after school leaving is impossible. One have to study for at least two years in Ukrainian university and only then one can apply for the B.A. courses in Germany.

No matter how well one knows German and his or her subject to adjust to new educational system and to a new life at once is practically impossible. Many experts advise Ukrainians to study for only one year in Ukrainian institution and then leave for Germany to study at Preparatory College (Studienkolleg).

As a rule these educational establishments function within the universities or under their guidance. To find suitable college one can use www.studienkollegs.de. To be admitted one should know German (B1). Student spend one year in college, study German and subjects of their prior interest (5-7) depending on their career choice.

Leaving college student sits an exam, the so-called Festellungsprufung, the results of which will be the main document to enter German university. Education in college is free but one have to pay the semester fee of 30-200 euro and student insurance – 20-70 euro per month.

TEST FOR “TOP STUDENTS”

Though in German institutions there are no entry exams but some universities require the student to provide TestAS certificate. This test was introduced in 2007 and it certifies that foreign student is valid for university. One can pass it in German as well as in English. It costs 100 euro, but in the year 2010 one can sit it for free. It comprises three parts: onDaf test (German as foreign language), general test (level of acquaintance with general education subjects), test modules in the subject one is going to study.

To register one can visit the official web-site – www.testas.de, but beforehand it is required to contact Dragomanov university (www.ipgoe.npu.edu.ua) where the exam takes place. Having passed the test student gets the results, on the basis of which one will apply to German educational establishment.

PAPER WORK

Having passed the exams one can apply to the university. Application process starts in October for Winter Semester and ends in summer, and for Summer Semester it starts in March and ends in January. List of documents varies from university to university but general requirements are as follows: application form (on can find on institution’s web-site), CV, documents about educational background (certified translations), motivation letter, 1-2 recommendation letters, German language certificate (TestDaf, DSH, Goethe-Institute certificate B2, C1 or C2), if the program is in English – TOEFL or IELTS.

By the way in Germany there’s a certain procedure: one can either apply directly to the university’s International Office or by means of Uni-assist service (www.uni-assist.de). This Service charges 15 euro for every application.

One of the main requirements to enter the university in Germany is the knowledge of German language. There are several variants of tests that give the right to study in Germany.

TESTDAF.

DSH.

Goethe-Institute certificates.

WHERE TO GET MONEY

From the first sight it might seem easy to become a student of German university. But many fail to understand that stumbling stone for an average student in any case remains the financial issue. Though education is free to get a long-term educational visa, for example, one must have at least 8 000 euro on a bank account. Only in case one got a scholarship he or her can omit this requirement.

SCHOLARSHIP

German scholarship programs in Ukraine are administrated by German academic exchange service DAAD. Every year approximately 200 Ukrainian students leave for Germany for study purposes. See: www.daad.org.ua.

ACOMMODATION

Let’s imagine the student has already entered the university. First thing to do is to find place to live.

Dormitory. For a room in the university dormitory there has always been a real struggle as there are too many students willing to live there. For newcomers there functions special service Studentenwerk (www.studentenwerkе.de). There are more than 58 offices all around Germany and there’s a large data base containing more than 1000 dormitories all around the country. On their web-site one can fill in application form and get signed in a queue for a room. It’s better one does it half a year before entering the university, in other case one can be left aside and will have to wait a long time and maybe in the end get nothing. Average price for a place in the dormitory is 130-260 euro a month. One can leave in a separate room or share a flat designed as “residential community” (“Wohngemeinschaft” or WG; one flat for a couple of people (3-4 rooms), or to live separately but to share kitchen and WC with 20-30 people. BTW the first payment always comprises the charge for 2-3 first months. Be prepared!

Student hostel. One of the most widespread types of mutual living is again “WG”. Students live in a big flat and each of them pays for his or her own room. The charge for a room is 300 euro, it’s higher than in the dormitory. The ads can be found on informational boards in the university or on a web-site - www.studenten-wg.de.

Nowadays in the Internet you can find yourself a place to live and book it in advance. Visit: www.studenten-wohnung.de или www.wg-gesucht.de.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Pavel Podkaminnyi, DAAD scholarship winner (M.A. in all the specialities) is now studying in Germany in the context of the program Intercultural Germanic Studies.

In 2007 I went to an Educational Fair where I learnt about DAAD program. From that very morning I was dreaming to enter German university. My first three tries were unsuccessful. I applied, passed Paper Work phase and got to the interview and only then I failed. But the experience I got trying again and again is immense! I understood what the members of the committee want to hear from the applicant. They want you to be an expert in your field of study, to be able to explain your choice of scientific field, your motivations and goals. And finally one of the most important parts is to tell about how you would implement gained in Germany experience when back in Ukraine. Interview is your time for PR. You have to sail yourself, so that the committee would like to have you as a participant of the program. Personal experience is very important. I, as a specialist in German studies, told them about my participation in German Theatre, and about my work in German newspaper “Most” in the University named after Shevchenko.

Also it’s very useful to send out your documents to the universities you would like to apply to and to get their positive answer. Letter of acceptance gives you much more chances to get financial aid.

I won my scholarship while applying for the forth time! I got 750 euro. University fee is 500 euro plus semester fee – 72. And the biggest problem I faced was to find a place to live. I started searching three months before going to Germany and even that time wasn’t enough. So my advice is start arranging everything long before coming to the university, time management is very important”.

Source - http://www.segodnya.ua/useful/education/14197790.html