Study in Germany Part I: Why Germany?

PART I:  

      Though a great number of students aspire to study in the United States of America, only a few achieve it.

    The reason varies but one of the important reason is Financing your education in USA. Since education in USA can be very expensive to most students, USA may not be everybody's cup of tea. But have you ever tried considering Germany as the destination for your higher education?

With increasing number of international students and immigrants from all over the world, Germany is the third largest hub for International Student community next to UK and USA. Even though German (Deutsch) is the primary language spoken in Germany, many universities are now offering Master's and Ph.D programs in English. With the added benefit of the presence of International Community, I don't think studying in Germany is going to be a sticky wicket for anyone aspiring to study there.

A brief insight into Higher Education in Germany:

    Higher education in Germany consists of the Master's and the Ph.D degree. Unlike the USA, one cannot directly study Ph.D after Bachelor's. You need to complete your Master's before going for Ph.D.

Master's: 1.8-2 years, may be extended to 3 years

Ph.D: 3 years but may be extended to 4 years

So why Germany over USA?

1. Tuition fees

2. Living Expenses

3. Scholarships

4. Internships

     

   Well, the main reason is the expenses associated with your study and living. Lets say you might need around 40-60 lakhs to study in USA. However, in Germany education is very affordable when compared with countries like USA or UK. On an average your expenses may sum up to 18 lakhs for your entire Master Study (for 2 years). This is because most of the German universities (at least 9/10) do not charge tuition fees.

  The only fee charged by the university is the Semester Fee, which brings with it your Student ID card and your Student travel ticket for an entire semester. These fees are around 110-250 Euros depending on the city or town your university is located and varies with university.

  Living expenses range from 650-800 Euros per month on an average and depends on the city you are living in and also your lifestyle. Living in a big city like Munich, your expenses can go upto 700-800 Euros per month, whereas if you are living in a town like Goettingen or Freiberg, your expenses can be 650-700 Euros per month.

The Studentenwerk:

    Unlike the traditional university residences found in USA or UK, in Germany the student accommodation is dealt by an organization called Studentenwerk, whose network is spread throughout Germany.

   This organization works independently from the universities, so in addition to the university application you'll have to apply separately to the Studentenwerk in order to reserve your residence. The room rent may cost around 200-300 Euros per month.

   Also the student residence halls do not have any meal plans of their own. You can find a few Asian grocery stores. in addition you can find some Asian or Indian restaurants but the food here can be of very high price. However, if you are not really into cooking, you can opt for eating in restaurants found in your university campus. A network of restaurants, known as Menza, is spread throughout Germany. These restaurants provide a wide range of dishes from vegan to non vegetarian at affordable prices for students. You can apply to the Menza once you enroll at your University. 

   In addition to the Studentenwerk, you can also find private apartments or studio rooms in Germany that are owned by private landlords. However, these private residences can be more expensive than the students' residences.

  

  You can find links for both the Studentenwerk and Private residences on the 'Housing' section of your preferred university's page.

Scholarship:

 Unlike US and UK, most universities in Germany do not provide scholarships. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is your center for scholarships. You can find many number of scholarships for your study duration in Germany. Some of these scholarships are country-specific while others are not. DAAD has it branch offices in most of the countries.

  In addition to the scholarships, DAAD also facilitates exchange programs between German universities and universities of different countries. The ERASMUS MUNDUS is one such program. If your native university is a part of this program then you may have the opportunity to study one or two semesters at a German university as an exchange student. More details can be found on the DAAD website.

 You can visit their website by following the link: https://www.daad.de/en/

Internship:

Studying in Germany has an added benefit of working as an Intern at various research institutes.You can work as an Intern during your semester breaks or even during your classes unless it interrupts your regular class hours.

       Thats all for today, folks. Stay tuned in for more updates in my next post. You can also subscribe to my blog by following the Subscribe link below.