Start with the work you want to do
This guide is for students building an undergraduate or postgraduate shortlist in Italy and Germany. Write down two or three subjects or kinds of work you want to explore. Then look for programmes whose actual modules, projects and assessment methods support those interests. This is a comparison method, not a prediction of admission or employment.
- Choose the degree level and intended start period.
- List essential constraints, such as teaching language, available funds or location.
- Separate essential requirements from preferences you can trade off.
Use catalogues to discover, then verify
DAAD's degree-programme database is a useful starting point for Germany. After discovery, open the institution's own programme page, curriculum and admissions regulations. For Italy, begin with the university's current programme catalogue and the relevant call.
- Save the programme title, awarding institution, campus and official URL.
- Confirm whether the course actually takes new students in your intended intake.
- Read compulsory modules as closely as the appealing electives.
- Check whether internship, exchange or thesis options are required, optional or competitive.
- For a regulated career, separately verify the qualification's professional recognition in the country where you plan to practise.
Make an evidence-based academic match
For master's study, uni-assist explains that recognition of the previous degree and additional university criteria both matter. A similar-sounding degree title is not enough to establish that you have the required background.
- Create a requirement-to-evidence table using official transcripts and module descriptions.
- Mark each requirement as evidenced, unclear or missing.
- Ask targeted questions about unclear prerequisites using actual course content.
- For undergraduate entry, establish the school-qualification route before comparing admission competitiveness.
Check the exact language policy
English teaching does not automatically mean an English-medium school or degree letter will be accepted. Saarland's Computer Science MSc currently requires advanced English at C1 and explicitly does not accept a Medium of Instruction certificate. It also lists academic merit, motivation and two academic references. This is one programme's policy, not a Germany-wide standard.
- Record accepted test types, minimum scores, subscores and validity rules.
- Check whether online or home editions are accepted.
- Find the evidence deadline and any permitted exemption in writing.
- Consider language needs for everyday life, placements and your planned career alongside formal admission rules.
Compare the full cost and the calendar
TUM distinguishes semester fees from tuition for many third-country students and says living costs differ by campus. Use that distinction when comparing all institutions: a single advertised fee rarely explains the complete cash requirement.
- Compare tuition, mandatory charges, living costs, deposits, insurance, travel and application costs.
- Keep unconfirmed scholarships outside your confirmed funding total.
- Map test results, credential checks and documents against the actual submission deadline.
- Keep an alternative whose eligibility, timing and cost you can substantiate.
What a strong shortlist looks like
For each remaining programme, be able to explain why its curriculum fits, which evidence supports your eligibility, what it costs, how to apply and what is still uncertain. Avoid invented acceptance probabilities. Checked 20 September 2026: references illustrate current rules; they do not verify every 2027 intake, fee or deadline. The best next step is to resolve your largest uncertainty for each programme.
Official sources
Check the current programme call before submitting. The links below were used to prepare this guide; a prior-cycle call does not confirm the deadline for your intended intake.
- DAAD — degree programmes in Germany ↗www.daad.de
- uni-assist — master's requirements and additional criteria ↗www.uni-assist.de
- Saarland University — Computer Science MSc requirements ↗www.uni-saarland.de
- TUM — tuition, semester fees and living costs ↗www.tum.de