Your Germany application, step by step

Begin with your qualification and intended degree

This guide is for applicants to German bachelor's or master's degrees with international educational backgrounds. Keep citizenship, legal residence and qualification country separate. They can affect different parts of the process, and an Indian passport alone does not explain every academic-document requirement.

• Record your intended programme, degree level and exact semester.
• Record where your school and university qualifications were awarded.
• List completed study periods, grades, subject areas and expected graduation dates.

Establish the undergraduate entry route

DAAD's admission database offers preliminary guidance for undergraduate entry only; the university makes the final decision. Depending on the qualification, you may need to investigate direct entry, subject-restricted entry or a preparatory route.

APS India's February 2026 notice introduces updated criteria for admissions from Winter 2026/27. The specified Indian Class XII-to-Studienkolleg route requires at least 70% overall. Its Class XII plus one successful recognised bachelor's year route also requires 70% and is limited to the previous field and closely related subjects. Do not apply that summary to every qualification or alternative route.

• If a preparatory route applies, separately check the Studienkolleg's admission, language and assessment requirements.
• For unusual boards, international diplomas or mixed education systems, use the qualification-specific guidance.

Check master's recognition and subject fit

uni-assist explains that master's entry generally requires a recognised prior degree equivalent to a German bachelor's, usually in a related subject. Universities may set additional requirements for grades, experience and other evidence. Some permit applications before graduation; this must be verified individually.

• Compare the required subject content with your transcript and official module descriptions.
• Check required degree duration or credit background without inventing your own credit conversion.
• Confirm accepted language evidence, tests, references and portfolio requirements.
• For relevant Indian qualifications, use the APS and dMAT guide before scheduling the application.

Use the university's current application route

Check whether the programme uses a university portal, a uni-assist application or a VPD followed by a university application. Record each required submission. For example, TU Berlin's foreign-primary-degree master's route requires a university-specific VPD from Summer 2026 onward, followed by an application through tuPORT.

• Create portal accounts early and verify you can access the correct intake.
• Work backward from the final submission deadline through evaluation and test steps.
• Save payment and submission confirmations, then monitor both portal and email messages.
• After an offer, complete acceptance and enrolment conditions by their own deadlines.

Prepare a realistic funding and arrival plan

Use the fee schedule for your exact programme and applicant category. TUM currently says students from third countries generally pay tuition, subject to its detailed rules, so a blanket 'Germany is tuition-free' budget is unreliable. Keep tuition, semester contributions and living expenses separate.

• If a visa is required, use the mission responsible for your legal residence.
• Check the relevant visa subtype, language evidence, financial proof and insurance requirements.
• Arrange housing and arrival steps against the official start date and enrolment instructions.

2027 status and unknowns

Checked 20 September 2026. Summer 2027 and Winter 2027/28 are separate application targets. This guide does not assert a common January or July deadline, a guaranteed processing time or universal programme availability. Confirm the dated programme call and any country-specific updates before acting.

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.

1. DAAD — undergraduate admission database ↗www.daad.de
2. APS India — undergraduate criteria update, 23 February 2026 ↗aps-india.de
3. uni-assist — master's admission criteria ↗www.uni-assist.de
4. TU Berlin — applications with a foreign primary university degree ↗www.tu.berlin
5. TUM — fees and financing ↗www.tum.de

Continue your research

• APS and dMAT: the India-specific checks
• uni-assist and VPD: finish the right application
• Choose a programme you can explain