Studying in Germany: First steps

There are quire a few steps you have to take before you are properly enrolled and you don’t have to worry about bureaucracy. Some are legal requirements, some will allow you to save up money.

Things that will save you money and you should do AT LEAST a year in advance (even if you are missing many documents and you have not even been accepted on a degree). If you are missing any documents apply anyway and send the documents as you get them:

• For applying to the biggest scholarship DAAD. Waiting for an acceptance letter made my application invalid and and lost any chance at this scholarship. This can be easily 900 euros a month .
• For student housing if you want to have a place by the time you begin your degree, you should apply a year in advance as well. As far as I understand, each region of Germany has its own Studentwerk/ Studentenwohnheim rules; it is still more than likely that if you have not applied a year prior you will not get a place by the time you wish to move in. I personally waited until getting an acceptance letter, which meant I had to stay many months in limbo regarding housing.

(All transcribed in English or German) Things you will need for applying (or at least that I needed for applying to mine):

• A degree you are aiming to apply for (you should fulfill the qualifications for said degree). Use uni-assist for managing the application.
• A motivation letter for the degree you are applying.
• An official certificate of being qualified enough in the language of the degree you are applying for. Generally speaking, most degrees in German will need a B2 and most degrees in English will need a C1; but you should find it in the degree requirements.
• (Only if you are doing a Master’s) Your Bachelor’s full credits transcript (including subjects), with some stamp or signature. You may also need a proof of completion for it.
• Your university passing qualifications (high school diploma + entrance university grades) with a stamp or signature (even if you are applying for a Master and have a Bachelor’s). I personally managed to get away without transcribing this, but it is very likely you’ll need to. I will also say that this was only necessary for registering when starting in the university, not for applying to the program itself.
• Your local country ID
• Your Curriculum Vitae (depends on the degree).

Thing you should be able to provide right before you actually begin your studies:

• Proof of you being legally insured by a German company (can be obtained exactly when you begin studying, needs only to be valid for the classes period).
• Passport valid to get in Germany or VISA

Good etiquette

While this is not a requirement by any means and I have no proof of how relevant it is when it comes to getting accepted; I was recommended to show some etiquette in the uni-assist when delivering the required files. Delivering the proper files scanned rather than on a phone picture, with proper naming and format (your Curriculum Vitae should be “curriculum_vitae.pdf”) makes the work of whoever is looking at the application easier and shows diligence.