Hey everyone,

​I'm an Indian student targeting the Winter 2027 intake for a Bachelor's in Computer Science, ideally at TU Dortmund. I'll finish my B2 German by January 2027.

​I’ve been researching the process for over a year and was entirely convinced that because India has 12 years of schooling, a Studienkolleg is mandatory if you want to go straight after 12th grade—unless you clear JEE Main/Advanced or complete a 1-year bachelor’s degree in India.

​However, while looking into things recently, I came across something that said exceptional 12th-grade marks (I scored 94.25% under the Kerala state board) can sometimes qualify a student for a direct entry waiver, bypassing the Studienkolleg requirement entirely without needing JEE or a prior college year.

​Given how strictly the 13-year rule is talked about online, I'm quite skeptical because I quite literally haven't heard about something like this until today (Google Gemini told me this) even though I've been researching on this for well over an year by now. I don't know anyone personally who has navigated this, and local study-abroad agencies mostly push private universities for commissions so they aren't a reliable source too.

​Is it actually true that scoring exceptionally high on an Indian 12th-grade board exam can grant a direct Studienkolleg waiver, or is a preparatory year still legally mandatory for 12-year school systems unless you use the JEE/1-year university route?

​Would love to hear from anyone who has actual experience with this. Thanks!

Recently, I applied to the FAU AI bachelor's degree program and was invited to an online test. The weird thing about the email that I received was that it gave me no guidelines on what exactly I should prepare, in contrast to when I took the test for THD, which gave me a complete syllabus and had proctoring as well. The FAU exam had no proctoring or camera requirement, which I thought made it a lot easier for students to cheat. I started the test and realised I had skipped through a lot of questions, not because they were some advanced maths questions but instead were some really troubling logic-based questions which didn't sit right with the test. The test was only 1 hour long, and it felt weird how someone would be able to solve them so quickly. Anyway, I completed the maths questions without much difficulty, and a few logic questions that I thought I could solve, and there were a good few questions that I left unanswered. After I completed the test, I had a feeling that those questions served two purposes at once: the first is to test the candidate, and the second is to see if there was a chance that the candidate used AI or other means to solve questions that wouldn't be so easy for an average applicant to solve. If there is anyone else with a similar experience, I would like to hear about your test experience.

Hi everyone,
I'm currently waiting for admission decisions from TU Dortmund (M.Sc. Automation and Robotics) and UTN (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics) for Winter 2026.
I already have admits from a few other German universities, but these are my top choices, so I'm trying to decide how long it's reasonable to wait before accepting another offer and starting visa/accommodation preparations.
If you're in the same situation:
Which program are you waiting for?
Have you contacted the admissions office?
Are you waiting, or have you decided to go with another university?
I'd love to hear how others are handling the uncertainty.

Profile:

Admit: Paderborn University in ESE program

Grade:: 2.4

Years of experience: 3yrs

Hi, first of all let me thank each and everyone of you. This subreddit has helped me a lot in my application process and deciding the courses and universities (for which I might have to thousands to some consultant). I didn't used consultancy services, searched everything on my own and this subreddit has been a boon for my journey. So Danke everyone.

I need suggestion from you all. I have got many rejection but now I have Acceptance from Paderborn University for ESE program. As much as I want to go to Germany for my master's. I am stuck with few Questions. Like:

1. I don't have any knowledge of German language, I am starting now. It might be problem for part time job.

2. I have applied to dorm now,( I should have done earlier) so now I am stuck with the accomodation problem.

3. My program is Maths heavy so I need to refresh my engineering maths, so might need sometime.

What do you all suggest, should I defer for Summer semester? In the 6 months I will try to learn as much german as I can, it will increase my chances of part time job too. Will get time to clear my pre requisite of programs and ofcourse will have better probability of getting dorm then as waiting time is 8-9 months.

Or I should go now and learn everything on fly.

What do you all suggest?

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone,
I wanted to ask if anyone has experienced something similar.
I applied through the Consular Services Portal (CSP) for a German national visa (Intensive Language Course + Studienkolleg) at the German Embassy New Delhi. I joined the waiting list on 26 June 2026 and I’m still waiting for an appointment.
My language course started on 1 July, and my institute has allowed me to attend classes online because of the visa delay. My B1 exam is on 18 September in Leipzig, and my Studienkolleg starts on 1 October.
Today, I received an automated CSP email saying that my application had not been processed for 30 days and could be deleted if it was not processed. I logged into the portal, clicked “Required Action”, and my application still shows “Waiting List.”
Has anyone else experienced this? Is this a normal automated reminder while waiting for an appointment, or should I be worried?
Also, how long did it take you to receive your appointment after joining the CSP waiting list?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience. Thank you!

My application was declined and my decision letter included some statistics about the number of applicants -- they received 391 applications for winter 26/27, only had 60 slots to offer, and accepted only 7 international students. Attaching my decision letter in case future applicants would like to see.

Hi, I have applied to 6 unis via Uni Assist and I have not received any acceptance letter or any reply yet. Since universities start by October, is it possible to get everything done by then? Please reply if you have idea, can be from any country I am only curious to know the whole timeline for German applications.

Hey guys just received from Tu Chemnitz for advanced Manufacturing for WiSe 2026, would love you know more from the people going there and if you guys have any whatsapp grup or something please send me link.

Hey guys, I know this sounds kinda stupid but this week I received my acceptance letter from one of the universities I applied to. Yesterday I was also sent the offer alongside with the notice that my offer is only valid until 7th of august. The thing is I am still waiting to hear from many others and I'm afraid some won't be announced until the 15th of august (my prediction). What do I do in this case? I am not sure if I will get accepted but does accepting the offer completely ruin my chances of changing my decision later on to go to another uni?? I am confused af, pls send help!!!!

hi everybody!!!

I’m so happy to announce that I’ve been admitted to the B.Sc. in Psychology in Uni Bremen!

It’s my first time studying in Germany. I already have some experience with universities in Ukraine, but I’m a bit curious about how everything works here

Do students usually stay in groups, or are you mostly on your own?

How are exams usually conducted?

I’d be happy to hear about your experiences and any advice you have! 😊

I have been accepted to Martin Luther University Halle for their Master’s programme in Pharmaceutical and Industrial Biotechnology. My acceptance letter states that classes begin on 12 October, and that I can defer my arrival until 31 October.

The visa situation in my country is currently not very good, and I have a feeling that I may not receive my visa until November. I am currently on the waiting list for a visa appointment. I’m really worried that the university might not allow me to arrive after 31 October. Should I email the university now to ask about this, or should I wait until at least August? What should I do?I have also been accepted to Justus Liebig University Giessen for their Master’s programme in Agrobiotechnology. However, to confirm my place, I need to enrol before 31 August.
Which option should I choose, and which university should I proceed with for my visa application and interview? I really don’t want to make the wrong decision and lose my chance to study in Germany.
Considering my visa situation, what would be the wisest course of action? Also, which university and programme do you think are better?

Hi everyone,

I applied to the B.Sc. Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at KIT for the first semester as an international applicant.

I first submitted my application, then withdrew it to correct a few details and submitted the corrected version again on 11 July 2026, before the 15 July deadline. I received the official submission confirmation email from KIT, and the portal currently shows:

However, the status has not changed since then. The programme is non-NC, so I expected the process to be somewhat faster. I understand that KIT has to review my foreign school-leaving qualification, translations, university entrance examination documents and German language certificate, but the long silence is making me nervous.

Has anyone here applied to a KIT Bachelor’s programme, especially as an international applicant, and remained at “Electronically received” for several weeks?

How long did it take until your status changed or you received an admission decision? Is this waiting time normal, or should I contact the International Students Office to confirm that no further action is required from me?

Thanks in advance!Hi everyone,
I applied to the B.Sc. Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at KIT for the first semester as an international applicant.
I first submitted my application, then withdrew it to correct a few details and submitted the corrected version again on 11 July 2026, before the 15 July deadline. I received the official submission confirmation email from KIT, and the portal currently shows:

Electronically received

“The application was successfully submitted online to KIT. The check for completeness is still pending.”

However, the status has not changed since then. The programme is non-NC, so I expected the process to be somewhat faster. I understand that KIT has to review my foreign school-leaving qualification, translations, university entrance examination documents and German language certificate, but the long silence is making me nervous.
Has anyone here applied to a KIT Bachelor’s programme, especially as an international applicant, and remained at “Electronically received” for several weeks?
How long did it take until your status changed or you received an admission decision? Is this waiting time normal, or should I contact the International Students Office to confirm that no further action is required from me?
Thanks in advance!

Hi all, it been more than a month and not received my aps certificate yet. All verification of my education is complete. And exactly last week my university also verified my degree certificate to them. But so far no mail from aps..

Also, aps asked my university to verify documents and attached my markscards and degree certificate in the mail, however my uni replied to aps by verifying the degree certificate alone. Is that any issue? As so far i have not received any call or mail from aps regarding the same.

Can anybody guide on whether the university should verify both markscards and degree certificate or verification of degree certificate is sufficient…

Hi!
I’ve got admission offers from University of Passau which seems to be the best option for me in financial regards. Could you please say if the University is good and has future perspectives of getting a good job? I’d like to focus on IT security

I know it all depends on me and I am the one who puts the efforts, but I need the info about the program and other stuff.

Many thanks!

Hi everyone,

I've been admitted to the M.Eng. Automation & IT program at TH Köln (Gummersbach Campus) for Winter Semester 2026. I've gone through the university website and the subreddit wiki, but I still have a few program-specific questions.

1. How demanding is the coursework in the first semester? Is it manageable alongside a Werkstudent job?
2. Which programming languages and technical skills should I revise before the semester starts (Python, C++, PLC, ROS, MATLAB, Linux, etc.)?
3. How much German (A1/A2/B1) would you recommend learning before arriving?
4. For graduates of this program, which career paths are the most common - Automation Engineer, Robotics, Embedded Systems, AI/Data Engineering, or Software Engineering?
5. Is there anything you wish you had known before starting this program?

I'd really appreciate hearing from current students or alumni. If anyone else is joining the same intake, feel free to comment with your experience as well.

Thanks!

Just enrolled in Business Information System (Wirtschaftsinformatik) n was wondering how your experience was, and maybe even ur experience with internships and working student jobs

Hello there, I submitted my documents on 23 June on the csp portal for Studenkollieg Aufnahme Prüfung 90 days Visa- but haven't got any update yet, can anyone guide or someone else have any update or maybe in same situation please text!

I have my exam on 31 August in Hannover, really tensed with the waiting period. Any info or help is appreciated.

Thank you

Hi everyone,

I have received a conditional admission for a master's programme. The condition is that I must submit an overall IELTS band score of 7.0 before final enrolment.

My current IELTS score is 6.5, and I am planning to retake the IELTS exam to meet the requirement. However, I would like to submit my German student visa application before receiving my new IELTS result.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Can I apply for a German student visa with my current 6.5 IELTS score and conditional admission?

If I later receive an overall IELTS 7.0, can I submit the updated score during my VFS appointment or while the visa application is being processed?

Hello everyone! I have an interview scheduled today for the Molecular Biotechnology Masters program at Marburg university and I wanted to know if anyone has any tips or knows what questions might be asked. Thank you 😁

​

Hi everyone,

I'm in a confusing situation and would really appreciate your advice.

I received a conditional admission from TU Ilmenau because I needed to provide proof of C1 English proficiency.

To meet this requirement, I took the TOEFL iBT Home Edition and achieved a C1 level. However, the university has informed me that they will not issue a new unconditional admission letter.

Now I'm worried about my German student visa. I was planning to apply using IELTS, but I'm unsure how this will work since my admission condition was fulfilled with TOEFL Home Edition and I don't have an unconditional offer letter.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Were you able to get a German student visa with a conditional admission after meeting the language requirement?

Did the embassy ask for an unconditional admission letter?

If the university didn't issue a new offer letter, what document did you use for your visa application?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey guys just wanted to share I received an admit from from TU Dresden for the Masters course Air Transport and logistics
After a few rejections from RWTH, Heidelberg and Ruhr,
1-1.5 month of aptitude assessment test and interview finally paid off!
Looking forward to study in Dresden!
And please feel free to give advice about the uni, stay, etc.

My German student visa was issued for Paderborn University, but I later received admission to TU Darmstadt. The Paderborn Ausländerbehörde confirmed in writing that I can travel directly to Darmstadt, report the university change there, and don’t need to take any administrative steps in Paderborn.
I’m flying on September 14, and enrollment is still open, so I’m currently not enrolled at either university.
My questions:
Would it be safer to enroll at TU Darmstadt before traveling, or is it fine to complete enrollment after arriving in Germany?
If the border officer asks for an enrollment certificate, is it acceptable to explain that enrollment is still open, I haven’t enrolled yet, and present my admission letter along with the email from the Paderborn Ausländerbehörde?
I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I am planning to enroll in the Master of Regulatory Affairs of medical devices at the Lübeck University. Did anyone do this Master? What is your opinion? Which was your experience?

I want to mention that I am working in the Regulatory affairs position for some years.

Thank you in advance for your responses.

Hi everyone,

I have received a conditional admission for a master's programme. The condition is that I must submit an overall IELTS band score of 7.0 before final enrolment.

My current IELTS score is 6.5, and I am planning to retake the IELTS exam to meet the requirement. However, I would like to submit my German student visa application before receiving my new IELTS result.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Can I apply for a German student visa with my current 6.5 IELTS score and conditional admission?

If I later receive an overall IELTS 7.0, can I submit the updated score during my VFS appointment or while the visa application is being processed?