The 5 registration process at a public university in Germany in 2023

We will see together all the steps of registration at a public university in Germany for foreign students to study for a Bachelor’s, Master’s, engineer or Doctorate.

Indeed, foreign students (French, Belgian, Canadian, African) can study in Germany, for a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, engineering, MBA, medicine, nursing, pharmacy or doctorate in one of the best public universities in Germany.

For this, high school graduates and foreign students must follow formalities, steps and dates to enroll in a German public university.

The good news is that the process for sending an application, gaining admission and registering at a public university in Germany is almost the same for all international students.

Now you will see the formalities to follow to request and have registration in one of the public universities in Germany:

  1. Look for one or more public universities in Germany.
  2. Select one or more study or specialty programs.
  3. Prepare and send an application for admission to several public universities in Germany.
  4. Pass selection tests for public universities in Germany.
  5. Obtain admission and registration at the German public university of your choice.

We begin.

The 5 steps to enrolling at a public university in Germany in 2023

The first information you should know is that the registration formalities for German public universities are the same for all foreign students (all levels and all specialties)

On the other hand, the second piece of information you need to know is that there are 2 academic years in Germany for public universities:

  • The start of the academic year in October (winter start).
  • The start of the academic year in March (summer start).

However, each German public university is free to set the start dates for sending registration requests and the deadline for receiving registration requests from foreign students within this overall deadline.

The third piece of information: every German public university offers you a complete timetable for the entire registration process.

The fourth piece of information: you should always consult the website of the public university in Germany for more information on the calendar and the specific registration formalities.

And, the last information: all the stages of the registrations in the German public universities take place online via the personalized platforms of the universities and/or a special platform.

In the following, we will show you in general:

  • The formalities to follow to register at a public university in Germany.
  • Deadlines for enrolling in a public university in Germany.
  • And, the documents required to apply for admission to a public university in Germany.

We begin.

1. Find one or more public universities in Germany.

The first thing to do to begin the process of enrolling in a German public university is to research the public universities available in Germany.

For this, you can explore the whole list of German public universities available for international students.

2. Select one or more study programs in Germany.

The second thing to do is to select several public universities available in Germany that meet your needs.

Indeed, depending on the degree and the specialty you want to study in Germany, you must choose or select one or more study programs in one or more public universities that suit you.

3. Prepare and send an application for admission to several public universities in Germany.

The third thing to do is to prepare and send applications for admission to the German public universities you have selected.

A. The dates for sending applications for admission to public universities in Germany.

In the following, you will see the overall deadlines for university registrations at public universities in Germany.

However, you should check the enrollment calendar of each public German university you have selected.

For the start of the academic year in October (winter start):

In general, foreign students can start sending their applications to public universities in Germany for the October academic year from May until September.

For the start of the academic year in March (summer start)

The period for sending applications to public universities in Germany can start from November until September.

B. The means available for sending the application to the German public university.

Indeed, foreign students must send their applications to public universities in Germany only online via the platform of the public university.

C. The documents of the application for registration at the public university

In general, the documents to be prepared to send an application for admission to a German public university are the following:

  • A CV and a cover letter.
  • Your education diplomas and your transcripts.
  • A certificate of English language level.
  • Other documents may be requested by the German public university.

4. Pass selection tests for Public universities in Germany.

The fourth thing to do is to pass the selection interviews of German public universities.

Indeed, if you pass the main selection phase of German public universities, you can take skills tests and psychotechnical tests or other tests.

Each foreign student will also be able to pass selection interviews with the administrations of German public universities.

Furthermore, the means of communication will be determined by the German university.

5. Enroll at the public university in Germany that you have chosen.

The fifth and last thing to do is to confirm your enrollment in the German public university you have chosen.

Please keep in mind, during the process, you must start the procedure for obtaining a study visa in Germany.

A. Complete the documents:

If you are admitted to a public university in Germany, you will receive a letter of acceptance from the public university.

You must then complete your file with the documents required by the university via the German public university platform.

B. Deadlines for finalizing registrations at the public universities in Germany:

In general, the deadlines for finalizing or confirming enrollment in the public university in Germany are flexible.

For the October session, the foreign student can complete or finalize his registration in the German public university until September of year N (the year 2023, for example).

For the March session, the foreign student can complete or finalize his registration in the German public university until February of the year N (the year 2023, for example).

C. Pay German public university tuition fees.

Paying the German public university price is the last step to finalizing your registration.

Therefore, find out the price of the public university in Germany.

Depending on your major, you have to pay the amount of German public university tuition fees.

The conclusion

We have seen throughout this article the process, documents and formalities for registration at a public university in Germany for foreign students as well as for French, Belgian, Canadian, Africans to study for a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate via the ordinary path.

However, you should know that you can study for free in Germany at one of the public universities via scholarships.

However, you can study abroad free of charge in other countries besides Germany.

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