Andrew Geddes : “Higher education is free of charge in Germany for all students as it is financed by tax-payers”

Mr. Andrew Geddes, Founder and MD of Eurasia Institute Berlin, shares with us the conditions and requirements needed to study in Germany. 

What are the requirements needed for studying in Germany?
Students applying for studies in Germany should be academically qualified for higher education in Germany.  Due to the high standards of education in Mauritius, basically all students who have successfully completed their secondary education, be it A-Levels or IB, can apply.  In general, all students with good grades (meaning As and Bs are encouraged to apply for university in Germany), though students with Cs will also be accepted.  

Students applying for medicine must have straight As across the board, otherwise they will have little chance of being accepted due to the high level of competition.  These students should have a Plan B, for instance in a related subject such as Health Sciences.  Law and Business are also highly sought after fields and may require higher grades depending on the university.  Engineering students will find that the requirements are lower since these subjects are less highly in demand with German students.  Top-notch universities have introduced Numerus Clausus for many areas – this might be for example 1.0-1.9 at many departments in the large and popular Berlin universities since they are so highly in demand.  We could write a book on the conditions for admission, since each university and federal state may have its own interpretations of the national guidelines and at Master’s level, departments may also set their own criteria for admission.  

Students applying for medicine must have straight As across the board, otherwise they will have little chance of being accepted due to the high level of competition. "

Since it is not quite simple, this makes it even more important that the applicant is given competent advice by an unbiased professional. One organisation that has been providing such advice for 25 years to over 18,000 students from all over the world is the Berlin based EURASIA Institute. The organisation prepares students to make the right choice for their dream career before leaving Mauritius.  On arrival in Germany a team of 10 professional consultants give advice and support on the final application process until final matriculation at university.  Of course, any student may encounter difficulties during their academic career and only through hard work can success be achieved.  Also, a change of mind will require a change of plan and the student should not miss the opportunity to take a new approach in the expert counselling session in order to make sure that he or she is still on track to success.

What are the costs to incur despite the fact that studies are free?
Higher education is free of charge in Germany for all students, as it is financed by the tax-payers.  This is considered to be an excellent investment in the future of the economy as human resources are the most valuable of any country.  An investment is also expected of the students who are given this wonderful opportunity.  The investment they must make is in the time taken to master the German language in order for them to become a valuable and usable resource for the development of the economy after upgrading their education and skills.  German language must be learnt on private initiative and with private funding.  

Many providers on the market are just offering language courses without any expert service or advice as is required to support the student on the road to success.  Some may just sell a course up to B2 level, well knowing that this will not suffice to complete the language education and enter university.  A student may then find that he still needs to pay “hidden” costs in order to complete the course and reach his final goal.  EURASIA Institute offers a fixed price to all students and a so-called success guarantee, meaning that all costs are paid up front and the student has a flat rate for completing or even repeating course levels until the required result has been attained to enter the relevant university.

The investment they must make is in the time taken to master the German language in order for them to become a valuable and usable resource for the development of the economy after upgrading their education and skills."

In addition to language costs, the student must budget for travel to Germany including visa formalities, health insurance, accommodation, transport, books, food, among others.  According to guidelines of the German government which are subject to regular review, a blocked account is to be opened to cover all such expenses with a total of 8,640€ (Rs 334,195) per year.  The student should think carefully about taking up a student loan which will cover living expenses during the studies.  

Nevertheless, foreign students are permitted to work 180 half-days per year at a minimum wage of close to 10€/(Rs 386)hour, which for students is tax free.  Part of the equation is also the ROI which can be considered to be an attractive wage of around 30T€ (Rs 1,160) + p.a. for Bachelor’s graduates and 35T€ (Rs 1,350) + for Master’s graduates.

The total investment for the first year qualifying for studies including language, blocked account and all start-up costs is approximately 700T€ (Rs 27,000) rps +.  After beginning studies, the cost of education is zero and living expenses remain at 8,640€ (Rs 334,195) p.a. minus the amount earned in student jobs.

Since courses are held in Germany, what facilities exist to study the language?
German language may be studied in a variety of ways: Through private teachers, using online resources, self-teaching, or language centres.  The EURASIA Institute offers an online course at elementary level, face-to-face teaching for groups in Mauritius through native-speakers teaching both to students and job-applicants, summer and winter holiday courses in Germany and finally the super-intensive language pathway with success guarantee and expert university placement counselling.

In addition to language costs, the student must budget for travel to Germany including visa formalities, health insurance, accommodation, transport, books, food, among others."

What are the formalities a student must undertake if he wants to study in Germany? 
Formalities relating to the application for German student visa are updated regularly on the website of the German Consulate in Mauritius. https://southafrica.diplo.de/sa-en/sa-consular/sa-studyvisa/498290

EURASIA Team is available to guide the students and can be contacted through its local office, PTC Education Consultants (Vandermeersch Street, Beau-Bassin) by phone on 4660024/34 or email on enquire@ptceducation.com.