Those young people who are really thinking about this should be well informed about a number of important points. Let us try to highlight the most important of them.
For example, initial knowledge of the German language, without which it is simply impossible to get by at the very beginning. You can expand it after arriving in Germany by attending German language courses at the college attached to the university (Studienkolleg). However, for this you must have permission to study at any higher education institution in Germany (Zulassung zum Studium), to obtain which you need to write an application, fill out certain forms in German and answer a huge number of questions. So without initial knowledge of German, you simply cannot do without it here. Although there is an option: the entire process of paperwork can also be done in English. The relevant forms can always be found on the Internet. In fact, you can get a higher education in Germany in English, but the number of universities offering such education is small.
The next important point is determining the faculty or specialty you would like to master, as well as finding a suitable university. According to DAAD (the German Academic Exchange Service), there are 349 higher education institutions of various types and orientations in Germany. Those wishing to obtain a higher education are offered a huge choice between universities and institutions of higher education equivalent to them, for example technical universities, specialized universities, as well as medical, musical, artistic, or sports ones.
• Recent events in Ukraine still do not give our compatriots complete confidence in their future. The Ukrainian economy is still under the influence of the crisis, and Ukraine's politics is just as unpredictable. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of them try to 'hook on' abroad by any possible means. Including using such an option as studying at a foreign university.
Higher education institutions of various types differ from each other mainly in the organization of the learning process. The duration of study (number of compulsory semesters), the permissible combination of specialties that can be studied as major or minor, and the academic degree awarded upon graduation (Bakkalaureus, Magister, Diplom-Spezialist) can all be different. In universities, as a rule, more attention is paid to research work, while in specialized universities - to gaining work experience, for example, completing an internship in a firm or enterprise. For complete information about German universities, you can refer to the DAAD website on the Internet (www.daad.de), which contains addresses and contact phone numbers of more than 300 universities in Germany, as well as the 'Guide to Universities' (Hochschulfuhrer), which provides detailed information about where and what specialty can be acquired.
Very often, some 'classic' specialties are offered simultaneously at several universities. In such cases, I recommend carefully studying all the admission conditions for this specialty, since they can differ significantly from each other. An example from personal experience: to enter the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Munich, you need to have work experience in this specialty and pass entrance exams, in which both German and foreign applicants take part on equal terms. To study the same specialty at the University of Karlsruhe, where it has a slightly different status, it is enough to justify your intention in writing and take part in an interview conducted by a special commission.
Now a few words about submitting documents and the admission process. All foreign applicants for admission to study are divided into two categories in Germany: the first includes those whose certificates of school and higher (completed or incomplete) education received in their home country are recognized as corresponding to similar documents in Germany; the second category includes those whose certificates are recognized as only conditionally corresponding to German ones. According to DAAD information, applicants belonging to the second category are required to take an exam to determine the professional suitability of foreign applicants for admission to study at a German university (Feststellungsprufung).
The most decisive criterion in assessing the level of education of foreign applicants is the country in which the applicant resides. For example, applicants from EU countries are accepted for study directly after passing a German language exam. Candidates from some other countries, including Ukraine, are required to take the above-mentioned exam. A mandatory condition for admission to it is successful study at a Ukrainian university for at least one year.
So, let's assume that you, having finished school, studied for at least one year at a Ukrainian university and are thinking about obtaining a higher education in Germany. You write an application, samples of which are available on the Internet on the website of any German university, attach all the necessary documents to it and send the package to a special office (Akademisches Auslandsamt), which exists at every German university and is responsible for admitting foreigners. The postal address and contact phone numbers of these offices are on the Internet pages of the respective universities.
The waiting period for a response is relatively short. Before the start of the next academic semester (in Germany this is October 1 or April 1), you will definitely receive a notification from the university of your choice. But its results can be truly unexpected! Let me give another example from personal experience.
I sent my documents to seven different universities in Germany. The result of a short but intense wait was several completely different responses. According to one university's decision, I was required to take the aforementioned aptitude test; according to another, I could not be admitted to study at that institution, since the level of education I had received in Ukraine did not at all meet the requirements set in Germany. By the decisions of four other universities, I was admitted to study without any additional conditions; and the last, seventh institution, did not respond to my application at all.
After some time, I contacted the relevant office at the University of Karlsruhe, where I am now studying, and asked how I, a Ukrainian citizen, contrary to the official DAAD information, had been admitted to the university without taking the aptitude test. This question surprised my interlocutor, but a polite and comprehensive answer followed immediately: "The main thing is to write an application and send us all the necessary documents. The question of admitting applicants is decided individually in each case."
Such an individual approach to admitting foreigners to universities in Germany is common practice. Those who know from their own experience the education systems in Ukraine and Germany can easily note significant differences in the organization, content, and quality of school and higher education in these two countries. Hence, certain difficulties associated with admitting foreign applicants to German universities are understandable.
In conclusion, I would like to mention a few more important issues that may arise for those lucky enough to receive permission to study in Germany. These include the question of financing one's stay, the possibility of working or receiving a scholarship, and difficulties related to obtaining a student visa or finding housing in Germany. Detailed information on these issues can be found on the DAAD page on the Internet, the address of which was already given above, as well as on university pages, which can be found through any search engine by entering the name of the institution or the city where it is located. In addition, there is a DAAD office in Kyiv, located on the premises of KPI, and on its website (www.kiev.daad.de) all the necessary information is available in Ukrainian. It also lists contact phone numbers and office visiting hours, where I recommend everyone who wishes to obtain a higher education in Germany to apply.