Application Process

Postgraduate Study in Germany
Application Process
Since 2004, the Uni-Assist system (www.uni-assist.de) has been in place to help international students seeking to take undergraduate and some postgraduate courses at German universities. However, for most postgraduate courses, candidates should directly contact the Foreign Students Office (Akademisches Auslandsamt – AAA) of the individual institution that they are considering applying to. These will supply the foreign student with all necessary application forms, requirements and information. Most postgraduate courses at German universities are fully subscribed, so it pays to get your application in as early as possible. This is especially true if you will be seeking funding or applying for scholarships.

Although the EU-instituted European Credit Transfer System [ECTS] ensures that Irish qualifications are recognised in Germany, the level at which you enter is decided by the individual institution that you apply to. As a rough rule of thumb, Irish primary degrees can be seen to be roughly equivalent to a Fachhochschule diploma, which can be used to gain entry to some but not all Masters level programmes. For many German postgraduate courses, a candidate may need to have already been awarded a Masters at their Irish university. It may be necessary for a student to be placed in the final years of a degree course, before being accepted onto a Masters programme. For admission to a PhD programme, the candidate may require an excellent Masters qualification or even be required to enter into a German Masters programme first.

German universities also require a level of specialisation in the chosen subject, which makes changing subjects between undergraduate and postgraduate level highly unusual.

As Germany is a member of the EU, Irish students do not need a visa to study in Germany. You will, however, need to apply for a residence permit on arrival. To obtain this permit, you have to show that you have sufficient resources to support yourself during your stay in Germany.