Germany

This is the editors' opinion, not an extract from a document. We keep it apart from verified figures on purpose — so that one cannot be mistaken for the other.

• Opinion

  In the German recognition database, look up your institution rather than your country

  The database assesses the institution first and only then the specific document, and the markings on entries denote different admission scenarios, not shades of one. Conditional access does not mean «admitted with a caveat»; it means an extra stage before admission, and it is better learned before choosing a programme. We advise searching for the name of your school or university, reading the marking literally, and writing to the recognition authority when in doubt: a missing entry means «not described», not «not recognised».

  Rests on:Anabin institutions firstAnabin h plus minus

• Opinion

  Arrange insurance before enrolment, not after arrival

  Proof of health insurance is a condition of enrolment rather than a household formality: without it the university will not matriculate you and the authority will not issue a residence permit. So insurance sits earlier in the chain than the "arrive first, sort it out later" logic suggests. We advise settling it together with proof of funds, in one go: both documents are needed at the same counter.

  Rests on:Health insurance for enrollmentHealth insurance mandatory

• Opinion

  Pay only the official fee to the mission — other payments do not speed up a decision

  The official fee is paid to the mission itself, and the procedure contains no other mandatory payments. Authorities warn in plain words that their branding is used for paid "visa services" which decide nothing. We regard any offer to guarantee or accelerate a visa for money as sufficient reason to end the conversation: nobody can guarantee a consular decision, the university included.

  Rests on:Official visa fee only 75Fake visa services warning

• Opinion

  Register your address in the first week, not when you get round to it

  Registration is mandatory and bounded by a window that starts when you move in. More importantly, your residence permit, bank account and insurance all depend on proof of address, so every other task of a newcomer queues behind it. We think housing should be chosen with this in mind: a landlord unwilling to confirm that you live at the address is not a housing problem but a problem with your entire legalisation.

  Rests on:Address registrationAnmeldung deadline

• Opinion

  Check German tuition by state and university, never by country

  "Studying in Germany is free" holds for most states and for none universally: some states introduced fees for students from outside the union, and within a state not every university applies them. This is the case where a general statement is true on average and wrong in your particular case — and the difference lands on your whole budget. We advise checking not the country, not even the state, but the fee page of the specific programme.

  Rests on:Tuition public generalTuition baden wurttemberg non euTuition bavaria tum non eu

• Opinion

  Order the preliminary assessment per university and in advance, not one for all applications

  Such an assessment is issued for one named university, carries a validity period, and takes time to produce — time that must sit before the university's deadline, not after it. The three properties together give an unpleasant result: one paper for five applications does not work, an expired one works nowhere, and one ordered at the last moment does not arrive in time. We advise treating it not as a certificate but as part of the application — and planning by the number of universities you are actually applying to.

  Rests on:Vpd issued per universityVpd valid one yearVpd request 6 weeks ahead

• Opinion

  A side job is a supplement to the budget, not a way to close it

  The right to work is limited by residence status and counted in time rather than money, so earnings hit a ceiling that willingness or a second employer cannot raise. Exceeding the limit breaches residence conditions, and it lands on the renewal of your permit — that is, on your ability to stay. We think the budget must add up without a side job: it is good as a reserve, but planning mandatory payments around it makes your studies hostage to your status.

  Rests on:How much a student may work per yearPre study work rights

Some answers are not on this page and cannot be: recognition of your certificate and the apostille are done at home, while the visa code, processing deadlines and Erasmus+ are the same in all five countries.