The foundation year or Studienkolleg serves as a bridge for international students to transition from their home country’s educational system to the German university system, helping students acquire the necessary academic skills, language proficiency, and cultural competence to succeed. There are two main cases where the student must take this year:
1) If the qualifications from the home country are not equivalent to the German Abitur
2) If the qualifications entitle entrance to a Bachelor’s degree in a certain field but the student wants to switch majors

Health insurance is mandatory for the granting of an entry visa for Germany. The EURASIA CareConcept package will cover all your health insurance needs until you are formally matriculated at a university and have entered the state student insurance. Before arrival, you must take out appropriate health insurance for the duration of your stay. Health insurance is a mandatory requirement for your studies and life in Germany and is not optional.

If you can prove that you have a foreign private health insurance policy, this must be checked with a German statutory health insurance company to ensure that it provides sufficient cover. Ask for more information from EURASIA student services how we can help you to join up with KKH, our state insurance partner.

If you have taken out (statutory) health insurance in Germany, you must contact your health insurance company so that they send an electronic notification to the University that you have valid health insurance. Before the start of the semester, you will receive instructions to assist you in requesting said insurance confirmation. Without this notification and without health insurance, you cannot be enrolled.

The process for international students to obtain a German visa typically involves several steps:

• Admission to German University

International students must apply and gain admission to a recognized university or higher education institution in Germany. This involves submitting an application, providing academic transcripts, language proficiency certificates (usually in German), and any other required documents specified by the university. The EURASIA student services and success managers will help you with this process. Students who are applying for Dual Academic Studies must have an employment contract with the company sponsoring their studies in order to get formal matriculation in the dual studies programme.

• Financial Documentation

International students must demonstrate sufficient financial resources to cover their living expenses in Germany. This often involves opening a blocked bank account and depositing a specific amount of money, which serves as proof of financial stability. The exact amount required may vary, so students should check with the German embassy or consulate in their home country for current requirements. Students admitted to a dual studies program may be able to partially or wholly waiver the blocked account requirement depending on the salary negotiated in their employment contract.

• Health Insurance

International students must have health insurance coverage that meets German requirements. This can be either public health insurance or private health insurance, but it must cover medical expenses in Germany. EURASIA student services assist all students in acquiring health insurance.

• Visa Application

Once students have received their letter of admission from a German university and have gathered all necessary documents, they can apply for a student visa at the German embassy or consulate in their home country. The application form can usually be downloaded from the embassy's website.

• Visa interview

In some cases, students may be required to attend an interview at the German embassy or consulate as part of the visa application process. During the interview, students may be asked about their academic background, study plans, financial situation, and other relevant details.

• Visa Processing

After submitting the visa application and all required documents, students must wait for their visa to be processed. Processing times may vary depending on the embassy or consulate and other factors, so it's essential to apply well in advance of the intended travel date.

• Travel to Germany

Once the student visa has been approved and issued, students can make arrangements to travel to Germany. It's important to note the validity period of the visa and any conditions or restrictions that may apply.

• Residence Permit

After arriving in Germany, students must apply for a residence permit at the local Foreigners' Registration Office within the first few weeks of their arrival. This permit will allow them to stay in Germany for the duration of their studies.

The German Federal Foreign Office is able to answer questions about obtaining a student visa in germany at:

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/visa-service/visa-navigator/2489244

A blocked account is an essential step in the visa application process. It requires students to deposit a specific sum of money, which is "blocked" and inaccessible, serving as proof of financial resources for their stay. Monthly allowances are disbursed from this account to cover living expenses, ensuring students can meet visa requirements and sustain themselves during their studies in Germany. According to current requirements (March 2024), the amount required on the blocked account is 11208€. This corresponds to 934€/month which is considered to be the average amount a student will need to cover in terms of monthly living expenses.

International students are generally allowed to work part-time alongside their studies. There are certain regulations and restrictions that apply, including international students who do not come from the EU, EEA or Switzerland are allowed to work 140 full or 280 half days or alternatively 20 hours per week in a year. Students cannot work in jobs that require a vocational training qualification or self-employment. Students from non-EU/EEA countries must also ensure that their visa or residence permit allows for part-time work. Some visas may have specific conditions regarding work rights, so it's essential to check the visa requirements beforehand. Students tto not pay taxes, however anyone working more than 20 hours a week is usually not considered to be a student and will pay income tax.

Germany offers a post-study work visa known as the "job seeker visa" or "job search visa" (Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Arbeitsplatzsuche) that allows graduates to stay in the country for up to 18 months to search for employment after completing their studies. During this period, you are allowed to work in any field without the need for a work permit. However, to stay in Germany after graduation and work, you would typically need to find a job related to your field of study. Once you secure employment, you can apply for a work permit or a residence permit for the purpose of employment.

The German Higher Education Entrance Qualification, commonly known as "Abitur" in Germany, is the standard qualification required for entry into higher education institutions such as universities and colleges in Germany. It is equivalent to the high school diploma in other countries. The Abitur is obtained after successfully completing the upper secondary level of education, typically after 12 or 13 years of schooling.

To earn the Abitur, students must pass a series of exams in various subjects, including mathematics, sciences, languages, and humanities. These exams are usually taken at the end of the final year of secondary school. The Abitur serves as proof of a student's academic proficiency and readiness for higher education studies.

In addition to the traditional Abitur, there are alternative pathways for individuals who have not completed the standard schooling system, such as obtaining a vocational qualification or passing a qualification assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung) at a Studienkolleg (preparatory college) for foreign students. These EURASIA academic pathways for state and private foundation programmes also enable individuals to access higher education in Germany.

The general higher education entrance qualifications include the following certificates:

Secondary school-leaving certificate (Gymnasium)
Evening university prep school certificate (Abendgymnasium)
Certificate of comprehensive secondary/upper secondary school
Certificate from institutes offering a university entrance qualification (Kolleg)
Certificate of having passed the final examination of a (technical) university degree program with a standard period of study of at least 6 semesters

If you want to apply for any of these programs you just need to follow this steps:

• Students send enquiries: At this stage students are requested to scan and send their current academic documents (high school/university transcripts) to EURASIA indicating their name, country and desired field of study.
• EURASIA provides feedback on student’s eligibility: Upon receiving positive feedback from our Regional Managers about your eligibility, we would proceed by sending you the necessary application forms and guide you through the process of filling them out. The student is also requested to send us a copy of their passports.
• Student pays the deposit including the registration fee of 597€ to facilitate the application-start process: If the deposit is paid within 14 days of registration, the student would be eligible to receive an EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT.
• Students start Online German language classes.
• Scientific personal career assessment: With the help of the Harrison Assessment, students can now map out suitable academic and professional goals they possess, as well as understand how to best realize them. The Harrison Assessment enables students to identify their personal skill sets, strengths, career options and suitability for particular professions.
• Student sends courier containing all relevant documents as listed below:

• 2 x signed powers of attorney documents (found in the EURASIA application form)
• 2x official application forms for university studies (school & university)
• 2x legalized copies of academic transcripts (school & university)
• 2x legalized translations (if not in English)
• 2x letter reference (Master’s Degree)
• Motivation letter (Master’s Degree)
• Language proof (if applicable)
• CV
• 2x Passport copies
• 3x Passport photos

• EURASIA arranges application for conditional admission letter, offer letter or letter of eligibility confirmation: This may take anything between 2 and 12 weeks, depending on the university, the degree programme (especially in the case of Master’s degrees) as well as the time of application.
• EURASIA receives the conditional admission letter: The student is notified and a scanned copy of the conditional offer letter is sent to the student.
• EURASIA dispatches courier of documents required for visa application: Once all the outstanding payments have been cleared, and the pending fees has been credited to our account, all documents necessary for a successful visa application will be delivered to the student's address.
• EURASIA preparation for the visa interview: Regional Managers and counsellors strongly emphasize on taking part in 1 or 2 mock interviews before attending the final visa interview.
• Student attends visa interview and submits all REQUIRED documents: The duration of visa application process may differ from country to country (normally between 4 and 8 weeks)
• Student receives visa
• Student arrives in Berlin
• All formal registration and necessary instructions: Finally, once the student has arrived at the Institute’s premises, The EURASIA Student Service team will guide him/her through the four stages of formal registration procedures:

• Health Insurance
• Police registration
• Blocked bank account activation and

• Visa extension