There are very few countries in the world where the tuition fee at a good public university is close to zero. Germany stands at the front of them. When our people hear this they do not believe it — and most of those who do believe it ask this next: “then why does the agent ask for so much money?”
That is the question this whole article turns around. Because Germany’s study visa is not expensive — what is expensive is the lack of information because of which people hand their own money over to someone else.
Let us understand the whole system plainly: how admission is obtained, what the blocked account actually is, how much work is possible alongside study, and what Germany gives you after the degree.
First work out which door you are standing at
Germany’s education system measures your current education against its own scale, and this is the first stage where people misjudge.
If you are going to do a masters and have completed sixteen years of education, you are on the most open route. Hundreds of masters programmes in Germany are taught entirely in English, and a large number of students from the subcontinent go by this route.
If you want to do a bachelors, the matter is a little different. Germany gives direct admission after twelve years of education only when the schooling and the results meet their standard. After Pakistani Intermediate you usually have to do either a Studienkolleg (a one-year foundation course), or study for a year or two at a university in Pakistan first.
Do not settle this by guesswork. Germany has an official database for exactly this purpose — anabin.kmk.org — where you can look up the status of your university and your degree yourself. It is free and anyone can look. Spend ten minutes here before going to an agent; after that your conversation will be completely different.
Admission — the visa comes after it, not before
Remember the order: first the programme, then admission, then the money, then the visa. The person who is asking you for money for the “visa” and is not even talking about admission is working against the system.
The most reliable place to find programmes is daad.de — this is the German government’s education organisation and its database has almost every programme, along with scholarship information. Many universities do not take applications directly but through uni-assist.de, where a set fee applies to each application. That fee is a few dozen euros, not hundreds of thousands.
Proof of language depends on the programme: IELTS or TOEFL for English programmes, TestDaF or DSH for German programmes.
And one practical thing that is often overlooked — time. Germany’s sessions start in October and April, and the embassy appointment is itself a long wait. Start several months in advance. Having the admission in hand and not getting an appointment is the most painful situation, and it is completely avoidable.
The blocked account — this money is yours, it is nobody’s fee
Read this part most carefully, because the biggest misunderstanding about the German visa is born right here.
Before giving a visa, Germany wants to be satisfied that you have a year’s expenses available. For this a special kind of account is opened, which is called a Sperrkonto or blocked account. The set amount — a rough estimate of about eleven to twelve thousand euros a year, and the exact amount changes every year — is deposited in this account.
Now the real point. This money does not go anywhere. After you reach Germany, this same money comes back to you in monthly instalments, and you pay your rent, food and insurance out of it. It is not a fee, it is not a fine, it is not money given to anyone — it is your own expenses, simply being kept in a secure account.
The day you understand this is the day every agent who says “we will arrange the setting of the blocked account” is exposed. The account is opened only by a few approved providers, the money must be in your own name and must be your own, and there is no such thing as a “setting” in it.
If you do not have the money, there are two legitimate alternatives: a scholarship (DAAD and several institutions give them), or a Verpflichtungserklärung from a sponsor living in Germany — that is, a formal legal guarantee that he will bear your expenses. Both routes are official and there are forms for both.
Working alongside study — it is allowed, but with a limit
In Germany a student is allowed to work 140 full days, or 280 half days, a year. In practical terms this comes to around twenty hours a week. The minimum wage is above twelve euros an hour, and it rises every year.
Where is the work found? The best are the jobs inside the university, which are called HiWi — these are connected to your studies and are useful on your CV as well. Apart from that, restaurant, warehouse and delivery work is common.
But one piece of advice that every old student gives: spend the first semester on your studies. Failing an exam is easy at German universities — this is not like our own system where somehow you get through. And your visa is tied to your academic progress. If credits fall behind, it becomes a problem at renewal time. The work is not running away anywhere; the semester can go.
After the degree — this is Germany’s real gift
Many countries let you study and hand you a return ticket on the day of the degree. Germany does not do this, and that is the thing that sets this country apart from all the rest.
As soon as the degree is complete you get an eighteen-month job search permit. During this period you can look for a job and you can also do any kind of work meanwhile — meaning you do not have to go hungry while searching. A year and a half is enough time for any serious graduate.
After that, if you get a job related to your degree at the set salary, the route to the EU Blue Card opens. For people who have studied at a German university this route is relatively easy. And on a Blue Card permanent residence can come in twenty-one to twenty-seven months — this period depends on your level of German. That is, the better your German, the sooner the permanent residence.
The rate at which students who studied in Germany get jobs is very high, especially in the fields of engineering, IT and economics. This is not a coincidence — the German economy needs people in exactly these fields, and the country has deliberately kept this route open. We have written separately about the job market, recognition of qualifications and salaries in the article on jobs in Germany and Anerkennung.
The real map of the costs
These are estimates and they change from city to city, but this much is enough for you to do the arithmetic sitting at home:
- Tuition fee: zero at public universities. There is only a semester fee, roughly 150 to 350 euros, which often includes the city transport pass. (There is one exception — the state of Baden-Württemberg charges a separate fee from non-EU students, so check with your own university.)
- Room: roughly 300 to 450 euros a month in smaller cities. Considerably more than that in Munich, Berlin and Hamburg. The cheapest housing is the public student hostels (Studentenwerk) — but the waiting list is long, so apply on the very day of admission.
- Health insurance: compulsory; enrolment is not complete without it. The student rate is roughly 120 to 130 euros a month.
- Food and daily costs: roughly 200 to 300 euros a month. The university cafeteria (Mensa) is much cheaper than eating outside.
Add all of this up and it is clearly visible that the blocked account amount is not arbitrary — it is roughly what really does get spent in a year.
Where people lose the most
Fake admission or a fake bank statement. German embassies are strict in checking documents and they verify directly with the institution. Being caught does not mean only a refusal — a long ban follows, and that ban has an effect across the whole Schengen area. One false paper costs several years.
Consultants who give a “visa guarantee”. Nobody can guarantee a German visa, because the embassy makes the decision and the system is the same for everyone. The work for which hundreds of thousands are being asked is usually the filling in of the same forms that you can fill in yourself — and if you fill them in yourself you will also be able to explain your own file at the interview.
Relying on English alone. This is not fraud, it is a misjudgement, but the loss is just as great. Even if the degree is in English, in the job market preference goes to the person whose German is B1 or above. Universities have their own language courses, often free or for a nominal fee. Start from the first day; at the time of the eighteen-month job search permit this is the thing that makes the difference.
Dropping the studies and going into work. Some people do this every year: the wage comes into the hand, the classes fall behind. The result is that the credits are not completed, the renewal of the permit is stopped, and the person who came legally reaches the edge of becoming illegal. You are there in the status of a student; that same status is your protection.
Official websites — verify from here
- Programmes and scholarships: daad.de
- Applications: uni-assist.de
- Status of your degree: anabin.kmk.org
Everything written here is general guidance — it is not legal advice. The blocked account amount, the semester fee and the admission rules change every year, and every university also has its own conditions. Before applying, be sure to read your own university’s website and the German embassy’s current instructions.
