One-to-one guidance through your German university application. From navigating uni-assist through to the 18-month post-study permit, the EU Blue Card, and setting up for what comes after graduation.
General information, not immigration or legal advice. This page draws on publicly available guidance from official government sources. Immigration, visa, and post-study rules change. We are not immigration lawyers, and nothing here is legal or immigration advice for your specific situation. Refer to the linked official government pages for the current position, and consult a qualified adviser for your personal circumstances.
A quick honest read on the German cities international students actually end up in. Each has strong universities and a real international student community.
The capital and Germany's most international student city. Startups, government, arts, and academia are all substantial here. English-friendly on a daily basis, and the cost of living is much lower than most European capitals, though rising fast.
Universities: Humboldt-Universität (HU), Freie Universität (FU), Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin), Charité (medicine).
Bavaria's capital. Engineering, automotive, and tech are the dominant industries, with BMW, Siemens, and Allianz all headquartered here. Cost of living is Germany's highest by some distance. Note that public universities in Bavaria charge tuition to non-EU students.
Universities: Technische Universität München (TUM), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU).
The classic German university town. Small, walkable, and dominated by one of Europe's oldest universities. Strong in life sciences, with EMBL, DKFZ, and Max Planck institutes all nearby. Note that Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU students €1,500 per semester.
Universities: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg.
A smaller city on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. RWTH Aachen is one of Europe's engineering powerhouses, particularly in mechanical, automotive, and electrical engineering. Cost of living is among the lowest in this list.
Universities: RWTH Aachen University, FH Aachen.
Germany's finance hub. The European Central Bank, Deutsche Bank, and all the major consulting firms have significant operations here. Strong for banking, finance, business, and applied economics. Central location makes it easy to travel across Germany and beyond.
Universities: Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt School of Finance.
Germany has strong universities across the country. Stuttgart and Karlsruhe are engineering hubs. Hamburg is media and shipping. Cologne and Bonn have strong academic and cultural scenes. Leipzig and Dresden are increasingly popular for cost and quality of life.
Universities: TU Dresden, KIT Karlsruhe, Universität Hamburg, Universität zu Köln, and more.
Germany's post-study work rule is straightforward and generous by international standards. Once you finish your degree, you can apply for a residence permit under §20 AufenthG that gives you 18 months to look for graduate-level work anywhere in the country.
During those 18 months you have unrestricted work rights. You can take any job, in any sector, at any level, while you look for the role that matches your qualifications. This makes it practical to stay in Germany without a specific job offer while you build local contacts and secure the right position.
The permit is non-renewable. Once you secure a qualifying skilled role, you convert onto an EU Blue Card or a standard skilled work permit, both of which are pathways to permanent residency (see below).
For general information on the post-study permit, refer to the official BAMF guidance at bamf.de. We're not immigration lawyers and this page is educational, not legal advice.
The most common route from graduating in Germany to permanent residency is the EU Blue Card. Once you have a qualifying skilled job offer at or above the current Blue Card salary threshold, you can apply during your 18-month post-study permit.
Blue Card thresholds are set annually, with a lower rate for recent graduates (degree less than three years old), shortage occupations, and qualifying IT specialists. Only guaranteed fixed gross salary counts. Bonuses, stock, and commissions don't count.
With a Blue Card, you can apply for permanent settlement (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after a qualifying period, provided you've made pension contributions across it. The qualifying period is shorter if you have B1 German than if you only have A1. This is one of the fastest routes to permanent status in Europe.
If you don't qualify for the Blue Card, there's also a graduate-specific route under §18c AufenthG that leads to Niederlassungserlaubnis after qualifying work and B1 German.
Every part of the German application process, undergraduate or postgraduate.
Working through the uni-assist portal, credential recognition, subject prerequisites, and grade conversion. Timing the submission to meet each university's forwarding cut-off.
Some universities (RWTH Aachen) take direct applications. Others (TU Munich, TU Berlin) require both uni-assist and a direct submission. We handle each portal correctly.
If your home qualifications don't map directly to German university entry, we work out whether Studienkolleg, one year of university at home, or a different pathway is the right route.
German universities take the statement of motivation seriously, particularly for competitive Master's programmes. We coach you through drafts until each one lands.
From day one we build your shortlist with the 18-month post-study permit, the EU Blue Card, and the settlement route in mind. Programme and city choice shape your options after graduation.
General visa information, blocked account (Sperrkonto) setup, health insurance, city registration (Anmeldung), and getting from the airport to your first week of orientation.
Most German public universities process non-EU applications through uni-assist, which handles credential recognition and forwards your application to the university. The uni-assist fee is €75 for the first application and €30 for each additional in the same term. Some universities take direct applications (RWTH Aachen), others require both uni-assist and a direct application (TU Munich, TU Berlin). Deadlines are typically 15 July for the winter (October) intake and 15 January for the summer (April) intake. We handle the right route for each university on your shortlist.
For German-taught programmes, you need to pass either TestDaF (TDN 4 in all sections) or DSH-2. For English-taught programmes, German isn't required for admission — around 1,930 English-taught Master's programmes are listed in the DAAD database — but universities will expect IELTS 6.5-7.0 or TOEFL iBT 90-100. Regardless of the programme language, having at least A2 or B1 German makes daily life, part-time work, and post-study job hunting much easier.
For the most part, yes. Public universities in most German states charge no tuition to any student, including international students. Baden-Württemberg is a notable exception where non-EU students pay a per-semester amount, and Bavaria introduced fees for non-EU students at TU Munich in 2024. Every university also charges a semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) that usually includes a regional public transport ticket. We check the current position for each university on your shortlist.
Once you finish your degree, you can apply for an 18-month residence permit under §20 AufenthG. This gives you the right to look for graduate-level work in Germany, and you can take any job in the meantime to support yourself. The permit is non-renewable, but 18 months is usually enough to secure a role that qualifies you for either an EU Blue Card or a standard skilled work permit.
The most common route is to convert your job-seeking permit into an EU Blue Card once you have a qualifying offer at or above the current salary threshold. Blue Card thresholds are set each year, with a lower rate for recent graduates, shortage occupations, and qualifying IT specialists. With a Blue Card, you can apply for permanent settlement (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after a qualifying period, which is shorter if you have B1 German than if you have only A1, plus pension contributions across the period. Refer to make-it-in-germany.com for the current thresholds and timelines.
Direct undergraduate entry to German universities usually requires A-levels, IB, or one full year of successful university study in your home country in a related subject. If your qualifications don't meet that bar, the standard route is a Studienkolleg, which is a one-year foundation programme in Germany that ends in the Feststellungsprüfung (FSP). Studienkolleg is taught in German, so you need at least B1/B2 German before starting. The KMK's anabin database rates each Nigerian university, and applicants from an H+ institution with one or two completed semesters can often skip Studienkolleg. We work out the right route for your background.
The German national (D) study visa has an annual financial evidence requirement, typically shown through a blocked account (Sperrkonto) with monthly releases. Both the annual figure and the visa fee are updated periodically. Applications for Nigerian students in the southern states go through the Lagos consulate, and those in the northern states through the Abuja embassy, both submitted via VFS Global. Refer to make-it-in-germany.com and the German embassy pages for the current figures.
Yes. International students can work up to 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year, in any field. This helps with living costs, though it's not enough to fund tuition or a full living budget on its own. Working also gives you German-language and workplace experience that helps for the post-study job search.
We help students apply across all our destinations. Each has its own guide with cities, post-study work rules, and pathway to residency.
Book a free consultation and we'll help you build a German university shortlist that fits your goals, your grades, your budget, and your plans for after graduation.
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