(Studying abroad holds great promise for opportunities, experiences and more. But the process to secure admissions comes with questions. What are the scholarship opportunities for international students? What are colleges looking for? What makes an application stand out? Is going abroad an opportunity for a select few? Every Friday, The Indian Express invites an expert to offer tips, advice and answers to such frequently asked questions in the ‘Study Abroad’ column.)

— Philipp Ackermann

From the serenity of Heidelberg to the bustling streets of Berlin, studying in Germany can make for an unforgettable experience.

German universities are offering a growing number of degrees in English, making the country an attractive destination for Indian students. The country, which is in the heart of Europe, also offers a unique research ecosystem, with direct connections between universities and industries as well as competitive universities of applied sciences.

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Germany is attracting an ever-growing number of international students – close to 35,000 from India alone, making Indians the second largest group of foreign students. This trend illustrates the scope of the scientific relations  between Germany and India. Many Indian PhD students are contributing to cutting-edge research at their German universities and research facilities.

The increasing number of applications for German student visas created new administrative challenges. In the past, the visa application process has not been as swift as we wanted it to be, at times causing understandable anger on the side of applicants. Among the student visa applications, we are witnessing a significant number of fraudulent applications.

Consequently, each and every student application has to be screened thoroughly and this would slow down the process for all applications. Streamlining and facilitating the visa application process and the verification of academic credentials became a necessity, which is why the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS) was introduced to India on October 1, 2022.

The Academic Evaluation Centre is a service provider of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany New Delhi, in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It facilitates a hassle-free admissions process for Indian students to German universities by authenticating their documents.

The successful completion of a document verification allows the APS to issue a certificate, which is a prerequisite for the visa application process when applying for studies in Germany.

With an APS certificate in hand, applicants can prove the authenticity of their academic documents as well as their eligibility for studies in German universities. Students holding a degree from an Indian higher educational institute or an Indian school board will have to follow new guidelines when applying for a student visa to Germany.

We recommend starting the entire procedure – from your APS application to the start of your studies in Germany – at least a year in advance.

A number of applications that reach us are incomplete or contain small mistakes, leading to a delay in the processing time. In order to smoothen the process and to make sure your application is complete, we recommend the following:

Visit the APS-Website (www.aps-india.de)

This is your official source of information on the APS. You are not sure whether you are eligible? We recommend starting your application process by answering the questions of our eligibility quiz. This will help you understand if you qualify for studies in Germany with your current educational and academic background.

Should I first apply for an APS certificate or directly to the German university? How can I submit my documents? Such questions you might have are answered in our FAQ section. There you will find answers to general questions regarding the application and verification process. Also, make sure to check the “News-Section”. This is where you will find time-critical information on the application and verification process.

Required documents

After answering our eligibility quiz, you will be told which verification procedure you should follow. For detailed information on the documents that you will have to prepare for the various application procedures, please refer to the “Checklist-Section” of our website.

Online registration and payment

The registration process consists seven steps. Each step asks for detailed information regarding your personal details, educational background as well as language abilities. Please make sure that you have all the relevant information available at the time of submitting your online application.

During the final step, you will be asked to provide us with your payment details. Here you can choose between making an online payment through our website or wiring the fee to us via your own online banking portal.

We strongly recommend making your payment through our own payment portal as this will ensure that your payment matches automatically and that your account gets activated immediately. In case you choose to make the payment via your own banking portal, we advise you to make the payment before submitting the registration form and to have the wiring details (IFSC Code, Account Number, etc.) ready.

Duration of the verification

More than 1,500 applicants have already received their certificates over the last couple of weeks. Due to the large number of people applying, it may take us some time until we get to your application and start your individual verification process – we receive more than 200 applications each day. We are also striving to bring the individual processing time down to a maximum of four weeks. Due to the high number of applications, certain delays cannot be avoided at the moment.

Patience

We do understand that you are waiting for an update on your current application status. However, answering these types of queries would take away precious time that we need to work on your application. We focus on issuing your certificates as quickly as possible, doing our best to meet the deadlines of the German universities. You can assist us a great deal by providing us with official contact details of your Indian university representatives during the online registration.

(The writer is the German Ambassador to India and Bhutan)

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