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Guide · Pakistan to Germany

Studying in Germany after FSc or Intermediate

A Higher Secondary School Certificate on its own does not open a German bachelor’s directly. Here is what DAAD’s admission database says it does get you, the routes that follow from it, and what to sort out in Pakistan before you apply.

Every rule below is DAAD’s, uni-assist’s or the German missions’ own words, with a link to the page it was read from. It is a guide: the university you apply to makes the final decision.

What DAAD says your HSSC gets you

Certificate, in DAAD’s words: Higher Secondary (School) Certificate/Intermediate (Examination) Certificate (or confirmation serving as an alternative certificate). DAAD asks which group you studied (Science/Pre-Engineering/Pre-Medical; Commerce; Humanities). Where every group gets the same answer, the row says so.

Your resultUniversity study in PakistanDAAD’s answerSource
School-leaving qualification with less than 50% of the maximum scoreNot askedNot enough on its own

Every group

DAAD: Science
DAAD: Commerce
DAAD: Humanities
School-leaving qualification with 50% of the maximum score or betterno periods of studyStudienkolleg first, some subjects

Every group

DAAD: Science
DAAD: Commerce
DAAD: Humanities
School-leaving qualification with 50% of the maximum score or better1 successfully completed academic year *)Direct entry, some subjects

Every group

DAAD: Science
DAAD: Commerce
DAAD: Humanities

*)You are required to have studied a scientific subject as a full-time student at a recognised higher education institution according to the given studies regulations. You are furthermore required to submit a summary of the subjects and marks for each year of study. A degree is only recognised if you submit a (provisional) final degree certificate.

  • Not every school-leaving certificate from abroad lets you start a degree in Germany straight away. Without a recognised university entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung), you can't enter the German system directly.
    Their words
  • If yours does not qualify, the route is a Studienkolleg: a preparatory course that ends in an exam called the Feststellungsprüfung.
    Their words
  • It usually takes two semesters. Students who do very well can sometimes finish in one.
    Their words
  • Most Studienkollegs teach in German, up to C1 level.
    Their words
  • Public Studienkollegs charge no tuition, only the semester fee. Private ones often charge fees.
    Their words
  • DAAD's certificate check applies to bachelor's programmes only, and it is a guide: the university makes the final decision.
    Their words

So there are three ways in

1. A year at university in Pakistan first

With 50% or better and one successfully completed academic year at a recognised university (DAAD’s conditions are under the table), DAAD lists direct entry to some subjects, with no Studienkolleg.

2. The Studienkolleg

Straight from school with 50% or better: a preparatory course, usually two semesters, ending in an exam. It is taught in German, so you usually need German to get in. How it works ↓

3. A bachelor’s at home first

DAAD also checks Pakistani degrees for entry to a German bachelor’s:

  • successfully completed Bachelor’s degree of at least 2 years *) Direct entry, some subjects
    DAAD
  • successfully completed Bachelor’s degree of at least 4 years *) Direct entry
    DAAD

*)You are required to have studied as a full-time student at a recognised higher education institution according to the given studies regulations. You are furthermore required to submit a summary of the subjects and marks for each year of study. A degree is only recognised if you submit a (provisional) final degree certificate.

Under 50% of the maximum score, DAAD lists no route from the certificate on its own.

How the Studienkolleg works

  • The subject you want to study decides which course you take. For universities: M (medicine, biology, pharmacy), T (maths, science, technical subjects), W (business, economics, social sciences), G (humanities, German studies) and S (languages). For universities of applied sciences: TI (technical, engineering), WW (economics), GD (creative, artistic) and SW (social sciences).
    Their words
  • Some Studienkollegs prepare you only for universities, some only for universities of applied sciences, and some for both. Check before you apply.
    Their words
  • Usually you can study anywhere in Germany afterwards, but some Studienkollegs are tied to a region or to particular universities.
    Their words
  • Many public Studienkollegs do not take applications directly. Depending on the course and university, you apply to the university itself or through uni-assist. Private ones often take direct applications.
    Their words
  • Public Studienkollegs always end in a state-recognised exam. Only a few private ones do, so check first.
    Their words
  • Before you enrol, check that the university you want accepts the exam from that Studienkolleg.
    Their words
  • Some Studienkollegs guarantee a place on particular degree courses at certain universities once you pass.
    Their words
  • You can also prepare on your own and sit the exam externally, but places for external candidates are often limited.
    Their words
  • Most courses are taught in German. Even some English-taught ones ask for proof of German, so check what each university requires.
    Their words
  • Each university decides which English tests it accepts (IELTS, TOEFL and others) and the minimum score.
    Their words
  • TestDaF certificate not out yet? uni-assist accepts your registration confirmation, if it shows your test date and participant number.
    Their words
  • The Studienkolleg is taught in German, so you usually need German to get in, even if the bachelor's you want afterwards is taught in English.
    Their words
  • Each Studienkolleg sets its own admission rules, which can include its own deadlines and translation requirements.
    Their words

Steps only Pakistani applicants take

  • Applying with a university degree from Pakistan? It needs Higher Education Commission (HEC) attestation stamps.
    Their words
  • Student visas are applied for through the Consular Services Portal, and the German missions in Pakistan say demand still exceeds their capacity.
    Their words
  • Upload every mandatory document at the start: if one is missing, your visa registration stays on hold.
    Their words

The dates that decide your start

  • Depending on your country, your certificate and your subject, you apply to the university directly, through uni-assist, or through the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung. Check which one your course uses first.
    Their words
  • Most universities take winter-semester applications (for a September/October start) from early May to 15 July, and summer-semester ones (March/April start) from early December to 15 January. Private universities can differ. Acceptance letters go out in August/September and February/March.
    Their words
  • Many courses start only in the winter semester. If yours does, missing its deadline means waiting a full year.
    Their words
  • Only around a quarter of bachelor's programmes can also be started in the summer semester.
    Their words

If you apply through uni-assist

  • Only complete applications that arrive before the deadline are passed on to universities.
    Their words
  • Once the deadline has passed you can't add documents or change anything. You have to apply again for a later semester.
    Their words
  • uni-assist usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to send its evaluation, counted from the day it receives your online application.
    Their words
  • uni-assist's advice: apply at least 8 weeks before the deadline, so there is still time to send anything missing.
    Their words
  • If your university uses a VPD (preliminary review documentation), uni-assist only checks your documents. You then still apply to the university yourself, so allow extra time for that second step.
    Their words

Documents

  • For uni-assist, upload copies of your certificates in their original language, each with a certified translation into German or English.
    Their words
  • Applying directly? DAAD says only officially certified copies and translations are accepted, though some universities also take documents in English or French. Certification, for example at the German embassy, costs a fee.
    Their words

The visa, and the money it needs

For the student visa you show €11,904 per year. Paid into a blocked account before you travel, and released to you in monthly instalments once you arrive.

The mission's words

  • A visa can take months, so apply early. Never come on a tourist visa: it cannot be turned into a student visa later.
    Their words
  • With an acceptance letter you apply for a student visa. Still waiting for one, or sitting an entrance exam? There is a prospective student visa, valid for up to nine months.
    Their words

Rent: what German universities charge for student rooms, each price from their own site, in the Germany accommodation guide.

English-taught bachelor’s in Germany on StudyPath

StudyPath lists 255 bachelor's courses in Germany that the university says are taught in English, at 96 universities. 91 of them, at 46 universities, publish a tuition fee of zero for international students.

English-taught does not skip the Studienkolleg: if DAAD sends you there, it is still taught in German.

  1. Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Rhein-Waal) · Kleve · 14 English-taught, no tuition
  2. Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS) · Würzburg and Schweinfurt · 8 English-taught, no tuition
  3. Fulda University of Applied Sciences · Fulda · 4 English-taught, no tuition
  4. Leuphana University of Lüneburg · Lüneburg · 4 English-taught, no tuition
  5. Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) · Hamburg · 3 English-taught, no tuition
  6. Hof University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Hof) · Hof · 3 English-taught, no tuition
  7. University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern (Hochschule Kaiserslautern) · Zweibrücken · 3 English-taught, no tuition
  8. Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg) · Cottbus and Senftenberg · 2 English-taught, no tuition
  9. Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences) · Sankt Augustin · 2 English-taught, no tuition
  10. Hochschule Bremen (City University of Applied Sciences Bremen) · Bremen · 2 English-taught, no tuition
  11. HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin) · Berlin · 2 English-taught, no tuition
  12. htw saar - University of Applied Sciences · Saarbrücken · 2 English-taught, no tuition

Every university in Germany on StudyPath →