Study in Germany for Indian Students: APS, dMAT, Cost & Process

The thing that sinks Indian applications is not grades. It is the APS queue. Every Indian applicant has to be verified by the academic evaluation centre before a visa, and in some cases before admission, and the certificate takes weeks to months to come back. Students who discover this in March for a September intake have already lost the semester. Everything else here can be arranged in weeks. APS cannot.

This is the India-specific version of our general requirements checklist for Germany, tuned for how the system actually behaves from India, where the volume of applicants is now high enough that the German side has added filters of its own.

Start with APS, because everything else waits on it

The APS certificate verifies your documents and involves an interview. It is compulsory for Indian applicants, and it is the slowest step in the whole process. Book it the moment you decide on Germany, before you have shortlisted a single university, because the certificate is valid for your applications and nothing is lost by holding it early. Our walkthrough of the APS process from India covers the documents, the interview and the wait.

The 70% class XII rule, and who it hits

For the winter 2026/27 intake, APS India set a threshold: you generally need 70% or better in class XII to be considered for a study place. It does not apply to every programme and there are exceptions, but it raises the floor for school-leavers who were counting on a strong bachelor's application to compensate. Master's applicants are assessed on their degree instead. The exceptions are set out in what the 70 percent class XII rule actually requires.

dMAT, the new test in the mix

A new exam, the dMAT (German Metric Assessment Test), is being introduced in India alongside APS for the coming cycles. It tests aptitude, and the intent is to make admission decisions less dependent on the huge spread in Indian board marking. Register early: seats fill. We compare the two in how dMAT differs from APS and when you need both.

Which language proof you actually need

• English-taught programmes: IELTS 6.0-7.0 or TOEFL 80-95. Plenty of German public universities accept alternatives, including a bachelor's taught in English, which saves you a test fee. See which German universities admit without IELTS.
• German-taught programmes: TestDaF TDN 4, DSH-2, or Goethe C1. The differences between the exams, and which one is easiest to sit in India, are in our comparison of TestDaF, DSH, Goethe and telc.

What it costs in rupees

Tuition is free at public universities, apart from Baden-Wuerttemberg and TUM. So the money question is really about proof of funds and monthly living.

• Blocked account: 11,904 euros, roughly 11 to 12 lakh rupees, which you get back at a fixed monthly rate once you land. It is a deposit, not a fee. The full conversion sits in what a German degree costs in Indian rupees.
• Monthly living: 900 to 1,200 euros, or about 85,000 to 1.15 lakh rupees, depending heavily on the city.
• APS fee, language test, uni-assist: a few thousand rupees each.

Sending the application, and then the visa

Some universities take applications through uni-assist, at EUR 75 for the first, and others take them directly. With an APS certificate in hand, many will accept it in place of a uni-assist VPD, which is one reason to have it early. The routing is explained in our guide to applying through uni-assist.

Once the admission letter and the blocked account both exist, you book at VFS Global for the national student visa. The fee is EUR 75, there is an interview, and the wait runs 4 to 12 weeks. Book the slot the day your admission arrives; appointment availability, not processing, is what usually costs people the semester. The document list is in the German student visa guide for 2026.

Working during the degree, and after it

You may work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or 20 hours a week in term, at the 13.90 euros an hour minimum wage. A Werkstudent role matters more than the money: it is the most reliable way Indian graduates convert into a full-time offer at the same company. The counting rules are in how the 140-day work limit works.

After graduation you get an 18-month job-seeker visa, then a work permit, then permanent residence in about 4 years and citizenship in 5. Germany now allows dual nationality, so a German passport no longer means surrendering the Indian one at that stage. See what the 18-month job-seeker permit lets you do.

Sources

• APS India
• German Embassy New Delhi - Student visa
• DAAD India

Not sure where you stand? A free profile evaluation will tell you whether your marks clear the bar, and when to book APS.