Study in Germany from Nigeria: WAEC/NECO, APS, Scholarships & Visa
TL;DR: Nigerians study in Germany with their degree and WAEC/NECO certificates, a national student visa, and a 11,904 euros blocked account. Tuition is free at public universities. Nigerian students are a priority group for DAAD-EPOS scholarships, which replace the blocked account entirely.
For most Nigerian applicants the degree is not the hard part and the visa is not the hard part. The money is. German tuition is free, but the embassy still wants to see 11,904 euros sitting in a blocked account before it stamps anything, and that sum in naira stops a lot of qualified people before they start.
Which is why the scholarship section below matters more here than in any other country guide we publish. Nigeria is a priority country for DAAD-EPOS, a fully funded award that covers living costs and insurance, and a funded student does not need a blocked account at all: the scholarship letter is the proof of financing. Plan the funding first and the paperwork second.
DAAD-EPOS, and why it is the route worth chasing
EPOS funds postgraduate study in development-relevant fields and pays living costs, insurance and in many cases travel. Because it satisfies the financing requirement on its own, winning one removes the single biggest barrier between a Nigerian graduate and a German master's. Deadlines are early and the application is long, so treat it as a project, not a form. Start with our breakdown of how DAAD scholarships are assessed and the Africa-specific list at scholarships open to African students in Germany.
Nigeria is not an APS country
India, China and Vietnam all have to clear an APS verification office before they can apply. Nigeria does not. That removes months from your timeline and one fee from your budget. It also means nobody pre-checks your documents, so any problem with them surfaces at the university or at the embassy, where it costs you an intake. Confirm each university's current requirement rather than assuming, since these lists do change.
What your documents have to look like
For a master's you need your degree certificate and transcripts. For a bachelor's you need your WAEC or NECO results. German universities accept both, but everything has to be translated into English or German and, at some institutions, sworn-translated by a certified translator rather than simply notarised. Whether your Nigerian qualification maps onto a German one is a question the anabin database answers, and our guide to checking your degree in anabin shows how to look it up before you pay an application fee.
English-taught programmes are the way in
Germany runs about 2,400 English-taught master's programmes, and that is where nearly all Nigerian students land. The usual requirement is IELTS 6.0-7.0 or an equivalent, but many universities will waive the test if your Nigerian degree was taught in English, which is worth asking about before you book an exam. The catalogue is in every English-taught master's degree in Germany.
If you are self-funding: the blocked account
Without a scholarship, the visa needs 11,904 euros in a blocked account, released to you at 992 euros a month once you arrive. It is a deposit, not a fee. The money stays yours and comes back to you in monthly instalments to live on. Fintiba and Expatrio both open accounts for applicants in Nigeria. The mechanics are in how a German blocked account works.
| Item | What Nigerians need |
|---|---|
| APS | Not required for Nigeria |
| Documents | Degree + WAEC/NECO, translated |
| Language | IELTS 6.0-7.0 or German |
| Financing | 11,904 euros or scholarship |
| Visa | National D visa, EUR 75 |
Applying at Abuja or Lagos
The national (type D) student visa is issued by the German embassy in Abuja or the consulate in Lagos. Bring the admission letter, proof of financing (blocked account or scholarship award), health insurance and your passport. The fee is EUR 75. Processing runs several weeks and appointment slots are the real constraint, so book as soon as your admission arrives. The full document list is in the German student visa guide.
Working while you study, and staying after
Non-EU students 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. That covers a real share of your living costs and, more usefully, gets a German employer's name onto your CV. See what the 140-day rule allows.
After graduation you get an 18-month job-seeker visa, then a work permit, with permanent residence in about 4 years and citizenship at 5 years. Germany permits dual nationality, so you do not have to give up your Nigerian passport to take a German one. See how the post-study permit works.
Sources
Applying from Nigeria? A free profile evaluation will tell you which programmes your degree reaches and whether your profile is competitive for EPOS.
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