Study in Germany
From Ghana
Yes, you can study in Germany from Ghana, and most public universities charge no tuition. A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Ghanaian institution lets you apply for a Master’s, while a WASSCE on its own does not give direct entry: you need one year of tertiary study in Ghana or a Studienkolleg in Germany first.
The visa is applied for through the German Embassy in Accra, and you show €11,904 for your first year. The rest of this page covers each step with the official source next to it.
Meeting the formal requirements does not guarantee a place. The university decides.
How WASSCE and Ghanaian degrees are assessed
This is the part most Ghanaian applicants get wrong. Germany does not treat the WASSCE as equal to its own school-leaving certificate, so the route depends on what you hold today.
| What you hold | What it gets you in Germany | Source |
|---|---|---|
| WASSCE only | No direct entry. If all requirements are met, it qualifies you for a Studienkolleg (a preparatory course), which ends in an exam called the Feststellungsprüfung. | uni-assist, Ghana |
| WASSCE plus one completed year of tertiary education in Ghana | Entry to a German university becomes possible without the Studienkolleg year. | DAAD Ghana |
| HND | You can apply for a Bachelor’s degree at a university of applied sciences. There are no HND top-up courses in Germany. | DAAD Ghana |
| Bachelor’s degree from an accredited Ghanaian institution | You can apply for postgraduate study. GRE or GMAT scores may be asked for by some programmes, though DAAD Ghana describes them as usually an advantage and not a strict requirement. | DAAD Ghana |
If you go through a Studienkolleg
A Studienkolleg usually takes two semesters. Public ones are generally free of charge apart from the semester fee, and passing the final exam gives you access to studies across Germany.
Here’s the catch. uni-assist notes that the preparatory course and its exam can usually only be taken in German, even if the degree you want is taught in English. DAAD Ghana says the course usually requires B2 German. So a WASSCE holder planning an English-taught Bachelor’s still has to learn German first, or finish a year of tertiary study in Ghana and skip the Studienkolleg.
What uni-assist wants from Ghana
- A copy of your school leaving certificate issued by WAEC.
- A WAEC scratch card, or its serial number and PIN, so your results can be verified.
- For university study: an official transcript with the university’s stamp, signed by the registrar.
- The grading system for your programme and graduation year, showing the highest possible mark and the lowest pass mark. It is often printed on the back of the transcript or in the student handbook.
German grades run from 1.0 (best) to 4.0 (lowest pass), which is the reverse of a GPA or CWA. Try our German Grade Converter to see roughly where yours lands, and check your institution on anabin before you pay any application fee.
Four things to get ready before you apply
A number of German universities take international applications through uni-assist, which charges a fee and wants certified copies. Others take them directly. Each programme page tells you which.
Academic documents
Your WAEC certificate and scratch card details, or your degree certificate and a stamped, registrar-signed transcript with the grading system. Where uni-assist is used it asks for certified copies.
English proof
For English-taught courses DAAD Ghana names TOEFL or IELTS. If your secondary and Bachelor’s education was entirely in English, a letter of proof of English proficiency is enough in most cases. Check the programme page, because the university sets the rule.
German, if you need it
German is usually only required when the course is taught wholly or partly in German, or when you go through a Studienkolleg. The Goethe-Institut in East Cantonments, Accra runs courses from beginner level, and DAAD Ghana lists it as a licensed TestDaF centre.
Fees for applying
uni-assist charges €75 for the first course you choose in a semester and €30 for each additional one. Applying to three courses costs €135. Universities that take applications directly set their own rules.
Programmes you can search below
Tuition at most public universities
Per month to show for the visa
Visa fee at the Embassy in Accra
How the student visa works at the German Embassy in Accra
You apply online first and only go to the Embassy once your documents have been checked. Start early: the Embassy says student applications cannot be pre-checked immediately because demand is high.
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1Step 1
Get your admission letter
The Embassy wants an admission letter from a German university that states the course, the start date and the language of instruction. You cannot apply for a student visa without it.
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2Step 2
Apply in the Consular Services Portal
Applications go in through the Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal, not on paper at the gate. Upload every document in full and in good quality. To be placed on the waiting list you have to confirm that your documents are complete, and your current waiting time is shown in your portal account.
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3Step 3
Open the blocked account
The Embassy asks for a minimum of €11,904 for the first year, which is €992 a month. It only accepts the bank’s official confirmation showing the amount paid in and the amount available per month. Have the blocked account open by the time your application is ready for preview in the portal at the latest.
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4Step 4
Book the appointment
Once the Embassy has checked your upload for completeness, you get a link to book an appointment at the visa section. Technical problems with the portal go to the Consular Service Help Desk. The Embassy cannot fix them.
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5Step 5
Attend in person
At the appointment your identity and original documents are checked, there is a short interview, your biometrics are taken and you pay the €75 fee, in cash in Ghana cedis at the Embassy’s exchange rate or by credit card.
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6Step 6
Wait for the decision
The Embassy does not publish a fixed processing time and does not answer status enquiries within the first four weeks. Plan your flight and accommodation around that, not around a date someone promised you.
Documents the Embassy in Accra lists for students
- Passport valid for at least 6 more months with at least two free pages, plus a copy of the data page
- Birth certificate
- WAEC BECE and WASSCE certificates
- CV and a signed letter of motivation
- Admission letter from the German university
- Proof of language skills, normally at least B2 in the language of instruction, unless the university confirms them in the admission letter
- Proof of funds: blocked account confirmation or a formal obligation
- Health insurance: incoming insurance from entry until enrolment, then statutory or national insurance. Travel insurance alone is not enough
- Academic and work records, if you have them
- One biometric photo, 3.5 x 4.5 cm, white background, taken in the last 6 months
One rule catches people out. If your programme charges study fees, the Embassy says neither a blocked account nor a formal obligation counts as proof that you can pay them. You upload the university’s letter stating the first-year fee, and then either a payment confirmation, your own bank statements for three months, or a sponsor’s letter, ID and three months of statements.
The list changes. Read the Embassy’s student visa page on the day you apply.
What it costs, in euro
Free tuition does not mean free. The money you need up front is mostly living costs, and the Embassy wants to see a year of it before you travel. We have left out cedi conversions because the rate moves; check it on the day.
Before you leave Ghana
- Blocked account, first year
- €11,904
- Fee to open a blocked account
- €70 to €150
- National visa fee
- €75
- uni-assist, first course
- €75
- uni-assist, each further course
- €30
The blocked account money is yours. It is released to you month by month once you are in Germany.
Once you are in Germany
- Tuition, most public universities
- €0
- Tuition in Baden-Württemberg (non-EU)
- €1,500 per semester
- Semester contribution
- €70 to €430
- Living costs per month (DAAD)
- €900 to €1,200
- Average student rent incl. utilities
- €410 per month
TUM in Munich also charges non-EU students tuition. Check the fee on the programme page before you apply.
Can a part-time job cover it? Partly. Non-EU students may work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, and the Embassy still wants the full first year shown before it issues the visa. Figures from the DAAD, uni-assist and the German Embassy in Accra.
Scholarships and free advice in Accra
DAAD scholarships open to Ghana
The DAAD scholarship database has a Ghana filter. Among the programmes it lists are study scholarships for Master’s degrees in STEM fields, grants for doctoral programmes in Germany, and research grants for doctoral candidates and early-career postdocs.
Each one has its own eligibility rules and deadline, so read the full call before you plan around it. A scholarship is not something to count on for your visa until you hold the award letter.
Where to ask in person
- DAAD Regional Office Accra, 20 Osu La Crescent, Nyaniba Estates. Book a slot through the online appointment calendar on its website before you go.
- Goethe-Institut Ghana, next to NAFTI in East Cantonments, Accra, for German courses and exams.
- Ghana Institute of Languages in Accra teaches German from beginner to intermediate level. Its Kumasi and Tamale branches offer German classes depending on availability.
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Frequently Asked Questions: Ghanaian Students Studying in Germany
Not directly. DAAD Ghana states that a WASSCE does not allow direct entry into a German university. You either complete one year of tertiary education in Ghana first, or you attend a Studienkolleg, a preparatory course in Germany that usually takes two semesters and ends with an exam. uni-assist confirms that a WASSCE meeting all requirements qualifies you for a Studienkolleg. The university makes the final decision on your application.
Yes, in principle. DAAD Ghana says a Bachelor's degree from an accredited Ghanaian institution lets you apply for postgraduate study in Germany. You send an official transcript stamped by the university and signed by the registrar, plus the grading system for your programme. Each German university then decides whether your subject and grades fit its Master's. Check your institution on anabin before you pay any application fee.
An HND does not lead straight to a Master's. According to DAAD Ghana, HND holders can apply for a Bachelor's degree at a university of applied sciences, and there are no HND top-up courses in Germany. That means you start a full Bachelor's programme. Whether any of your HND credits are counted is up to the university you apply to, so ask its admissions office before you apply.
You apply online through the Consular Services Portal of the German Federal Foreign Office, and the German Embassy in Accra handles the application. After the Embassy has checked your uploaded documents for completeness, you receive a link to book an appointment at the visa section. There your original documents are checked, you have a short interview, your biometrics are taken and you pay the fee of 75 euro.
The German Embassy in Accra asks for a blocked account with a minimum of 11,904 euro for the first year, which is 992 euro a month. The bank's confirmation has to show the amount paid in and the amount available each month. If your programme charges study fees, you prove those separately, because the Embassy does not accept the blocked account as proof for fees.
For English-taught courses, DAAD Ghana says you show English proficiency with TOEFL or IELTS scores. If your secondary and Bachelor's education was entirely in English, a letter of proof of English proficiency is enough in most cases. The university sets the rule, so read the language requirement on the programme page before you book a test. German is usually only required for courses taught wholly or partly in German.
Tuition is free at most public universities. Baden-Wuerttemberg charges non-EU students 1,500 euro per semester, and TUM in Munich also charges non-EU students. Everywhere you pay a semester contribution, which the DAAD puts at between 70 and 430 euro depending on the university. You still need living costs: the DAAD estimates 900 to 1,200 euro a month depending on the city.
The Embassy does not publish a fixed processing time. It says student visa applications cannot be pre-checked immediately because of high demand, and your current waiting time is shown in your Consular Services Portal account. Once you have applied, the Embassy does not answer status enquiries within the first four weeks. Submit your application as soon as you hold your admission letter and keep your travel plans flexible.
Have a different question? Reach out to our team or request a free profile evaluation.
Sources & official references
- · German Embassy Accra, visa for students: documents, proof of funds, fee and how to apply.
- · German Embassy Accra, national visa FAQs: the waiting list and the Consular Services Portal.
- · DAAD Ghana, admission requirements: WASSCE, HND, Bachelor’s degrees and English proof.
- · uni-assist, country information for Ghana: which documents to send and how the WASSC is assessed.
- · DAAD, Studienkollegs: length, cost and the final exam.
- · DAAD, costs of education and living: semester contribution, rent and monthly budget.
- · KMK anabin database: the official directory of foreign institutions and degrees.
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