What Students Say
Likes
- Freedom/Choice of courses. For Computer Science (International - English) course, students have tens of choices of different subjects and three technical lines to follow. It all depends on the student
- Freedom to work and complete their course. Students can complete their course in minimum of 2 years or a maximum of 4.5 years.
- Most of professors are helpful and very knowledgable. Students can personally get in touch with them, and genuine effort is appreciated.
Dislikes
- Social Life - Difficult to make friends or have an interesting social life if you don't have a grasp on German.
- Weather - Very very difficult to stay positive in dark winters. It gets very cold and very dark in winters, and is very tough mentally - Proactively stay active and take a lot of Vitamin D.
- Healthcare - Healthcare in general in Germany can be tough especially if you have chronic diseases with a shortage of doctors and specialists.
Course Curriculum
- Difficulty level depends on the choice of courses. There are technically difficult courses. Students who want to pursue research in the future can pursue more theoretical courses and students who are more interested in pursuing jobs after their studies can pursue more practical courses.
- Schedules of classes are extremely dynamic and based on student choices. There can be conflicts between 2 courses based on the choices. In that case, one has to drop one of the courses if it is mandatory to come to the class, especially exercise or practical courses. Number of classes in a day can vary from 0 to 6 based on what the student chooses.
- Average number of students – varies from course to course. Some courses can be extremely popular and can be attended by not only computer science students but students from other groups as well. I was in the Computer Science – October 2022 batch.
Admission Experience
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I applied for the following 5 colleges –
- Universität Mannheim – Waitlisted
- Universität Paderborn – Waitlisted
- Universität Stuttgart – Admitted
- RPTU Kaiserslautern - Admitted
- University of Saarland – Rejected
- Technische Universität München - Rejected
- Rejection Reasons –
- Saarland University requires you to have a strong research background, along with a good educational background with good grades.
- TUM – Requires you to have a 4-year bachelor's degree in a relevant subject. I had a 3-year BSc. degree in computer science, which was not enough, especially as it did not satisfy the ECTS credits requirement.
- Stuttgart – Technically very sound, good faculty, a lot of research and job opportunities, and a big city.
- Started with a general application; requires X, XII, Bachelor Results, Letter of Motivation, Letter of Recommendations (2/3); GRE was optional; IELTS (min. 6.5) or TOEFL (Min not known) is required. In 2022 APS was not required but is required now. Admission experience was smooth and responsive. No major challenges.
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Intake:
- Application Submission – December 2021
- Application Formal Check Start – February 2022
- Application Accepted – End of February 2022
- Admission Offer – March 2022
- Enrolment – July 2022
- Visa Application – July 2022
- Visa In-hand – August 2022
- Travel and Beginning of Studies – October 2022
- Overall application timeline was 4-5 months, which was faster than other universities.
Faculty
- Around 25 Students to 1 Faculty. Teaching Methodology is Standard, and not much different from India. However, the content of the courses is up to date and can be useful for students, especially those who aspire to work in the industry.
- Faculty members can help some students to find part-time or full-time work. However, this is not guaranteed and is based mostly on the rapport between the professor and the student.
Campus Life
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Events:
- There is no shortage of Campus and Dorm Parties, especially if you live near or on the campus. During summer.
- Some job fairs happen 2-3 times a year, where you can get to know different companies and their requirements for hiring fresh or experienced graduates. Great networking opportunity!
- Clubs: Music: Campus Vaihingen has 3 big music rooms you can access and use, and there are some common instruments too like pianos, drums, etc. This is available for just a yearly subscription fee of 20 Euros.
- Formula Student Club: Stuttgart has one of the best teams in Formula Student; sports/Formula 1 fans can join the team and contribute, either technically or from the management side.
- Sports: We also have a big university sports club, which arranges and manages summer sports and activities.
- Fests: University and Student associations arrange frequent hikes and visits to the Stuttgart Frühling and Volkfest.
Part Time Jobs
- As 'HiWis' or Student Assistants directly in the university. Reach out to the respective professors or their departments if they have any positions available. Pay on campus is generally less than what you get if you work for external companies. However, working as a hiwi is advantageous since the working hours (Max 20/week) are not counted towards your yearly work permit.
- As 'Working Students' in external companies like Bosch, Daimler Truck, Mercedes, etc., you can also work a maximum of 20 hours a week during the lecture period. Here, you can work a maximum of 140 Full or 280 Half days a year.
- Working opportunities during your study are ample, and students can easily find a part-time job.
- In my experience, I have seen that Indian students work both on the campus and off the campus. Not all working contracts are long and have to be renewed. If funding is not available, contracts can be limited, and students need to find new positions both off/on campus. You can also work both on and off the campus at the same time, but it is not recommended, as you have to work on different topics and also balance your studies along with your work.
Placement
- Most of the graduates secure employment within six months of completing their degree. However, this is increasingly difficult in the current job market. Without German knowledge, it is almost impossible to find a job right now in Germany. Many of my friends have not been placed yet. Average Starting Salary: €53,000
- Job Search Methods:
- University Resources: Utilize the university’s official job portal, Stellenwerk, for job listings.
- Employers: Volkswagen, Deutsche Bank, Siemens, Daimler, Porsche, Bosch, Nokia, Fraunhofer, and the Max Planck Institute.
Accommodation
- Accommodation—Student Dorms managed by the respective city's Studentenwerk. Social groups on Facebook also helped, like 'Indians in Stuttgart' or 'Bharat in Germany.' Accommodation is on campus for me, with a lot of indian students living in the dorms.
- Monthly Rent—280 to 420 Euros.
- Challenges—Long waitlist— Apply very early, but it is limited by when you get admitted. Follow up with the dorm management every month for an update.
Exams
- IELTS or TOEFL. The GRE is optional but always a plus if the score is above 315.
- Class X, Class XII, Bachelor's Transcript, Bachelor's Degree, Letter of Motivation, Letter of Recommendations, and Passport are the main documents.
- No interviews for me. Students with marginal acceptance criteria or close to acceptance criteria may need to give additional entry tests for getting an admission to the university.
Fees
- Semester Fees (Every 6 months)—1500 tuition fees + 160-200 euros of administration fees
- Monthly Expenses:
- 350 Euros - Rent
- 135 Euros - Health Insurance
- 38 Euros – Deutschland Ticket – Transport
- 150-200 Euros - Groceries
- 50 Euros - Miscellaneous
- Total Expenses Around 750-800 Euros
- Students can easily work and study together to balance out the expenses.
Scholarship
- Yes, Deutschlandstipendium—German National Scholarship
- Criteria: Maintain good grades above 1.9, and extracurricular activities are a plus. Within the standard period of study for 2 years.
- Scholarship Amount: Euros per month. Historical Record—Bachelors, Class X, XII, and other educational awards are also a plus.
- 1 of my batchmates received the same scholarship. Average Number of Students getting scholarships: 3 – 4 (Computer Science) every year.