Application deadlines: theory and practice

German universities do not have a standardised, nation-wide application deadline, to the dismay of many international students. Deadlines vary from institution to institution and quite often between different study programmes within the same institution as well. To add to the confusion, some universities fix separate application deadlines for different groups of applicants, like domestic, EU and non-EU…

Especially for those hailing from outside the European Union, close time planning can be a decisive factor in the application process. Apart from obtaining admission, these students have to worry about getting their visas on time. In handling student visa applications, German consulates and embassies display widely different degrees of efficieny and promptness. Sometimes, applicants have to wait for up to 8 weeks just to be granted an appointment for submitting their documents!

Keeping all this in mind, students should be careful when taking official application deadlines mentioned on German university websites at face value. A date that leaves less than three months between application deadline and expected arrival date of a student will be often impracticable for students from many African or Asian countries. There are laudable exceptions, though. Some German consular representations have recently sped up the whole visa process considerably.

Neverthess, handing in an early application is not always the solution. Some institutions slavishly stick to their deadlines, even when these turn out to be unmanageable for many applicants. They wil not consider an application before the deadline is over, argueing that a careful comparision of all applicants has to be made before seats can be assigned.

In conclusion: The early bird catches the worm, but not always! Applying as early as possible often helps to relieve time pressure, as many universities send out admission letters before the application deadline has passed. But there is no guarantee for that. Sometimes it can be better to just wait for the next intake instead of making use of a late deadline and ending up without a visa when the semester starts.

Chris

germanstudycentre@gmail.com