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English-Taught Degrees in Germany: How to Find the Right Program
You do not need fluent German to earn a German degree. German universities run a large and growing number of programs taught entirely in English — especially at master's level — and finding yours is less about luck than about searching the right database and reading requirements carefully.
This guide covers where to search, how applications are actually submitted, what the language requirements look like, and where APS and the dMAT fit in if you are applying from India.
Start with the DAAD database
The definitive starting point is the DAAD's "International Programmes" database on daad.de — the German Academic Exchange Service's official, searchable catalogue of programs aimed at international students. You can filter by subject, degree level, language of instruction and more.
Use it to build a longlist, not to make final decisions. Databases lag reality: deadlines shift, requirements get updated, programs open and close. Every program on your shortlist must be verified on the university's own program page — that page is the contract, everything else is a pointer to it.
Bachelor's vs master's: set expectations
English-taught master's programs are plentiful across engineering, computer science, natural sciences, economics and more. English-taught bachelor's programs exist but are far fewer at public universities, and more common at private ones (which charge tuition). If you are applying after Class XII, expect a smaller pool and search early; if you are applying for a master's, the choice is genuinely wide.
Know the two intakes
German universities admit twice a year: the winter semester starting around October, and the summer semester starting around April. Winter is the main intake — most programs, especially English-taught master's, admit only then. Application windows for international applicants typically close months before the semester begins, and the exact deadline varies by university and program, so record it per program rather than assuming a common date. If your target program only admits in winter and you miss it, the wait is a full year — one more reason the APS stage belongs at the very start of your timeline.
uni-assist vs direct applications
German universities take applications through two main channels, and the program page tells you which applies:
- uni-assist: a central service that many universities use to pre-check international applications. It verifies documents, converts grades, and issues an evaluation the university then works with. It charges a fee per application — check current rates on uni-assist.de.
- Direct application: other universities run their own portals and want your documents there, with no uni-assist involvement.
Some universities use uni-assist for some programs and their own portal for others, so never assume — the safe procedure is:
- Open the program page and find the "how to apply" section.
- Note the channel (uni-assist or direct), the document list, and the deadline for international applicants — often earlier than the general one.
- Prepare documents once, to the strictest standard on your list, so every application draws from the same folder.
Language requirements: what programs actually ask
For English-taught programs, universities typically ask for IELTS or TOEFL. Required levels vary by program — many ask for IELTS around 6.0–6.5 overall or a TOEFL equivalent, with some competitive programs wanting more. Some universities accept a "medium of instruction" certificate from your previous institution instead; others explicitly do not. This varies enough that it belongs on your verification checklist for every single program.
For German-taught programs, the standard proofs are TestDaF or DSH. And even in a fully English-taught degree, everyday life, internships and part-time jobs run substantially in German — starting the language early is one of the highest-return moves you can make, even at a basic level.
Shortlist by requirements you can actually meet by the deadline — language score in hand, documents ready, APS done. A dream program you cannot complete the file for by its deadline is not on your list; it is on next year's list.
Go Zero to dMAT
Finding the program is research. Clearing the dMAT is practice — and practice is the part you can start today.
Start practising — 2,744 questions & 14 mock papers · ₹799Where APS and the dMAT fit for Indian applicants
If you are applying from India, one step sits in front of everything above: APS. The APS certificate — issued after verification of your academic documents — is required for Indian students, and German missions expect it in the visa file. For most Indian applicants the APS stage now includes the dMAT, the digital test run by g.a.s.t. that replaced TestAS in this process.
The dMAT is taken digitally and consists of three Core subtests — figure sequences, mathematical equations and Latin squares, 25 minutes each — plus a General Academic Module, around 165 minutes in total for a full paper, with no calculators or notes allowed. Your result becomes part of the picture universities can see alongside your grades.
The practical consequence: sequence matters. APS (with the dMAT) comes first, then applications, then the visa. Applicants who start university applications before touching APS are the ones who discover, two weeks before a deadline, that the one document they cannot rush is missing.
A shortlist method that works
- Pull 10–15 candidate programs from the DAAD database using subject, degree and language filters.
- Cut anything whose requirements — language scores, prerequisites, portfolio — you cannot meet by its deadline.
- Verify every survivor on the university's own page; record channel (uni-assist or direct), deadline and document list in one sheet.
- Apply to a spread of 6–8: a couple of ambitious picks, a solid middle, and at least two where your profile is comfortably above the bar.
That last point is not pessimism — it is how you make sure an admission letter exists when visa season arrives.
Go Zero to dMAT
Whichever program you pick, the dMAT comes first for Indian applicants — train it before APS, not after.
Start practising — 2,744 questions & 14 mock papers · ₹799Related reading
This guide is provided by NinjaMinds as general information for prospective students. It is independent — not affiliated with APS, g.a.s.t., uni-assist or any university — and processes change: always confirm current requirements on the official pages (aps-india.de, d-mat.de, uni-assist.de, daad.de).