Introduction
The government of Germany holds a prominent standing in the field of academics, where many leading educational institutions provide a wide variety of programs in various fields covering both theoretical and practical portions with regard to various courses and degrees. As per DAAD [German Academic Exchange Services], an organization established in 1925 as a major platform for international students, it provides support and assistance to candidates looking for academic opportunities in countries like Germany. According to their latest report, around 3,30,000 candidates from abroad have applied to universities based in Germany.
Among these, approximately 25,000 students are Indians, resulting in the third-largest global community of applicants. The enrollment procedure for students applying to German-based academic institutions was effortless, but since the new update on November 1, 2022, candidates from India planning to study in Germany are required to submit an APS certificate with their student visa form. Furthermore, this blog will cover the purpose of the APS certificate and its significance with regard to further studies in Germany in 2024.
What is an APS Certificate?
The initial step involves the issuance of an APS certificate, given by an authoritative body which is the Academic Evaluation Center and it serves as evidence for assessing the validity of the documents that Indian applicants provide in order to study in Germany. Hence, authorities have now made it mandatory to obtain this certificate before submitting a student visa application. The Evaluation Center of Academics is also accountable for assessing credibility with regard to Indian academic documents submitted by students. The candidate's document is deemed valid upon receipt of the APS certificate, demonstrating their eligibility to apply to universities of Germany. Apart from visa application, there are certain educational institutions demanding an APS certificate, like the University of Münster and the Technical Institute of Munich. This step has made it easy to apply for a student visa application, providing updated procedures for registration at academic institutes located in Germany. Moreover, the applicability of such a certificate is available for students looking for professional courses and degrees in master's and bachelor's programs. The next and last step is checking and verifying documents presented by the student. Here authority will issue the required certificate resulting in the completion of the application for the student visa.
It is also necessary to keep in mind that students aspiring to pursue their studies in Germany should file an application for an APS certificate beforehand, which means prior to the notification of institutes or universities' admissions process. Along with the certificates and academic documents, students should also attach the scorecard for IELTS or TOEFL, where admission form started around October 2022. Henceforth, the APS certificate is regarded as a certified record for applying in a German university.
Why is it Essential to Study in Germany 2024?
When an individual maintains an APS certificate, then it simplifies the registration method for German-based educational institutes and accelerates their application for a student visa. A formal certificate approved by APS is required in order to apply for a student visa. There are certain exceptions to it, such as candidates funded by authorities of the European Union and Germany in general with scholarship programs leading to non-requirement of APS accreditation. Most people mistakenly associate the APS India certification with visa application, but in reality, a certificate issued by the Evaluation Centre of Academics is regarded as a major criterion prior to applying of a student visa. If the student visits Germany to study German or any short course with a duration of less than 90 days, or the candidate has not enrolled in any recognized educational institution in Germany, then there is no need to apply for APS certification.
Who Can Apply?
The eligibility criteria for an individual applying for APS certification includes anyone, regardless of their ethnic group, who wants to pursue or acquire the certified course or degree in Germany, and such candidate has already completed their educational qualification from a recognized school or institution by the panel, State Government, or authorities like UGC or AICTE.
Application Process
It provides seven-step, detailed information with regard to the application procedure.
- Firstly, the candidate has to visit the web page or the official website of APS.
- Secondly, register yourself by filling out the form with appropriate and correct details, such as creating your account by entering a username and strong password.
- Thirdly, enter the personal information of the candidate.
- Fourth is entering the academic qualifications of the student, such as their school details or higher education degree information.
- Fifth, upload certified documents and other required credentials.
- The sixth step is the language section and test details.
- The seventh and last step is to make the payment for the processing fee, which is 18,000 INR at the given bank account of APS. It is mandated that instead of sending original documents, duplicates of documents as specified in the form must be either sent by post or courier to the given address.
Therefore, officials will evaluate and authenticate your credentials submitted herein, and after verifying the same, they will process it approximately within three to four weeks. The student, after clearing the verification process successfully, will be issued an APS certificate, since the new update from April 24, 2023, it is provided in digital form, known as DigiZert, to candidates on their official electronic mail.
Therefore, after completing the process, candidates can register or enroll in an educational institution based in Germany and file their study-related travel permit application to the prescribed authority of Visa Facilitation Services.
Required Documents
After completing the application process, the candidate must sign the application form and upload their passport-sized photo. There are various other credentials that must be included in the form.
- A duplicate of the payment receipt must be attached as proof that the processing fee has been paid successfully.
- The candidate must upload a copy of their Adhaar card with the registered contact number of the student.
- It must include a copy with regards to the first and last page of their passport being valid and legitimate.
- The candidate must upload an academic transcript, including their scorecard and degree details, along with other credentials.
- Lastly, German and English course certifications must be submitted. Although it is not required, still the authority will review the language certificate if it is provided by the candidate for APS certification. But in certain situations, like visa applications, the prescribed authority may ask the candidate to present their language certification. Therefore, the requirement of documents may vary depending on their level of degree or program.
Do vocational degrees and diploma certificates get accepted?
Vocational degrees and diploma certificates can be accepted and validated for further study in Germany if they are certified or recognized by panels such as AICTE or UGC. If a candidate has completed their 3-year diploma just after completing their secondary schooling [10th grade], then it cannot be validated as 12 years of complete education is necessary. Further, in case the student has completed their 3-year diploma in 10th grade and has also graduated with a bachelor’s degree from a recognized institute under a 3- to 4-year program in a specialized field, or if the candidate has been issued a master's diploma from a UGC-accredited university or state-authorized institute, then it can be taken into consideration.
How Can You Apply for an APS Certificate?
If the student is unable to complete their undergraduate course in India and wants to pursue a bachelor's degree at German-based University, then they have to clear the TestAS exam and attach a scorecard. If the candidate has appeared in JEE Mains or Advanced, they will be precluded further in such cases. There is no as such additional requirement to notarize their educational marksheet or degree unless they have interpreted documents in English from any local language. In case where a student has received an APS certificate, it is indefinite to apply for the same, except if there has been a change of status regarding educational qualification, then they can apply for an updated certificate.
If, by any chance, an individual has not yet received their degree, then the provisional certificate should not be older than one year. While carrying out the application process, candidate cannot withdraw their form after submitting it. An individual shall not be eligible for any kind of refund. If the student has taken admission in undergraduate degree at a recognized university in India where the course is ongoing, the authorities of APS may call the candidate for an interview if necessary where the particulars of the student seem suspicious or confusing. The authority will convey the location and timing of the interview through an individual official email address or registered contact number via message at the earliest of two weeks.
Once a meeting is fixed, it cannot be reorganized. It also provides the candidate mode of communication, that is, whether they want to proceed in English or German according to individual choice. The intention behind fixing or scheduling an interview is for assessing their knowledge in regard to the chosen subject of the candidate. No extra fee is levied at the end of APS for conducting the meeting with the student. As soon as agenda of the meeting is accomplished, the candidate will receive their APS certificate within a time period of two weeks.
Conclusion
It has been concluded from the blog that educational institutions based in Germany are stringent. The issuance of APS certificates is simplified and can be followed easily. It serves as the eligibility criteria for candidates to assess the validity of documents submitted. It makes the application process easy when applying for admission, further opening doors for candidates from abroad to apply to prestigious universities.
