Route: study in Berlin
Permit (§ 16b AufenthG)
- Full-time study at a state or state-recognised university. You apply for a visa in Nairobi: higher-education study is handled by TLScontact (Visa and Embassy).
- Work: up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year (§ 16b (3)). Check the rule for student assistants at the university.
- Money: a blocked account of €992 a month (€11,904 a year) is the usual proof (2026 value). The amount follows BAföG rates; check it again for 2027 and on the Federal Foreign Office page before you pay in. Opening the account from Kenya: Money and transfers.
- Health insurance is mandatory: Health. Source: § 16b, DAAD.
Admission with Kenyan school certificates
Check admission for your exact certificate before you pay for anything. Whether the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) gives direct access, only subject-restricted access, or requires a preparatory year, is decided per programme and per university. We could not confirm the rule: the uni-assist country page for Kenya covers only documents. Check anabin (country page "Kenia"), the DAAD database and your programme page.
- uni-assist: for the KCSE, the official certificate is required if you passed more than a year ago; provisional result statements are accepted for one year after passing (uni-assist: Kenya). Many Berlin universities apply via uni-assist; some directly.
- Studienkolleg: a preparatory course ending with the Feststellungsprüfung, for applicants whose certificate does not give direct access. Whether Kenyan applicants are placed there, entry conditions and fees: not verified.
- Bachelor graduates apply for a master's: credit points and grades are checked per programme.
- Language: German-taught programmes need DSH or TestDaF. English-taught programmes: English proof requirements for Kenyan applicants depend on the university; some accept the language of earlier instruction, not verified.
- Deadlines: per university, not listed here.
Fees
Public universities in Berlin charge no tuition for international students, only a semester fee. Private universities charge tuition; check recognition and whether the programme is on campus. Recognition of degrees: Recognition.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.