Route: study in Berlin

Student visa via VFS, blocked account, work limits, admission with A-Levels, polytechnic diploma or degree.

Visa and permit (§ 16b AufenthG)

• Full-time study at a state or state-recognised university. Student visas of all kinds are applied for through VFS Global in Singapore (embassy: study). A university admission or Studienkolleg admission letter is accepted as proof.
• Money: a blocked account of €992 a month (€11,904 a year) is the usual proof (Federal Foreign Office: blocked account). A draft BAföG reform (BT-Drs. 21/8405) could raise the amount from 1 April 2027; check before you pay in.
• Work: up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year (§ 16b (3)).
• Language: German-taught programmes need B2 or higher; English-taught programmes need a confirmation from the university (embassy page).
• Health insurance is mandatory: Health. Source: § 16b.

Admission with Singapore qualifications

• uni-assist asks Singapore applicants for the GCE A-Level and O-Level certificates (a result slip is not accepted) and, for degree holders, the transcript with degree class, grading scheme and standard period of study (uni-assist: Singapore).
• Whether A-Levels or a polytechnic diploma give direct access to a German bachelor, or whether you first need a Studienkolleg, is not stated on that page. Check the DAAD admission database and your programme page.
• Studienkolleg (a one-year preparatory course in German) in Berlin: HU/FU Studienkolleg.
• Master's applicants with an NUS, NTU, SMU or other degree apply directly; check credit points and grades per programme. anabin ratings of individual Singapore universities were not checked.

Fees and National Service

Public universities in Berlin charge no tuition, only a semester fee. Men liable for NS: deferment is not granted for degree courses, see National Service.