FAHRPLAN Germany Timeline Planner.

Don't think of studying in Germany as one application. Think of it as a sequence: each link depends on the one before it, and slipping one step early tends to push everything after it.

1. Eligibility
2. Programme research
3. Language preparation
4. APS, if applicable
5. Application
6. Admission
7. Financial preparation
8. Visa
9. Accommodation & travel
10. Arrival
11. Registration & enrolment

The exact order can shift depending on your nationality, qualifications, university, programme and intake. This planner gives you a safe planning framework, not a universal legal checklist.

Important: never assume a programme is available in your preferred semester. Check the programme's official university page before building any plan around it.

Before you build a personal timeline, answer these five questions

1. What degree are you applying for?

   Bachelor's or Master's: the eligibility rules and typical timelines differ for each.

2. Which semester?

   Winter or Summer, confirmed against your specific programme, not assumed.

3. Do you have direct university entrance qualification?

   Direct HZB, or an indirect HZB that may need a Studienkolleg year first: see Conditional Pathways below.

4. Do you need APS?

   Country- and qualification-dependent. See the APS Document Checklist for the full eligibility breakdown.

5. How will you apply?

   Directly to the university, through uni-assist, through a VPD + direct application, or another university-specific procedure: this is set by each university, not by you.

Don't start with "which university is famous?" Start with "which programmes am I actually eligible for?" We mean that seriously, not as a throwaway line.

The safe planning rule: start earlier than the official deadline. uni-assist's own processing usually takes 4–6 weeks, and uni-assist recommends submitting at least 8 weeks before the deadline, so treat the deadline as the latest possible moment, never the target.

Pick your intake and year at the top of the page and each sheet shows its real months, with the one you're in right now marked.

1. 1

   12–15 months beforeExplore

   You are here
   • Choose your field & degree level
   • Research programmes that actually fit
   • Check eligibility for each one
   • Check semester availability: not every programme runs in both
   • Check language requirements
   • Check tuition & semester contribution
   • Check the application procedure
   • Check whether APS applies to you
2. 2

   9–12 months beforePrepare

   You are here
   • Start or continue language preparation
   • Arrange required language tests
   • Begin academic-document preparation
   • Start APS where it applies to you
   • Sort out translations & certifications
   • Identify VPD requirements, if any
   • Build your application document set
3. 3

   6–9 months beforeApplication preparation

   You are here
   • Finalise your programme shortlist
   • Prepare your CV
   • Draft your motivation letter / SOP where required
   • Line up recommendation letters where required
   • Complete your language test
   • Complete APS where possible
   • Prepare your uni-assist or direct application
4. 4

   3–6 months beforeApply

   You are here
   • Submit applications the moment portals open: don't wait for the final deadline
   • Pay required application fees
   • Track every application
   • Respond fast to missing-document requests
5. 5

   1–3 months beforeAdmission → Visa

   You are here
   • Evaluate every admission offer you receive
   • Accept & enrol per your university's instructions
   • Arrange your financial proof
   • Sort your required health insurance
   • Prepare your visa application
   • Submit via the process that applies to you
6. 6

   Final weeksRelocate

   You are here
   • Accommodation
   • Travel booking
   • Document copies & digital backups
   • Banking setup
   • SIM / eSIM
   • Packing
7. 7

   ArrivalSettle

   You are here
   • Move into your accommodation
   • Anmeldung (address registration)
   • University enrolment & orientation
   • Health insurance
   • Banking
   • Residence permit, if required

The planning window is nearly identical either way: the difference is what you're checking at each stage. If you're going for Summer, add one extra check up front: confirm your programme actually admits that intake before you plan anything else.

A few situations add real steps to your timeline. Check which of these apply to you before you plan.

Not sure which timeline applies to you? Your nationality, degree, university and intake can all change the sequence.

Your deadline is not your target date. If your programme deadline is 15 July, don't make 15 July your personal deadline: work backwards from it instead, so every stage has real breathing room.

1. Apr·
   Prep

   Documents, CV, SOP drafts underway

2. May·
   Finalised

   Everything ready, nothing pending

3. Jun✓
   Submitted

   Submitted, not just started

4. Jul1–14
   Verified

   Early July: a buffer week to catch anything missing

5. Jul15
   Deadline

   The absolute latest, not the plan

Pick your own real deadline, then build your personal countdown the same way.

Admission doesn't mean the journey is finished. Your next priorities, roughly in order:

1. Read your admission letter carefully
2. Follow your university's acceptance/enrolment instructions exactly
3. Check your enrolment deadline
4. Arrange your financial proof
5. Arrange your required health insurance
6. Prepare your visa application
7. Begin your accommodation search
8. Prepare your travel documents
9. Check for any additional university documents

The full document list for this stage is in the Student Visa Checklist →. Want to actually track these? Use your personal checklist further down this page.

Once your visa is approved, shift out of application mode and into relocation mode. The high-level categories to sort:

Every one of these categories is covered in detail in the Pre-Departure Checklist →.

Don't try to do everything on day one. Your actual first priorities, roughly in order:

Full walkthrough of what to prioritise once you land: First Week in Germany Checklist →

Set your intake, target year and where you currently stand, then track the milestones. Each one shows the phase it belongs to, in real months once you've picked a year. It remembers where you left off on this device.

• Planning around the "common" deadline instead of the actual one. 15 July and 15 January are common, not universal.
• Assuming every programme starts in Winter. Always confirm Summer availability directly.
• Assuming every programme uses uni-assist. Some don't use it at all.
• Treating your uni-assist submission as the end of the VPD process. You still have to apply to the university directly with the VPD.
• Starting APS too late. APS gives no fixed processing time: see the APS guide.
• Waiting until admission to think about finances. Start researching your financial proof route months earlier.
• Assuming visa processing takes a fixed number of weeks. It varies by mission and by season: build in buffer, not a guess.
• Booking non-refundable flights before your visa is secured. One of the most expensive mistakes on this list.
• Treating accommodation as something to solve after arrival. Start the search the moment your visa is approved, not after you land.
• Copying another student's timeline. Their nationality, programme and university are rarely identical to yours.

This planner is a framework, not a legal document. For anything time-critical, confirm directly against these official sources.