APS India: Guideline for Indian Students

From November 1, 2022, Germany requires students from India to have their academic records assessed by the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS = German: Akademische Prüfstelle) and get their authenticity certificates before submitting applications for a German student visa. It it also required for applications to study at a German university.

It is our goal to inform you honestly and accurately, therefore, we need to add the following statement: These information are intended as a general guide, but it cannot be a legal consultation. All of the information regarding the APS certificate needs to be verified by the APS office in India.

Please still check the official website of APS India for up-to-date information: aps-india.de/

What is APS for India?

Simply put, the Academic Evaluation Centre (in German: Akademische Prüfstelle) at the German Embassy in New Delhi is an institution-specific to studying in Germany. In general, students from India, Vietnam, mainland China, and Mongolia are required to go through the APS due to a large number of applicants. The APS India issues the APS certificate, which confirms that your documents are genuine and valid and that, consequently, you are eligible to study in Germany. Put differently, if your application for the APS certificate was successful, you will receive the certificate with which you can apply for a German student visa through the VFS and for German universities. The APS certificate is valid for an unlimited period of time.

Why apply for an APS certification?

Holding an APS certificate will simplify your application process to the German universities and accelerate your student visa application. An original certificate issued by the APS is mandatory for the student visa application.

Advice: Students sponsored by German or EU funded scholarships need not apply for an APS certification.

Is the APS certificate mandatory for Indian students?

Yes, the APS certificate is mandatory for almost every Indian student. Without the APS, Indian students cannot apply for a student visa. Hence, every Indian who wants to pursue a degree in Germany has to go through the APS.

Exceptions: The Indian students do not need the APS certificate in the following cases:

• If they are funded by Germany- or EU-based scholarships.
• If they are Ph.D. applicants, whose dissertation supervisor does not demand the document for registration
• If they hold international certificates from schools (e.g. A-Levels, International Baccalaureate) or universities.

Advice: Those Indian students who want to attend a short course (less than 90 days) in Germany do not need an APS certificate.

Is APS required for university application?

Yes. The purpose of the APS certificate is also to simplify the admission process as it confirms your eligibility to study. Therefore, you need to complete the APS process prior to your application at our university.

How to apply for the APS certificate in India?

As an Indian student, you can apply for the APS certificate in 5 simple steps:

1. Familiarise yourself with all of the requirements specific to your case
2. Collect the necessary documents.
3. Register online
4. Transfer the processing fee
5. Submit all the required documents together with a printed and signed online application form

Documents required by the APS India

Depending on whether you want to do your Bachelor's, Master's or Ph.D. in Germany, the documents required for getting the APS certificate vary.

You will find checklists of the documents you need according to your highest level of education on the APS India website .

Keep in mind that you need to notarise only the documents translated into English from one of the regional languages.

Is TestAS required?

Candidates who have not yet graduated with an Indian Bachelor's degree and who are seeking admission to a Bachelor's program in Germany are required to submit a TestAS score. Candidates who have cleared JEE Main and Advanced are exempted.

The TestAS requirement is temporarily waived for summer semester 2023 but will become mandatory as of January 1st 2023.

APS India: Costs and Money Transfer

The processing fee for the APS equals 18.000 INR. Indian students have to transfer this amount to the APS bank account.

Take into consideration that once the money is transferred, it cannot be refunded (with no exceptions).

The APS certificate is not free but it is valid indefinitely (for the intended degree).

Submitting the application for the APS in India

After your application package with all the necessary documents is good to go, you have to send the package via courier. Personal drop-offs are temporarily not available.

Advice: Incomplete applications will not be processed.

APS India: Processing times

To process your APS application, the APS India will need around 3-4 weeks. Generally, the APS office starts processing your application as soon as it receives your payment.

Advice: Please understand that due to the large number of applications, the processing times have also increased drastically. While verification of your application itself should usually be finished within a month, it will take some administrative work before APS India can start processing your application.

The processing time of one month commences once they have physically opened your application.

If your application was successful, a courier will bring your five APS certificates to the address you mentioned during the registration. In case you need an additional copy, you will need to pay 500 INR.

APS India: Interviews

The interviews are not always a part of the APS application for Indians.

Generally, candidates who are enrolled in a Bachelor's programme at an Indian university but have not yet completed their course of study might be called in for an interview. APS reserves the right to call in any applicants to an interview as and when required.

Should an interview be scheduled, you will be contacted via phone or email and notified about the place and date of the interview 10-14 days before the interview is planned.

The main intent of the interview is to establish, if you have basic knowledge of the subject studied at university in India.

The candidates will receive the APS certificate within two weeks after successful completion of the interview.

Advice: The interview will only be conducted once. Once you have accepted the scheduled interview date, the interview cannot be rescheduled.

What are fakes?

The burden of providing authentic documents rests on the student. Any document found to be tampered with or falsified will be considered as fake. Candidates providing fake documents will be excluded from all current and future APS processes.

When to apply for the APS in India?

As soon as possible!

Getting the APS certificate, getting the visa appointment, and the visa processing time itself might take together several months. To increase your chances of arriving in Germany before the start of the semester, you need to act swiftly.