There are many reasons to choose Germany for advanced studies. As you all know, Germany provides a rich and diverse environment for students ranging from bachelor to doctorate degree. This country is surrounded by spectacular landscapes and sceneries, rich in history, art and a broad offer of culture scenes, which are vibrant and inspiring. This coupled with the fact that Germany is a lead in the world of technology and advanced in innovation, provides an excellent learning environment for students.
The German educational system consists of state-run universities, church-affiliated schools, private schools and cooperative education universities. Most universities have an International Office, which deals with applications and other formalities for students from abroad. Therefore, it is important to contact the International Office as soon as possible to get to know more information about the degree that you want to take in Germany.
Of course, one of the most frequently asked questions by prospective students in Germany is the “LIVING COST”. Here we present some useful data, which were taken from RisDik PPIJ (Department of Research and Education), about a Living Cost Survey that took place from June to July 2019 and is responded by more than 300 current indonesian students in Germany. Before you take in all the information it is important to know that all the data provided are just a personal reflection of an own personal lifestyle and should therefore just be seen as an approximate standard.
| Expenditure | Amount (Euro/month) |
| Food | 50 – 400 |
| Self cooking Dine out | 50 – 100 100 – 400 |
| Rent (accommodation) | 160 – 470 |
| Private Wohngemeinschaft (flatshare) Studentenwohnheim (students dormitory) Private Ein-Zimmer-Apartments (studio single apartment) | 180 – 360 160 – 340 190 – 470 |
| Health insurance | 45 – 140 |
| Personal items (including clothing, mobile phone bills, toiletries, household goods, and other small personal items) | 90 – 150 |
| Leisure items (including hobbies, sports, entertainment subscriptions, social and cultural activities) | 50 – 240 |
| Transportation (Depends on the city. Transportation including bus, train and tram.) | 35 – 60 |
| Books and equipment (including laptops) | 20 – 200 |
Scholarship opportunities in Germany
Master & Doctoral:
| No. | Name of Institution | Scholarship amount (Euro/month) | Website | Application time |
| 1 | International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS) | 1200-1700 | https://www.mpg.de/en/imprs | November |
| 2 | DAAD Scholarships for Indonesia | 1200 | https://www.daad.id/en/find-funding/daad-scholarships-for-indonesia/ | Depends on the program. Majority in October. |
| 3 | Beasiswa Pendidikan Indonesia (BPI) LPDP | 1100 | https://www.lpdp.kemenkeu.go.id/ | May and September Differ every year depending on policy. |
| 4 | GGNB Molecular Biology – International Max Planck Research School (MSc/Ph.D) | 800-1500 | http://www.gpmolbio.uni-goettingen.de. | 15 January |
| 5 | CiM-IMPRS PhD Programme in Life and Natural Science | 1300-1500 | http://www.cim-imprs.de | April/May |
| 5 | Hannover Biomedical Research School (HBRS) | 1350-1500 | https://www.mh-hannover.de/hbrs.html | December |
| 6 | Heidelberg Bioscience International Graduate School (HBIGS) | Based on contract | http://www.hbigs.uni-heidelberg.de/main_application.html | Monthly |
| 6 | Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) | >= 1000 | https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/emjmd-catalogue_en | Depends on the program. Majority in the beginning of the year. |
| 7 | Other scholarship in astronomy, physics, computer science, etc. | >= 1000 | https://jobregister.aas.org/ http://inspirehep.net/collection/Jobs http://www1.astronomische-gesellschaft.de/en/jobregister | Depends on the vacancy offered |
Bachelor:
There are many scholarships for Bachelor, but you need to apply when you arrived in Germany. For example scholarships from third parties, churches and governments. The “DAAD STIBET I” scholarship which is specifically for foreigners (non-German students). The registration and scholarship regulations depend on each campus. So you can inquire more information from your register office . There is also a “Deutschlandstipendium” which provides €300 per month for one year. The scholarship is subject to satisfactory progress. In addition, this scholarship does not allow multiple scholarships, except scholarships that provide a maximum of € 30 / month. For further information please do not shy away to ask the concerning parties on your campus, because the terms and conditions may differ from one another. There are also scholarships from Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes (nationwide) and Max-Weber-Programm (Bavaria only) which can be applied by bachelor students.
Full explanation: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/berburu-beasiswa-s1-di-jerman-betharie-cendera-arrahmani
Things to be assessed when starting your journey in Germany
After your arrival in Germany, there are several important things that are need to be prepared before continuing your journey. This includes opening your bank account, finding the right accommodation, applying for health insurance, registering yourself at the city authorities, processing your enrollment at the university, etc.
The IMPRS-HD webpage kindly provides the summary of that information. You can also check their manual book to start your journey in Germany (especially in Heidelberg), which was written by IMPRS-HD students. The book can be downloaded here.
More articles or guidebooks about living in Germany are also provided by Formal Jerman. Please kindly check their website for more information about studying in Germany: http://lpdp-jerman.org