First of all, please note: We only start Medical Life Sciences in the summer semester. There is no winter intake.

If you come from a non-EU country other than Canada, New Zealand, Australia, the USA or Brazil* and want to study in Germany, the two most important things to organise are  funding for studying in Germany and a student visa. The two depend on each other.

Funding your studies: You have to cover the monthly cost of living for the duration of your studies. Therefore, one of the most important requirements for a visa application is proof of sufficient funding. Each German embassy has information on its homepage concerning this topic. We urgently advise you to inform yourself thoroughly on the website of the respective embassy. Technical details may vary slightly from embassy to embassy, but usually you must be able to proof funding in one of three ways:

a) Hand in proof of having filled a blocked account with at least 11,208 EUR (as of January 2023), which equals the monthly sum of 934 EUR for 12 months. That is how much you have to calculate for covering your costs each month. Each year you have to renew proof of that sum being in the blocked account.

You can find information on blocked accounts on the webpages hyperlinked below. The links are not provided for marketing purposes but to show you where to find information. If and with which institution you open an account is your decision alone.

• The German Foreign Office has information on opening a blocked account for studying in Germany.
• Fintiba provides services for international students who want to prepare their stay in Germany.
• You can find all about blocked accounts on this information page.
• Expatrio is another service agency brokering services for international students coming to Germany.

b) Proof of a scholarship that fully funds your entire study time and cost (e.g. a DAAD scholarship for Master students; careful: make sure they would fund your studies starting in April before you apply!). Fully funded scholarships usually provide enough funding to meet costs for the duration of 4 semesters.

c) You have a sponsor living in Germany who provides a formal obligation letter, also known as declaration of commitment, that guarantees  to cover your costs for your studies (in German that form is called a "Verpflichtungserklärung"). The German Foreign Office has general information in their FAQ section. The form can be obtained at the immigration offices of the town/city in which your sponsor lives.

Looking for part-time jobs once you have started your studies in Kiel in order to help meet expenses is a different matter and will not substitute the upfront proof of having enough means to pay for your cost of living that you need for your visa appliction.

Student visa: If you need a visa for studying in Germany, best be informed about what to hand in for a visa application and how long the process will take. In many countries, waiting times for application slots at German embassies are more than 4 months.

Apply for Medical Life Sciences as early as possible (early September!) to have enough time to secure the mandatory student visa should your MedLife application be successful. We do not accept late arrivals because you would miss too many classes that teach you too much necessary knowledge. If you do not secure a visa in time for starting your studies in Kiel in early April, your admission is null and void.

*For the aforementioned countries regulations differ; you do not necessarily need an entry visa for coming to Germany, but you still need to apply for a residence permit after three months and have proof of sufficient funding when you do. Inform yourself about the regulations for Brazil, AUS, NZ, USA, CAN on the respective embassy websites, the information given here is paraphrased and not legally binding.