Ten Questions Every Indian Student Should Ask Before Choosing a German University

Why Most Students Ask the Wrong Questions First

The questions that dominate Indian students' early research into German universities are understandable: Which universities are ranked highest? Which city is the most affordable? Which programme has the best reputation? Can I get admission with my grades?

These are legitimate questions. But they are not the questions that most reliably predict whether a student will be happy, productive, and successful at the university they choose. Students who focus exclusively on rankings and admission chances sometimes end up at prestigious institutions in programmes that are wrong for their specific goals, in cities that are wrong for their budget and lifestyle, studying in languages they are less prepared for than they assumed.

The ten questions below are ones that Anhaya Foundation's advisory team consistently finds students have not asked — or have not asked with enough depth — before making one of the most important decisions of their early adult lives.

Questions 1–3: About the Programme Itself

Question 1: Is the programme actually taught in the language advertised?

This sounds obvious, but many students are surprised to discover that a programme listed as 'English-taught' has significant components — seminars, laboratory sessions, group projects, thesis supervision — that happen primarily in German. Before accepting any offer, ask the programme directly: what percentage of contact hours, assessments, and thesis supervision are in English? What happens if my German is not sufficient for the German-language components?

Question 2: Who are the faculty members I am most likely to work with, and what are they currently researching?

For Master's and doctoral programmes, the quality of your experience depends significantly on the faculty you work with. University rankings aggregate across many departments and do not tell you whether the specific people in your specific area are doing genuinely excellent work. Read the research pages of two or three faculty members in your area before applying. If their work interests you and aligns with your goals, that is a meaningful positive signal. If you cannot find specific faculty whose work you understand and are drawn to, that is a signal worth taking seriously.

Question 3: What do recent graduates from this specific programme actually do after finishing?

LinkedIn is genuinely useful for this. Search for alumni of the specific programme — not the university in general — from the last three to five years. Where are they working? In what roles? In which countries? A programme whose graduates predominantly return to India in roles you are not interested in, or whose graduates are primarily in academic roles when you want industry, or whose graduates are concentrated in one city when you want mobility — these patterns are more informative than any published outcome statistic.

Questions 4–6: About Language and Culture

Question 4: How much German will I actually need in daily life, and am I prepared for that?

Even in English-taught programmes, daily life in Germany — the Ausländerbehörde, the Hausarzt, the landlord, the supermarket, the administrative letters — operates in German. Students who have a TestDAF certificate but limited practical German sometimes find the administrative and daily-life dimension of Germany more stressful than the academic dimension. Ask yourself honestly: can I navigate a German administrative appointment? Can I read a formal letter? If the answer is no, this is worth addressing before arrival rather than after.

Question 5: What is the city like for someone from my background?

Not in terms of general livability — that information is readily available — but specifically: is there a community of Indian students? Are there affordable places to buy familiar food? Is the city large enough that I will not feel isolated but not so large that I will feel lost? What is the accommodation market like and what does the commute to the university look like? These factors matter enormously for daily quality of life and are easily researched through student forums, Facebook groups for Indian students at the specific university, and direct conversations with current students.

Question 6: What is the social culture of the department and the university?

Some German university departments are intensely collegial — regular seminars, social events, strong peer communities. Others are more isolated, where students arrive, attend lectures, and leave with minimal social infrastructure around the academic programme. For students who thrive in community and find isolation draining, this matters. Ask current students directly: what is the social life of the department like? Do students socialise together? Are there regular departmental events?

Questions 7–9: About Practicalities

Question 7: What does accommodation actually cost, and is there realistic student housing available?

The accommodation market in Munich, Frankfurt, and Hamburg is genuinely difficult — waiting lists for student dormitories can be twelve months or longer, and private room costs have risen significantly in recent years. Before committing to a university in one of these cities, find out: what is the average rent for a single room near the university? What is the waiting list for the Studentenwerk dormitory? What is the realistic accommodation budget I need to include in my financial planning? These numbers vary significantly between cities and matter enormously for whether your financial plan is sustainable.

Question 8: What is the university's support infrastructure for international students?

This includes the international office (what services do they actually provide?), the student psychological counselling service (Psychologische Beratungsstelle — does it offer English-language sessions?), academic support (is there tutorial or writing support available?), and career services (do they actively support international students in German job market navigation?). The existence of these services matters less than their quality and accessibility for international students specifically.

Question 9: What is the typical time to completion for this programme, and what happens to students who need more time?

German universities have standard programme durations — typically two years for a Master's, three to five years for a doctorate — but the actual time to completion varies. Ask what the average time to completion has been for recent cohorts. Ask what happens if you need an additional semester: are there visa implications? Additional fees? Academic consequences? Knowing this before you start means you can plan for realistic scenarios rather than assuming everything will go as planned.

Question 10: Am I Choosing This University for Me or for Someone Else?

The tenth question is not about the university at all. It is about the decision-making process.

A significant number of Indian students choose German universities under intense family pressure — to go to the highest-ranked institution regardless of fit, to study the most prestigious field rather than the most interesting one, to choose a city that sounds impressive rather than one that suits their personality. Some students choose Germany primarily because a friend is going, or because a coaching centre recommended it, or because it seemed like the safe option.

None of these are good reasons on their own. They are worth naming and examining before committing.

The two years or more of a German Master's programme — the financial cost, the personal cost, the distance from family, the effort of building a new life in a foreign country — are too significant to be undertaken for someone else's reasons. The student who goes to Germany for their own clearly articulated reasons, who has researched their specific programme and city and faculty, who has a realistic plan for the language and the accommodation and the finances — that student is significantly more likely to have a genuinely good experience than the one who went because it seemed like the right thing to do.

Anhaya Foundation's advisory service exists to help Indian students ask these questions before making the decision — not after. We provide programme-specific research, honest assessment of admission chances, scholarship guidance, and the kind of frank conversation about fit and readiness that students deserve but rarely receive from conventional study-abroad agencies. Connect with our team before you make your final decision.