I’m currently applying to generous US institutions, like many fellow internationals with need do, and Recently I found out that most German public universities were free to all their applicants so I wanted to know if you knew any institution there that offered degrees in English at undergraduate level.
Besides, I want to understand how the higher education in Germany works since I heard that Bachelor degrees are only 3-3.5 years long. That seems too short for such degrees, which make me believe that pursuing Master’s in the US/other European countries won’t be possible. In addition, I read somewhere in this forum that certain institutions with those 3-year-long programs are actually Associate degrees, not B.S degrees.
I understand the extreme differences between American and European education but I consider them better in terms of quality compared to my home country in Latin America where the best institutions cost $7000> x >$5000 * 5 years. If possible, I would rather pay that cost abroad for a better quality.
thanks in advance, I really appreciate your responses.
The Education Officer at the closest German Consulate can help you with all of this. Google is your friend. Run a quick search, find a Consulate, and email the Education Officer with your questions.
Germany uses the Bologna system like many other European countries. A 3 year bologna bachelor’s is seen as equivalent to a 4 year bachelor’s at most American universities. I’m not German myself but i think they use kind of the same system as we do here in Sweden where they get their GE courses done in high school and therefore a bachelor’s degree is only 3 years because you don’t have to take GE courses at college.
The 3 year bachelor’s degrees that American universities don’t accept are usually the Indian ones.
WES says: "WES has compared the three-year bachelor’s degree awarded following the
Bologna Process to be largely equivalent to the bachelor’s degree in the U.S.
For a more detailed discussion, please see the following: "
There is a thread over in college search and selection where someone has done some of the work for you. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1935551-low-tuition-colleges-in-europe-or-abroad.html
You may want to head over there.
As PP have already explained, higher education institutions in Germany expect you to have followed a college preparatory curriculum in high school at a level that may be considered the equivalent of the first year of college or university in some countries. Graduating from high school in your home country may or may not qualify you for admission depending on the rigour of your classes and may qualify you for admission only for a narrow selection of courses depending on the breadth of your studies. (The individual institution will determine whether you are eligible for admission to a regular degree program or, if your preparation is considered to be lacking, a bridge program at a so called Studienkolleg.)
Conversely, there will be no general education requirements in higher ed, which, in theory, shortens the time required to get a degree. However, these are state run institutions, and you may not necessarily finish in 3 or 3.5 years just because the program is set up that way, because subjects may be impacted, it may be hard to make up credit if you fail a class, and student advising and support will be at a much lower level than it would be at a US institution, even a state school.
Even if your program is conducted entirely in English, it is HARD to be a student in Germany from day to day if you do not have a good grasp of the language.
The education as such In Germany is cheap, but time spent in university is money. Depending on up the level of your preparation, it may take you longer to obtain a degree in Germany than in the US.