FAQs: Studying on-campus at IU

IU’s admission requirements depend on the study programme you are interested in. You must provide proof of English skills to study any of our courses, which are all taught in English. You can find the exact requirements listed on the page of each respective study programme.

Your degree certificate should be with you up to 10 weeks after getting your final grade. You can find samples of the degree certificate and transcript of records for Bachelor, Master and MBA here.

Please visit the Learning on campus - Programmes page for more information on course fees. Please note that there is an additional €1,500 campus registration fee that you will need to pay as an IU student learning on campus, on top of the tuition fees displayed.

IU offers you in-person lectures complemented by online learning. In our classroom sessions you will be able to ask questions and engage in discussions with fellow classmates. You will also work on projects in small groups to encourage collaboration and teamwork skills.

Relevant documents that are needed for admission to a Bachelor's or Master’s programme can be found on our website in the respective page of your desired study programme.

In general, you will need to provide the following before you start your studies: 

• University entrance qualification (this can be an upper secondary school certificate or a Bachelor’s degree, depending on the programme)*.

• Upper secondary school transcript of records (with courses and grades).

• Proof of English proficiency (for detailed information, see next question of this section).

• For certain Master or MBA programs: proof of work experience.

And the following needs to be provided within the first three months of your studies: 

• CV (in tabular form) 

• National ID (with your photo) 

• Certified copies of your application documents – the originals and the translations*.

*The admissions documents must be provided in English or German, if they were not issued in one of these two languages, a translation is required.

If you already have sworn translations of your application documents, you should mail us a certified paper copy (s) of the sworn translation (s) via post.

The IU campuses have everything you need to succeed in your studies, including:

• State-of-the-art study rooms with presentation media  

• Free Wi-Fi throughout the campus area

Check out our campus pages to find out what Cologne and Berlin have to offer.

Your attendance to on-campus classes is mandatory. Your exact schedules will be communicated to you before the start of your studies, depending on the study programme and chosen campus location.

Through our study model with campus learning in Germany, you'll get to interact with your lecturers in real-time, as well as socialise and collaborate with your peers through joint courses. Online, you’ll also have many opportunities for digital exchange through interactive video conferences or channels on various topics.

Yes, attending the in-person lectures is mandatory.

Yes, you can pause your studies for a semester if you’re planning to take a long trip abroad, or for any other personal reason.

Yes. IU offers German Language Courses for all international students enrolled at the Cologne Campus. Starting at Level A1, these courses are designed to support you in building practical German language skills alongside your studies. The focus is on everyday communication to help you integrate more easily into life in Germany and improve your future career opportunities.

We offer you the transportation ticket, per semester (Deutschlandsemesterticket), as well as the Student Association (Studierenwerke) card (currently only available to our students in Berlin).

For more information about additional fees, please check our tuition fees page.

Once your studies have begun, you can get in touch with our Students Office for help with any queries you might have, and they will point you in the right direction. Their contact details are on the myCampus platform; you will receive login details for this once you have submitted your application.

Yes! Our career office experts will help you by offering training, special career events and other career-related services.

Yes! Our career office experts will help you navigate the internship application process – so you’ll have a better chance of finding the right internship.

At IU, assessments are designed to be practical and career-oriented. Depending on your module, you may complete:

• Written exams

• Research essays

• Case studies

• Project reports

Written exams take place on campus under supervision, while other assignments are completed independently and submitted digitally.

Watch the following video to find out more about how the written exams work on campus.

Whether you choose the central campus in Cologne, or our metropolitan, lively Berlin campus, Germany has so much to offer students and people planning their career in the country. Your studies at IU will position you at the heart of the EU, home to some of the biggest names in STEM industries and a highly promising tech & IT sector, brimming with opportunities.

Yes, international students from outside the EU/EEA are allowed to work up to 120 full days or 240 half days per year in Germany.

However, you must ensure that your mandatory in-person lectures are compatible with your working hours.  

Unfortunately, we do not offer student accommodation in Berlin or Cologne. However, our Admissions team will be happy to share some platforms where you can search for a room in one of the many shared flats across the city.

To be eligible for the 18-month post study visa, you will need to complete the last six months of your studies on campus in Germany. Therefore, if you earn a degree on campus at IU, you will be eligible for a post study visa. The post study visa gives you the opportunity to stay in Germany and look for a job corresponding to your field of study after graduation.

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll need to budget for living expenses such as accommodation, food, and health insurance. 

You'll need also to show proof of financial means to support yourself during your stay. International students need to set aside a minimum of €992 per month for living expenses, so you must have at least €11,904 in your bank account before applying for a German student visa. 

Anyone with a valid university entrance qualification to study in Germany can apply. Depending on the country you are from, you might also need a student visa*. Once you submit your application online at IU, you will be contacted by a Study Advisor who can provide you with details about your application needs.

*IU does not assist with visa applications; you will need to apply for one at the Embassy. Please note that requirements for the German student visa may differ among countries.

Simply fill out our online application form and we'll review your application within 72 hours.

Our Student Advisors will reach out to you over email with more details on the next steps of your application. Get an overview of the on-campus application and admission process here.

Applications are open all-year round, however for our degree programmes with on-campus learning, there are only 2 intakes per year: in April and October. You can indicate your desired starting date in your online application. Make sure to apply early so you can get any visas sorted out in time for your studies in Germany.

Yes, once your application is complete and all documents are submitted, you’ll receive an invitation to book a 15-minute online interview. The team will provide all necessary instructions for participation. 

The interview is a required component of the eligibility check for international applicants. If you miss your interview, the invitation will be sent again to allow you to schedule a new appointment. You may reschedule the interview up to three times. After the third invitation, and if there is no attendance, IU will assume you are no longer interested. 

If the interview is not passed, admission screeners will review the reasons and provide recommendations for next steps. For example, if the reason is related to English skills, the team may suggest registering for an English course or improving conversation skills. Applicants may contact IU when they wish to retake the interview, at which point the application can be reactivated.

Prepare to discuss your academic background, reasons for pursuing further study, and career objectives.

After submitting your application and once the admissions team has reviewed your documents, your application process will be complete. The next step is to sign your study contract and pay the campus registration fee. 

For the enrolment process, the admissions team will review the required documents for on-campus study and will get back to you as soon as possible. Please note that during periods of high application volume, this may take up to 1–2 weeks. 

If you have any questions about the enrolment process, you can contact our study advisors.

Your approval of the contract lets us know that you formally acknowledge and accept our terms of service. For us to successfully register you to study at IU, we need to be sure that you know and understand what you’re signing up for. 

Not at IU. Our programmes are taught 100% in English.  

No, certificates and qualification documents do not need to be submitted as certified copies — simple copies or scans are sufficient in most cases. As part of our enrolment process, there may be additional checks in individual cases, so we recommend keeping your academic documents available.

Your application is complete as soon as admission documents are uploaded and approved. The sooner our admissions team receives your application documents, the quicker your admission is reviewed.

IU allows you to submit your documents whenever you’re ready, but we strongly encourage you to finish this step as early as possible.

The APS certificate verifies the equivalence of your educational qualifications and is issued by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in collaboration with the German embassy. It is required for students from India, China and Vietnam for on-campus programmes at IU. 

You can apply for an APS certificate on the APS India website. If you need more details, please contact our Study Advisory Team. 

Here is an APS document checklist to help you get to grips with the process and ensure you have all of the documents required. This is specific to applicants from India. If you are applying from China or Vietnam, our Study Advisory Team will be happy to provide further details over e-mail or a phone call. 

• A completed application form with a passport-size photo 

• A copy of the verification fee receipt 

• A copy of the Aadhaar Card with the linked mobile number 

• A photocopy of the first and last page of your passport 

• Your school leaving certificate (including an overview of subjects and grades) 

• The grading system used by your higher secondary school 

• An overview of subjects and grades issued by your university (if you have completed your studies) 

• Your university diploma (if applicable) 

• A grading system specifying the minimum and maximum grades required for graduation from your university 

• A copy of a language certificate 

• An APS certificate (to be obtained through the APS application process) 

The Digital Master Test (dMAT) is an online test APS India requires from some Master's applicants from India.

• It is part of the APS certification process

• It applies only to certain academic backgrounds

• It is required for master’s study starting in April 2027 and later

For the latest information, visit the APS India website.

You need to take the dMAT if:

• You are applying for a Master's programme

• Your previous degree is in a field covered by APS India in this list

Please check the affected field list for details.

No. If you already have your APS certificate, you do not need to take the dMAT

Please check the FAQs on the APS website for more information.

You can apply for a student visa at the German embassy or consulate in your home country.  

For a detailed explanation of the application process and requirements, visit our how to get a visa guide. 

You must have an official letter of acceptance from IU in order to apply for your student visa. Make sure to complete your IU application as soon as possible, so you can speed up your visa application process. 

If you don’t get your visa on time for the start of your studies, you can push your start to the next available intake.

Yes! We will connect you to our trusted visa application partner, who will take care of the entire process for you – from start to finish, 100% free of charge. 

To receive this service, you’ll need to be officially enrolled first – so it’s important that you pay your one-time on-campus fee as soon as your study contract and admission documents have been uploaded.  

The sooner you finish the IU application process, the quicker you can begin the visa application process – and start your studies. 

In early 2025, the Landesamt für Einwanderung Berlin (LEA) (Berlin State Office for Immigration) tightened its administrative practice regarding visa renewals for international students. The change affected our previous format, myStudies English (MSE) - a format introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic that combined online learning with compulsory in-person sessions. The format had been recognised for years as full-time study within the meaning of §16b AufenthG.

The LEA stated that MSE did not meet the requirements for a visa-relevant full-time, in-person study programme. On 1 October 2025, MSE was replaced by the newly accredited Campus Studies English (CSE) format as an in-person programme. The accreditation, infrastructure, and teaching were explicitly not called into question. Independently of the proceedings, we updated our examination and study regulations on 1 January 2026 and introduced mandatory in-person elements.

In addition, the LEA now requires proof of full tuition fees paid in advance - or secured through verified income - alongside the existing proof of living costs. This practice affects all universities that charge tuition fees and considerably increases the administrative burden.

For our students: We responded quickly and comprehensively, putting the following measures in place:

• Re-accreditation of CSE as a full-time, in-person programme from October 2025

• Option for all MSE students to switch to the new CSE format

• Introduction of new examination regulations (APO/SPO) from January 2026, under which the majority of courses require a minimum attendance of 60% as a prerequisite for sitting examinations, with all examinations now taking place on campus only

• Coverage of legal fees for students who meet the visa requirements and can demonstrate their academic progress and financial situation

• Dedicated visa team: a specialist team handles all visa and residence-related queries on-site through individual appointments as well as webinars

• Students who are unable to meet the current visa requirements for personal reasons are offered the opportunity to continue their studies tuition-free via our distance learning programmes from their home country

• Active dialogue and relationship-building with authorities and associations

For our campuses: Against the backdrop of the currently restrictive and difficult-to-plan visa practice in Berlin, we have decided to temporarily suspend CSE programme intakes for international students at the Berlin campus in 2026. Applicants were informed in December 2025.