How do I Choose a
University?
Content
1. What do I want to study?– Self Assessment Test
2. Which type of university is right for me?
3. Which universities offer my preferred course of study?
4. How do I choose a university?
5. What do students and alumni say about the university?
6. Which city is right for me?
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Self-Assessment Test
General Questions:
 What am I interested in?
 Am I qualified for this field of study?
 Do I meet the requirements?
 Are my language skills sufficient?
1. What Do I Want to Study? – TestAS Aptitude Test
 TestAS
Test for Academic Studies (TestAS) is a central standardized
aptitude test for foreign students. Good results can improve their
chances of being admitted for studies at a German university.
 It is free of charge and available in German or English.
 To register: http://www.testas.de/en/index_en.htm
 See a sample TestAS question:
4
1. What Do I Want to Study?– Self-Assessment Test
Interdisciplinary Self-Assessment Tests
Self-assesment tests can help you learn more about your own interests.
 Which course of study suits you best?
 What do you want to study?
 Self-assessment test can be divided into three groups:
o interdisciplinary
o according to a certain field of study
o according to the university
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Self-Assessment Test
Example: www.was-studiere-ich.de (in German only)
6
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Self-Assessment Test
Example: www.was-studiere-ich.de (in German only)
7
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Aptitude Tests (in German
only)
More aptitude tests:

http://www.was-studiere-ich.de/ *

http://www.hochschulkompass.de/studium-interessentest.html
(registration required)

http://www.studienwahl-nrw.de/ (registration required)
Unless otherwise stated, all websites mentioned in this presentation are free of charge (as of July
2014).
8
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Self-Assessment Tests
Interdisciplinary and University-Specific Tests
 RWTH Aachen Self-Assessment is a tool for deciding the right
course of study for you.
 Complete the online questionnaire and exercises for the
disciplines that interest you. You will need 90-120
minutes. Afterwards, your results will be individually
evaluated and made available to you online.
http://www.rwthaachen.de/cms/root/Studium/Vor_dem_Studium/Studienentschei
dung/~eft/SelfAssessments/?lidx=1
1. What Do I Want to Study? – University-Specific SelfAssesment Tests
These university websites offer information about the
programme curriculum, the daily routine of a student,
experience reports, and assessment tests.
Freie Universität Berlin:
 http://www.osa.fu-berlin.de/ (in German only)
Universität Freiburg:
 http://www.studium.uni-freiburg.de/studieninteressierte/osa
(in German only)
Goethe Universität Frankfurt am Main:
 http://www.osa.unifrankfurt.de/39440162/startpunkt_osa?legacy_request=1 (in
German only)
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Language Skills
Tests for Evaluating English Language Skills
 The criteria of the Common European Framework of Reference for
Languages (CEFE) can give you an idea of your language profiency:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE1_EN.asp
 Test your English – Cambridge English
http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/
 Free IELTS – practice test
http://takeielts.britishcouncil.org/prepare-test/free-practice-tests
11
1. What Do I Want to Study? – Language Skills (German
skills)
Germany offers study programmes in different languages. If you do
need German, these are official tests for German language profiency.
They are offered at certain test centres (in Armenia e.g. in the DAAD IC or
SLZ Yerevan). They usually require a fee, but you can find free example
questions on their websites (in German only):
 onDaF (placement test) (in German only):
https://www.ondaf.de
 TestDaF (in German only):
www.testdaf.de
 Goethe-Zertifikate (in German and Armenian):
http://www.slz-eriwan.am/exams (Examination centre Yerevan)
In contrary to only
12
2. Which Type of University is Right for Me?
General Questions:
 What do I want to do after graduating?
 Do I want to work in an academic field?
 Do I want to pursue a doctoral degree?
 Which university is the right fit for me?
2. Which Type of University is Right for Me?
University:




Scientifically-oriented education
Provides students with methodical and theoretical knowledge
Broad range of subjects
Possibility to enter a doctoral programme
University of applied sciences:
 Practice-oriented education
 Provides students with scientifically-based education, tailored to
the demands of professional life
 Generally includes internships and practical modules
Colleges of art, film, and music:
 Artisitic or design-oriented subjects
 Usually with special admission requirements, e.g. entrance
examination
Further information is available at:
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/nach-deutschland/angebote/en/6002-findingthe-right-university/#3
3. Which Universities Offer My Preferred Course of
Study?
General Questions:
 Which universities offer my preferred course of study?
 What degree do I want to receive (e.g. BA or MA)?
 In which language do I want to study?
15
3. Which Universities Offer My Preferred Course of
Study?
These search engines offer general information about the
courses of study, deadlines, admission procedures and contacts.
The search engines are organized according to the following
search criteria:
 Course of Study
 City
 Degree (BA or MA)
 Language of Instruction (German or English)
https://www.study-in.de/en/
http://www.hochschulkompass.de/en/higher-education-institutions/search-for-ahigher-education-institution.html
http://www.hochschulkompass.de/en/higher-education-institutions/search-for-ahigher-education-institution.html
3. Which Universities Offer My Preferred Course of Study?
Example: www.study-in.de
Simple Search:
Advanced Search:
https://www.study-in.de/de/
https://www.study-in.de/de/studium/studienfach-hochschulesuchen/?advsearch=1&requestFrom=index&degree=all&subject=&onlyEn
=1
3. Which Universities Offer My Preferred Course of Study?
Example: www.study-in.de
 Example: Physics
18
3. Which Universities Offer My Preferred Course of Study?
Example: Advanced search www.hochschulkompass.de
Some websites like www.hochschulkompass.de offer advanced search
options, which may help you refine your search.
http://www.hochschulkompass.de/studium/suche/erweiterte-suche.html
4. How Do I Choose a University?
General Questions:
 What is unique about this university?
 How is the study programme structured at this
university?
 How does the academic programme rank against
other programmes?
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Rankings
 Rankings evaluate the strengths and weaknesses
of degree programmes according to different
criteria.
 They give a first impression of the univeristy.
 Since every ranking has different parameters, one
study programme may be ranked differently on
different websites. Therefore rankings should be
just one of the tools to help you make your
decision.
4. How Do I Choose a University?
CHE-Ranking
 The CHE-Ranking covers more than 30 subjects.
 It is the most comprehensive and detailed ranking
for German universities.
 It allows you to sort the results according to certain
criteria.
 It covers academic studies and teaching, research,
facilities, career orientation, and international
orientation
http://ranking.zeit.de/che2014/en/ (registration
required)
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Example: CHE-Ranking
http://ranking.zeit.de/che2013/en/
23
4. How Do I Choose a University? Subject-Specific Ranking
Example: Handelsblatt-Ranking for Business (in German only)
http://tool.handelsblatt.com/tabelle/index.php?id=118&so=4d&pc=100
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Study and Examination Regulations
It is helpful to take a look at the study regulations after a first
selection of universities is made. The study regulations describe the
content of the studies. These are important because every study
programme has a different structure, although they might have the
same name.
Helpful questions:
 What do I expect? What topics do I want to study? What types
of modules and examinations are there? Do I like the
regulations?
 Which prerequisites do I have to complete?
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Physics at Freie Universität Berlin: Excerpt from study and
examination regulations
http://www.physik.fuberlin.de/en/studium/master/OrdnungenPhysics2009EN.pdf?1359122191
26
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Course Catalogue
The course catalogue shows the courses offered in the current
or upcoming semester. These can give you a better idea about
the study programme.
 What courses are offered?
 What content do they cover?
 How many courses are offered?
 How many required courses are there?
 Who are the lecturers in this course of study?
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Example: Course Catalogue FU Berlin
http://www.fu-berlin.de/vv/de/modul?id=42592&sm=119983
28
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Who Teaches at this University?
Most courses of study usually offer an overview of their
academic staff and their academic biographies online.
 Who teaches at this university?
 How many faculty members have PhDs?
 What is their field of interest?
 What have they published?
29
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Example: List of Academic Staff Physics, FU Berlin I
http://www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/we04/germanistik/studium/studiengaenge/master/master_daf/mitarbeiter/index.html
30
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Example: Academic Staff Physics, FU Berlin II
http://www.geisteswissenschaften.fu-berlin.de/we04/institut/mitarbeiter/hille/index.html
31
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Who Teaches at this University? What Do Others Think?
www.meinprof.de is an online platform for evaluating
teachers courses at German universities. Students
can evaluate their professors according to different
criteria.
 Evaluation criteria: support, academic material,
clarity, engagement
 The evaluation is subjective, but it may offer insight
into student satisfaction.
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Who Teaches at this University? What Do Others Think?
Example: www.meinprof.de (in German only)
http://www.meinprof.de/search
33
4. How Do I Choose a University?
Who Teaches at this University? Google Scholar
With www.googlescholar.com you can easily search for
academic publications.
http://scholar.google.com/
34
5. What Do Students and Alumni Say about the
University?
General Questions:
 Can I get in contact with alumni?
 Are there alumni groups on social networks?
 Can I get in contact with alumni in Armenia, who
have already studied at this univeristy?
 “Student Barometer“: Offers feedback from
students and doctoral candidates:
http://www.gate-germany.de/angebote/expertenwissen/internationalstudent-barometer.html (reports are in English, just click on the
link)
5. What Do Students and Alumni Say about the University?
What Are the Options for International Students?
 Get in contact with the international office of the
university.
 Do international student societies or an
international club exist at the university?
 Does the univeristy offer consultations for
international students? For example http://www.fuberlin.de/en/einrichtungen/service/studierende/international/in
dex.html
6. Which City Is Right for Me?
General Questions:
 What is important for me about a city?
 Do I want to live in a large or a small town?
 Are there experience reports from international
students?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip5yoK9XbuE
6. Which city is right for me?
 What is the cost of living in
Germany?
 Which costs should I consider?
 In which city can I afford to
live? What is the cost of living
there?
https://www.study-in.de/de/leben/job-geld/lebenshaltungskosten-11994
38
6. Which City Is Right for Me?
Finances
 How much does it cost to live in Germany?
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/job-money/cost-of-living/--11994
 Which expenses should I expect?
https://www.daad.de/deutschland/nachdeutschland/voraussetzungen/en/9198-expenses-finance/
 How expensive is the life of a student in Germany?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9h6W6jxq_0
 In which city can I afford to live? What is the cost of living there?
https://www.study-in.de/en/life/job-money/cost-of-living/--17752
39
Good Luck!
40