Rabat – Germany has introduced new regulations for international students wishing to pursue higher education in the European country. The enrollment fees for international students will now increase to €10,236 in order to obtain a student visa.
The German Federal Foreign Office (the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs) has increased the sum from €8,640 to €10,236, up by 20%. In order to fulfill the new visa requirements, international students must prove that they have the total sum, which must be blocked in a German bank.
The new total amount is calculated to cover students living expenses for one year. It is used to assure authorities that students have the financial capacity to live in Germany.
Under the current system, once the potential students have the required annual amount in a blocked German bank account they can withdraw a set sum per month to cover expenses.
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The increased sum of €10,236 will come into effect starting from January 2020. But from September 1, the sum to be withdrawn each month will be raised from €720 to €853.
“Once in Germany, students can then withdraw a certain amount of money each month, although this amount is currently €720, it will increase to €853 from 1 September this year.”
The ministry in charge stated that the blocked funds can not be withdrawn and are only a guarantee that students have enough cash to cover their expenses.
Among the banks offering the possibility to block cash are Fintiba-Sutor Bank and Deutsche Bank.
On November 20, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced an increase in enrollment fees for international students in France. From September 2019, international students taking bachelors degrees enrolled for the increased fee of €2770, instead of €170.
In the 2019-2020 academic year, Master’s and PhD students paid €3,770 instead of €234 and €383 respectively.
