WHAT’S AN APS CERTIFICATE, AND HOW DOES IT AFFECT THE NEW VISA APPLICATIONS?
The latest change or requirement is that, hereafter, while applying for a visa at the VFS offices or German consulates, the applicant should submit an APS Certificate along with his application.
This is in addition to the documents required according to the previously existing checklist.
This doesn’t make any such difference to the master’s degree students studying in Germany, in other terms, who are applying for a visa to pursue a master’s degree at a German university.
They need to undergo the evaluation process of their existing qualifications. The APS Certificate India office in New Delhi will evaluate/verify with the concerned authorities and issue a certificate.
But bachelor’s degree students, i.e., those with just a 12th pass certificate and applying for a visa to enter Germany and pursue a bachelor’s degree, need to provide a German aptitude test passed certification along with the visa application.
This is not required for those who have already passed the JEE main and advance.
Those who have attended at least two semesters of a bachelor’s degree course in India and hold the pass mark sheets also may skip the German Aptitude test.
Those with a bachelor’s degree already and still planning to attend a bachelor’s degree studies at a German university will skip the German aptitude test requirement while applying for a visa.
What’s TestAs a certificate, and how should one contact for further information and register to sit the test?
TestAs is an aptitude test approved by the German higher education system to check how qualified an international student is to apply to study a bachelor’s degree programme offered at a German university, especially a state or public-funded.
The applicants should choose the core subjects as per their proposed or intended bachelor’s degree studies, sit the test, and pass with at least 100 points.
The TestAS certificate is highly valued by a few public universities in Germany, and they even accept new applicants directly for bachelor’s degree studies. That means attending a foundation or preparatory programme again is not mandatory.
How difficult is it, and where to sit for the TestAS test?
One can access a lot of information available on the relevant sites. Test centres are known all over India, and the Goethe centres conduct the test.
Education consultants can also help students by guiding them to choose the correct core subjects according to their bachelor’s studies in Germany.
Trained people in a consultancy can help the students prepare for the test. The test takes place at least two times a year in India.
Most importantly, you will receive enough information once you book for the test. Many resources will be made available through booking the test.
The master’s degree students
Considering how it affects the bachelor’s degree applicants, there is no such complication or additional requirements for a master’s student applicant.
It would be best if you got your qualifications verified, and in fact, that simplifies your visa application for quick decision-making.
The complete form of the APS Certificate
APS Certificate’s complete form is Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) certificate, and is a joint venture of the German Embassy’s cultural centre and DAAD and is already practised in China and Vietnam. It has added India to the list effective from 1st November 2022!
The APS India is situated in the German Embassy, New Delhi.
By outsourcing the verification/evaluation job to the subsidiary, APS India, the credential verification of a visa application will be already done while attending an application by the German consulate or their visa offices.
All concerned could welcome it as the beginning of a uniform and swift visa application process. Uncomplicated, as it says, APS Certificate India follows a transparent verification procedure, completed in 4 weeks, and thus helps eventually to reduce the workload of the visa office!
You can start the process as soon as you receive an admission letter from a German university, public or private.
APS application requirements
- Register with the APS website,
- Complete the application form,
- Pay the processing fee, and
- Courier the academic documents to the APS office in New Delhi.
You may submit your language certificates but optional for those holding an unconditional admission letter from a German university.
APS Certificate Fees
As with any other evaluation process, the APS certificate process also charges a fee.
The APS Certificate fee is 225.EUR is the uniform, charged by the APS Certificate Germany in all other countries, wherever it is mandatory.
In India, APS India currently charges Rs.18000.00.
APS Certificate application tips
- The APS office may contact and verify with your school/college.
- Proof of language proficiency is not required for the APS procedure if the admission letter is unconditional but recommended.
- A language/preparatory programme admission letter is received and available to submit if the university admission letter is conditional.
- Test AS is mandatory for students who wish to study Bachelor’s at a German university from the summer 2023 intake onwards.
You may prepare to apply for a visa as soon as an APS certificate/report is received. While preparing to apply for a visa, you should follow the checklist of the visa office and make sure that all mandatory documents are enclosed.
To know more, please read the following article
