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Study in Germany from the US on an F-1 visa: which mission, your F-1 status and what your US degree is worth

Written and reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 15 November 2026 · Last reviewed 15 November 2026

Are you an Indian, Nigerian or Pakistani citizen living in the United States? The German missions in the US take applications from legal residents of the US. So you can normally apply at the mission for your US state, instead of travelling home. Ask that mission first if you are on F-1 or OPT. No germany.info visa page or checklist names those categories, or J-1, H-4 or an I-20, and none sets a minimum time in the US. Entering Germany first and applying there is closed to you, because that privilege depends on nationality.

Key points

  • Nine German missions in the US take national (D) visa applications. Yours depends on where you live.
  • They ask for a US status document and a proof of address. They name no visa category, so ask yours about F-1, OPT, J-1 or H-4.
  • The money is the same as anywhere: 992 euros per month, 11,904 euros for twelve months, in an account opened before you apply.
  • The APS follows the certificate you apply with. A US bachelor’s generally removes it; an Indian school certificate generally keeps it.
  • A finished four-year US bachelor’s can clear the English test and, at KIT, the GRE or GATE that KIT asks of Indian, Nigerian and Pakistani degrees.
  • Leaving mid-programme gives 15 days to depart, not 60. Talk to your DSO first.

Which German mission covers your US state, and who may apply there?

Germany runs nine missions with consular services in the US, and all nine take national (D) visa applications. Jurisdiction follows where you live, not your nationality. The official list of states and counties is on the Consulate Finder (German Missions in the US: Consulate Finder; German Missions in the US: Study and Scientific Research (no date shown; superseded in parts)).

MissionStates and territories it serves
Embassy WashingtonDistrict of Columbia, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia
AtlantaAlabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
BostonConnecticut (apart from Fairfield County), Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
ChicagoIllinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
HoustonArkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas
Los AngelesArizona, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and ten California counties: Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura
MiamiFlorida, Puerto Rico, the American Virgin Islands
New YorkNew York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Fairfield County in Connecticut, Bermuda
San FranciscoThe rest of California, plus Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, American Samoa and the Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, Midway and Palmyra Islands

Source: German Missions in the US: Consulate Finder and the mission pages it links, read on 15 November 2026. Two oddities on that page: Kern County appears under both Los Angeles and San Francisco, and Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands appear in no district. If you live there, or have just moved, ask the mission.

Jurisdiction is enforced. Los Angeles accepts applications “from residents” of its district only, and New York “can only provide those services to residents” of its own. The portal changes nothing: “Which mission abroad is responsible for you is in no way affected by the Consular Services Portal” (German Consulate General Los Angeles: Visa application procedure; German Consulate General New York: Visa, passport and legal services, 15 November 2021; German Missions in the US: Consular Services Portal, 15 June 2026).

What the missions publish about who may apply

What the missions do not say

No germany.info visa page or checklist names F-1, OPT, an EAD, an I-20, an I-94, J-1 or H-4. Those categories are neither accepted nor refused, but unaddressed. No page publishes a minimum period of residence either, so do not believe a six-month rule. On OPT you may hold valid status on an I-20 and an EAD while the visa stamp has expired. The published text does not resolve that, so ask in writing (German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in the US: Consulate Finder).

Third-country filing is a normal category elsewhere in the same network. The German missions in Nigeria ask non-Nigerians for a “Copy of residence permit for Nigeria”. Canada asks non-Canadians for proof of Canadian status (German Missions in Nigeria: University studies; German Missions in Canada: Visa for studies).

You cannot enter Germany first and apply there

Some nationals may enter for a long stay without a visa and get the permit locally. That rule is keyed to nationality. Section 41 of the Residence Ordinance lists eight nationalities, among them the United States, and germany.info restates it as “Persons holding a US passport”. India, Nigeria and Pakistan are in neither paragraph, and a green card cannot change that (Residence Ordinance (AufenthV), section 41: Entry without a visa for a long stay (German); German Missions in the US: Residence Visa / Extended Stay Visa).

How do you apply from the US, and how long does it take?

Online first, then one appointment in person, which the missions call a visa interview. Study is an online-portal category: paper filing is reserved for ICT cards, researchers and au pairs. The appointment is for your biometric data, the fee and the check of your originals (German Missions in the US: Residence Visa / Extended Stay Visa; German Missions in the US: Consular Services Portal, 15 June 2026).

  1. Apply in the Consular Services Portal. The mission then says whether your file is complete.
  2. Book at your own mission. Each runs a free online appointment system. BLS International handles Schengen visas only; New York says residence-visa appointments “can only be booked through the online appointment system” of the consulate general (German Consulate General New York: Visa, passport and legal services, 15 November 2021; German Missions in the US: Scheduling an appointment).
  3. Attend in person with your originals, give fingerprints and a photo, and pay.

The fee is 75 euros for adults, charged in dollars at the day’s rate. The fees page says cash and credit cards are accepted; the January 2025 checklist still says cash only, so take both. Allow up to $40 more to have your passport mailed back (German Missions in the US: Visa Fees, 25 May 2023; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF)).

No US mission publishes a waiting time

There is none. The FAQ says long-term residence visas take “up to several months”. The older study page still shows about 25 days, but it is out of date. For context only, the missions in India publish six to eight weeks. No appointment waiting time is published either (German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: Study and Scientific Research (no date shown; superseded in parts); German Missions in India: Checklist for student visa applications (PDF, September 2024)).

Two absences matter. Remonstration, the informal appeal against a refusal, was abolished worldwide from 1 July 2025. And the US missions publish no checklist for a study-applicant visa under section 17 of the Residence Act. The statute allows up to nine months (German Missions in the US: Abolition of the remonstration procedure from 1 July 2025; German Missions in the US: Residence Visa / Extended Stay Visa; Residence Act (AufenthG), section 17: Applicants for study (German)). Our German student visa guide covers the same visa as run from India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

What does your visa file need: money, insurance and language?

The current US student checklist asks for 992 euros per month and 11,904 euros for twelve months. It is emphatic about the order: “Open the blocked account before you apply for a visa”. Only the official confirmation counts, showing the amount paid in and the amount available per month (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF)).

Two pages disagree, and only one is current. The checklist carries a January 2025 header. The undated “Study and Scientific Research” page still names a lower monthly amount and links the 2019 checklists. Follow the checklist and the dated portal page. The Federal Foreign Office adds that you choose your provider freely, and that its own provider list is deleted (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in the US: Study and Scientific Research (no date shown; superseded in parts); German Missions in the US: Consular Services Portal, 15 June 2026; Federal Foreign Office: Blocked account). Our blocked account guide has the mechanics.

What the US checklist does not name

For money it names three things only: the amount, “the admission agreement/relevant contract” and the blocked account. It does not name a US bank statement, a scholarship or a sponsor’s declaration of liability. That declaration, the Verpflichtungserklärung, is on the superseded 2019 US checklist, and on the current India and Pakistan pages. It is not on the current US one. These are silences, not refusals (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in the US: Student Visa checklist, January 2019 (superseded, PDF); German Embassy Islamabad: How to finance your stay).

Insurance and language

Insurance must cover you when you enter the Schengen area. University statutory cover usually starts only when studies begin. For that gap the checklist asks for a private travel policy to EU standards, covering the Schengen area with a minimum of 30,000 euros. It must not exclude long-term stays. Whether an F-1 school plan can cover that period is not addressed. The stricter conditions germany.info publishes elsewhere, such as no deductible, are written for Schengen visas (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in the US: Medical health insurance (written for Schengen visas)).

Language is one sentence on the checklist. You prove the language of instruction, unless the admission letter confirms it. Without a preparatory course the standard is “as a rule at least B2 in the language of instruction”. No test providers and no validity window are named, and a US degree taught in English is not mentioned. The German missions in Nigeria are stricter: testers must work to ALTE standards, and the test “may not be older than one year”. India’s checklist asks for proof generally no older than one year. At the application stage the university’s rules govern: see our guide to studying without IELTS (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in Nigeria: University studies; German Missions in India: Checklist for student visa applications (PDF, September 2024)).

Do you still need an APS certificate if you live in the US?

It turns on which certificate you apply with, not on where you live. APS India states the test plainly: “The applicant’s nationality is not the decisive factor. What matters is whether the relevant academic documents were issued by Indian educational institutions”. Among its non-cases is “if your relevant academic degree was not issued by an Indian educational institution” (APS India: Frequently asked questions).

TUM gives the operational version. No APS is needed for a master’s if the master’s entrance qualification came from outside China, Vietnam or India. No APS is needed for a bachelor’s or Studienkolleg place if the school diploma did. The exemption works only with your final graduation documents (TUM: APS – certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre). So the two common cases split:

  • A completed US bachelor’s, for a master’s: the APS generally falls away.
  • An Indian Class XII certificate plus US credits, for a bachelor’s: it generally stays, because the entrance qualification is still Indian.

Two cautions survive. Universities word it differently: Halle calls the certificate “mandatory for all applicants with degrees from India or from an Indian school outside of India”. That page states no foreign-degree exemption, and exempts only applicants who already live in Germany. And nothing in the published rules turns on living outside Germany. The APS FAQ has no entry about it, and APS India frames its exemptions as examples (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg: Application with degrees from India; APS India: Frequently asked questions).

The US missions are silent too. Their checklist never mentions APS or any evaluation centre. The missions in India call it always mandatory, with four exceptions that do not include living abroad. Unaddressed is not waived, so ask your university and your mission. We found no APS equivalent for Nigeria or Pakistan. Our APS certificate guide covers procedure and fees (German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in India: Checklist for student visa applications (PDF, September 2024)).

How is a completed US bachelor’s assessed for a German master’s?

Better than many applicants expect. anabin, the KMK database German universities work from, records the US bachelor’s as corresponding to a German one. It calls the degree regularly four years long, and gives direct access to all subjects. The conditions: at least four years, as a rule full-time, at a recognised and regionally accredited institution. Professional degrees such as the Bachelor of Fine Arts must show specialist programme accreditation instead (anabin: Bachelor of Science (USA), degree record; anabin: Bachelor of Science (USA) as a higher education entrance qualification; anabin: Berufliche Bachelorgrade (USA) as an entrance qualification (German)).

Check your own institution rather than assuming. anabin lists 2,100 US institutions: 2,060 with status H+ and 40 with H +/-. H+ means state or state-recognised in anabin’s terms. H +/- means further criteria must be met before a degree is recognised in Germany. The 40 are not only small or religious colleges. They include large distance universities such as the University of Phoenix, Western Governors University, Southern New Hampshire University and the University of the People. Read the note on the individual record (anabin: Bachelor of Science (USA), degree record; anabin: Search guide for higher education institutions (H+ status)).

Nobody skips the transcript. anabin says major and minor combinations cannot be mapped case by case, and that transfer credits must be checked against the awarding institutions. Where there are substantial differences from a German bachelor’s, it says admission can be made conditional or refused. Admission is the university’s decision; the ZAB advises only when asked (anabin: Bachelor of Science (USA), degree record; anabin and the ZAB: Frequently asked questions (German)).

Two edge cases. An associate degree sits below bachelor level, so it never opens a master’s. A three-year accelerated bachelor’s falls outside anabin’s four-year wording (anabin: Associate of/in Science (for Transfer) (USA), degree record (German); anabin: Bachelor of Science (USA) as a higher education entrance qualification).

What a US degree changes for the English test

Universities use two designs, and a US degree works in both. RWTH Aachen exempts applicants who earned a high school diploma or academic degree in an English-speaking country, naming the United States. It adds that citizenship alone never qualifies. TUM accepts the language of instruction instead: English in at least 50% of a completed bachelor’s or master’s. Exchange semesters and internships “are not sufficient”, and school grades never prove English for a master’s (RWTH Aachen: Language requirements; TUM: Language certificates).

Our dataset covers 824 such programmes at 26 German universities. Of those, 308 at 21 universities record a waiver that a previous degree taught in English can meet. We record those waivers for applicants from India, Nigeria and Pakistan, and a US degree taught in English meets the same kind of rule. Not every programme agrees: TU Berlin’s Global Production Engineering rejects medium of instruction as proof, yet accepts a B.Sc. completed in the USA (TU Berlin: Global Production Engineering, admission requirements).

What it changes for the GRE

At KIT, the clearest published case in our dataset, a US degree removes the test. KIT requires GRE or GATE for six master’s programmes from winter term 2026/27. It exempts anyone with a tertiary degree from the European Higher Education Area, or from a country on its Lisbon Convention list. KIT adds: “these countries are listed below; no other waivers are possible”. The United States is on that list; India, Nigeria and Pakistan are not (KIT: GRE, GATE or GMAT requirement for master programs from winter term 2026/27 (PDF), 1 May 2026).

Our dataset records a GRE, GATE or GMAT requirement on 7 KIT master’s programmes. On 6 it is recorded for degrees from India, Nigeria or Pakistan. The last is Industrial Engineering and Management, recorded as required of everyone, with no waivers.

Your GPA in German grades

The official instrument is the modified Bavarian formula, from the KMK resolution of 15 March 1991 in its 2013 version. It reads X = 1 + 3 × (Nmax − Nd) ÷ (Nmax − Nmin), to one decimal place without rounding. Nd is your foreign average. Nmax and Nmin are anchor values, which the resolution ties to the ZAB’s assessment proposals, not to your university. TUM’s converter asks for your maximum grade, minimum passing grade and overall grade, and calls the result non-binding. No official source we found prescribes anchor values for the US scale, so we publish no conversion table (Kultusministerkonferenz: Festsetzung der Gesamtnote bei ausländischen Hochschulzugangszeugnissen (modified Bavarian formula), 12 September 2013; TUM: Grade conversion for grades earned outside Germany).

Documents from your US university

uni-assist is fully digital and wants complete, clearly legible scans of official documents. Official means a signature and stamp from the issuing institution, a note of automatic issuance, or a verification code. For US study it accepts “only official transcripts issued by your university with seal and signature”, in one grading system throughout (uni-assist: Country information, United States; uni-assist: Uploading documents; uni-assist: FAQs, Plan your application; TUM: Preliminary Documentation (VPD) by uni-assist). Many universities want a VPD too: our uni-assist and VPD guide explains which.

No official German page we read names WES, another US credential evaluator, Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse. That is an absence of statements, not a refusal. Our own suggestion is to order an official PDF transcript to yourself. On apostilles, germany.info tells you to ask the receiving German authority whether one is needed. The US authority follows the issuer, so a state university’s documents go to that state’s Secretary of State (anabin and the ZAB: Frequently asked questions (German); HCCH: Apostille competent authorities, United States of America).

The German missions certify documents themselves: €60–85 for a signature, and up to 33 euros for copies drawn on site. They also warn about notaries. Photocopies notarised by a Notary Public from California or New York “will in particular not be recognized by the Federal Administration Office (BVA)” (German Missions in the US: Certifications and notarizations, 1 July 2023).

Can you transfer mid-degree and keep your US credits?

The law is generous and the procedure is unforgiving. Both state acts we read require recognition unless there is a substantial difference. Section 63a of the Higher Education Act of North Rhine-Westphalia is in its current version since 4 August 2026. Credits from foreign state or state-recognised universities are recognised on application, absent a substantial difference in competences. Equivalence is expressly not examined, and the burden of proof lies with the university. You can also demand placement in the semester matching your recognised ECTS. Bavaria’s BayHIG Art. 86 is equally mandatory (Higher Education Act North Rhine-Westphalia (HG NRW), section 63a (German), 4 August 2026; Bavarian Higher Education Innovation Act (BayHIG), Art. 86: Recognition of credits (German)).

In practice the examination board goes first, the admissions office second. TUM needs a credit transfer report signed by the school, and says enrolment in a higher subject semester “is not possible without” it. For restricted-admission programmes it must be complete by the end of the application period, and its result is binding. Formal recognition “can only be initiated once you have actually enrolled”. And if you need to provide a VPD, TUM asks you to apply for the first subject semester (TUM: Application to a higher subject semester).

TU Berlin is blunter. Without the board’s classification and signature for the current application semester, your application “will be rejected for formal reasons”. Classifications from a previous round are not accepted, and recognition after your studies start brings no retroactive placement (TU Berlin: Recognition of earned credits; TU Berlin: Lateral entry into a master's programme).

Then the constraint almost nobody communicates. In a restricted-admission programme the binding limit is a free place in that higher semester. TU Berlin allocates such places at the start of the semester, in mid-October or mid-April (TU Berlin: Lateral entry into a master's programme).

Do not plan with a credit-hour conversion factor either. No official source we found converts US credit hours into ECTS. The ECTS number is the output of recognition, not an input (Higher Education Act North Rhine-Westphalia (HG NRW), section 63a (German); TUM: Application to a higher subject semester).

Our own judgement, not a rule from any source: finishing your US bachelor’s usually beats transferring out. The finished degree clears the English test, the GRE at KIT and the APS. The partial routes are narrow, and depend on capacity nobody can confirm.

Can you start a German bachelor’s with US schooling or part of a US degree?

uni-assist states the baseline flatly: “A US high school diploma alone does not allow you to study in Germany”. A qualifying diploma leads to the Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung (uni-assist: Country information, United States). anabin sets the conditions in case groups. The diploma must show 16 academic units in grades 9 to 12, in a prescribed pattern. The Studienkolleg route also needs an unweighted cumulative GPA of 3.0. Direct access comes only two ways (anabin: High School Diploma (USA), case groups USA-BV01, BV02, BV07, BV08 and BV09 (German)):

  1. Four Advanced Placement exams at grade 3 or better, in a prescribed combination, and subject-restricted. One combination opens maths, science, medicine, pharmacy and technology; the other humanities, law, social sciences and economics. All four must be taken with the College Board before you finish high school. Results issued by the high school are not sufficient (uni-assist: Country information, United States).
  2. Two years of US college with five independent general-education subjects, among them English, a foreign language, maths and a science. At least three must come in three ascending semester courses. One version also asks for 50% of the credits for the bachelor’s; the other combines the two years with a general-education associate degree.

One year of US college is not a route in anabin for a US high school graduate. The two-year route fits a reader part-way through a US degree, but its breadth condition is a liberal-arts profile. A narrow engineering major may not meet it, even with 60 credits.

The mixed case: a home-country school certificate plus US college

Here the research hits a wall we will not paper over. The country rules do require a year of university study. India’s asks for a successful year within a bachelor’s programme at a recognised higher education institution. Pakistan’s asks for a year at a recognised institution in an academic programme. Nigeria’s requirement exists only in anabin’s structured fields, with no prose (anabin: India, secondary school certificate after 12 years (German); anabin: Pakistan, HSSC / Intermediate certificate (German); anabin: Nigeria, West African Senior School Certificate (German)).

Neither wording names a country for that year, and uni-assist’s country pages are silent. So the rule does not restrict where the year was studied, but nothing confirms a US year either. Ask uni-assist or the university first. Our guide for Class 12, WAEC and FSc holders covers the home-country routes.

What happens to your F-1 status and SEVIS record when you leave?

Three periods matter, and they answer different questions.

DHS describes the mechanics in its own words. Before ceasing a full course of study, “the student must inform his or her DSO”. The DSO then terminates the record for Authorized Early Withdrawal. Beyond five months, except where a student is studying abroad, the student “will need to seek admission in initial status”. That means a new Form I-20 (Federal Register: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure (91 FR 44976), 17 July 2026).

So leaving a US master’s halfway gives 15 days, not 60. And a move to Germany for a degree is not a temporary absence in SEVP’s sense: your record does not wait for you. Talk to your DSO before you stop attending.

How German semesters line up with US terms

German semesters are fixed periods: winter from 1 October to 31 March, summer from 1 April to 30 September. The lecture period sits inside the semester and varies. At Göttingen, winter 2026/27 lectures run from 26 October 2026 to 12 February 2027 (University of Göttingen: Dates and deadlines for students).

A US spring term ending in May leaves four to five months before a winter semester. A fall term ending in December leaves about three months before a summer semester. Your departure period after completion is 60 days, which is shorter than either gap. Plan the visa around that, not around the gap.

US money questions

Federal student aid is not portable for you, and not because of Germany. Title IV eligibility is tied to the student’s own citizenship or status. It reaches a citizen or national, a permanent resident, or someone in the US other than for a temporary purpose, intending to become one. A foreign institution can at most join the Direct Loan Program, not the grant programmes (34 CFR 668.33: Citizenship and residency requirements for federal student aid (govinfo); 34 CFR 600.54: When a foreign institution may apply to the Direct Loan Program (govinfo)).

Tuition refunds are a different question. These rules set no federal refund schedule for tuition. They require your institution to publish any refund policy with which it must comply, and its withdrawal procedure. Ask your bursar for it in writing (34 CFR 668.43: Information an institution must publish, including its refund policy (govinfo)).

Our suggestion, not an official checklist. No official page lists documents to collect before you leave. German universities and uni-assist ask for these later, so request them while you still have a registrar account:

  • official transcript PDFs and your degree certificate;
  • module or course descriptions for anything you may want recognised;
  • your grading system, with the maximum and minimum passing grades.

Which US rules of 2025 and 2026 do readers ask about?

Four published items come up again and again. Each is dated below with its citation and status. We state them as rules, not predictions, and take no view on the policy behind them.

What it doesDate and citationStatus when we read it
A fixed period of admission instead of “duration of status”. F-1 admission would be limited to the programme length, and to four years at most.Final rule, 91 FR 44976, published 17 July 2026. Effective date set at 15 September 2026.The effective date was postponed nationwide by the District of Massachusetts on 14 September 2026. The court denied vacatur without prejudice. Duration of status governs.
Entry of Nigerian nationals suspended as immigrants and on B-1, B-2, F, M and J visas.Proclamation 10998 of 16 December 2025, 90 FR 59717, effective 1 January 2026.In force. It reaches nationals who were outside the US and without a valid visa on that date, with exceptions. It is reviewed every 180 days. India and Pakistan are not named in it.
Fees of $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT. The SEVP-certified school would pay them, not the student.Proposed rule, 91 FR 64566, published 8 October 2026. Comments closed 9 November 2026.Proposed only, not in force. No final rule was published when we read the Federal Register.
A visa bond of up to $20,000 as a condition of visa issuance.Final rule, 91 FR 48757, effective 3 August 2026.In force, but only for B-1/B-2 visitor applicants. It does not reach a student visa.

Sources: Federal Register: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure (91 FR 44976); US District Court, District of Massachusetts: Presidents' Alliance v. DHS, No. 26-13799-FDS, memorandum and order (PDF); Federal Register: Proclamation 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals (90 FR 59717); Federal Register: Optional Practical Training Fees, proposed rule (91 FR 64566); Federal Register: Visas, Visa Bond Program (91 FR 48757). All read on 15 November 2026. Court orders and rules change: check the current status of each before you act, and ask your DSO about your own record.

The first row needs two more points. We could not establish from a primary docket what happened to that order after 14 September 2026. Treat its later course as unsettled, and check the docket. The eCFR also still displays the amended regulation as if in force, including the four-year cap and a 30-day departure period. It carries no note about the postponement, which is why the student-facing 60-day figure and the regulation appear to disagree (8 CFR 214.2(f): F-1 students (eCFR, current to 1 November 2026); US District Court, District of Massachusetts: Presidents' Alliance v. DHS, No. 26-13799-FDS, memorandum and order (PDF), 14 September 2026).

The transition text applies only if the rule takes effect. Its DATES section says DHS will publish a document to establish the actual effective date, or to terminate the rule. If it does take effect, students properly maintaining status on 15 September 2026 keep their position for up to four years. That transition also keeps a 60-day departure period for F students (Federal Register: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure (91 FR 44976), 17 July 2026).

For a Nigerian national already in the US, the second row is about re-entry rather than leaving. By its own terms it reaches nationals who were outside the US on 1 January 2026 without a valid visa. It also carries exceptions, among them permanent residents (Federal Register: Proclamation 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals (90 FR 59717), 19 December 2025).

What do the published numbers actually show?

Two large populations, and not the one you belong to. Open Doors counts enrolled students in an academic year, SEVIS by the Numbers active records across a calendar year. Hence India at 363,019 in one and 422,335 in the other.

FigureSeries and year
1,177,766 international students in the US, up 5%. India 363,019, Nigeria 21,847, Pakistan 13,165.IIE Open Doors 2025, released 17 November 2025. Academic year 2024/25.
New enrolments down 7% to 277,118. Students on OPT up 21% to 294,253.IIE Open Doors 2025. Academic year 2024/25.
1,582,808 active F-1 and M-1 records. India 422,335, Nigeria 27,948, Pakistan 16,478.ICE, SEVIS by the Numbers, released 5 June 2025. Calendar year 2024.
A DAAD projection of about 420,000 international students and doctoral candidates in Germany. 67% of 212 responding universities report rising interest from students in the USA.DAAD quick survey, press release of 19 December 2025. Winter semester 2025/26.
402,083 international students in Germany. India 58,833, Pakistan 12,646, and 5,330 whose country of origin is the USA as that report defines it.Wissenschaft weltoffen kompakt 2026 (DAAD and DZHW). Winter semester 2024/25.

Sources: IIE Open Doors: International students, Open Doors 2025 report (2024/25 data); IIE Open Doors 2025: India fact sheet (PDF); IIE Open Doors 2025: Nigeria fact sheet (PDF); IIE Open Doors 2025: Pakistan fact sheet (PDF); ICE: SEVIS by the Numbers, calendar year 2024 (PDF); DAAD: Zahl internationaler Studierender deutlich über 400.000 (press release, German), 19 December 2025; DAAD and DZHW: Wissenschaft weltoffen kompakt 2026 (PDF, German). Read on 15 November 2026. Neither a 2026 Open Doors edition nor a 2025 SEVIS edition had appeared when we read the pages.

DAAD’s 67% figure concerns enquiries from the USA, and by DAAD’s own statement says nothing about the nationality of those enquiring. Nothing here counts the group this guide is for.

When is this route not for you?

Your step-by-step plan

This order is our own suggestion. No official page publishes a sequence for this situation.

  1. Find your mission in the Consulate Finder and read its own visa pages.
  2. Decide which certificate you apply with. That decides the APS.
  3. Check your US institution in anabin, and order your transcript, module descriptions and grading system.
  4. Apply to universities through uni-assist or the university.
  5. Ask the mission in writing about your status category if you are on OPT, J-1 or H-4, or if your visa stamp has expired.
  6. Open the blocked account before you file, and insure the time before your studies begin.
  7. File in the portal as soon as your admission allows. Long-term residence visas can take up to several months, so early filing is your only lever.
  8. Talk to your DSO before you stop attending, and plan around the 15-day and 60-day periods.

Browse programmes and their admission rules on our English-taught programmes pages.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for a German student visa in the US if I am not a US citizen?

Yes, on the face of the published rules. The missions say they can only accept applications from legal resident aliens in the US. The checklist asks for a US residence permit, for example a visa or green card, plus proof of your address. Visitors are sent home.

Sources: German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF).

Do the missions accept an application while I am on OPT?

The missions do not say. No germany.info visa page or checklist names F-1, OPT, an EAD, an I-20, J-1 or H-4. The FAQ only refuses applicants whose US visa or resident alien card has expired. That leaves a valid OPT with an expired stamp unresolved. Ask your mission.

Sources: German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF).

How long must I have lived in the US before I can apply there?

No German mission in the US publishes a minimum period of residence. We searched the visa pages, the FAQ, the Consulate Finder and the current checklists. The checklist asks instead for a valid US status document and a proof of address, such as a licence or a lease.

Sources: German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in the US: Consulate Finder.

Do I need an APS certificate if my bachelor’s degree is American?

Usually not for a master’s application. APS India says nationality is not decisive: what matters is whether Indian institutions issued the documents. TUM states that no APS is needed when the master’s entrance qualification came from outside China, Vietnam or India. Universities word this differently, so check yours.

Sources: APS India: Frequently asked questions; TUM: APS – certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre; Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg: Application with degrees from India.

I have an Indian bachelor’s and a US master’s. Do I still need the APS?

It depends on which degree you apply with. TUM waives the APS for a master’s only when the qualification for that master’s came from outside China, Vietnam or India. If your Indian bachelor’s is that qualification, plan on needing the certificate. Ask the university whether your US master’s can serve instead.

Sources: TUM: APS – certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre; APS India: Frequently asked questions.

Can I fund a German blocked account from a US bank account?

No official page we read answers this. The Federal Foreign Office says you choose your provider freely, and that the mission is the account beneficiary before the visa. Neither it nor the US checklist says where the money may come from. Ask your provider and your mission.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office: Blocked account; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF).

Does a year at a US college count as the year of university study my school certificate needs?

No official page confirms it. The Indian and Pakistani rules require a successful year at a recognised higher education institution. Neither names a country for that year. Nigeria’s one-year requirement carries no prose at all. Ask uni-assist or the university before you plan on it.

Sources: anabin: India, secondary school certificate after 12 years (German); anabin: Pakistan, HSSC / Intermediate certificate (German); anabin: Nigeria, West African Senior School Certificate (German).

What happens to my SEVIS record when I leave the US?

Before you stop a full course of study you must tell your DSO. The DSO then terminates the record as an authorised early withdrawal, which gives 15 days to depart. After completing a programme you have 60 days. Readmission on the same record covers only an absence of five months or less.

Sources: 8 CFR 214.2(f): F-1 students (eCFR, current to 1 November 2026); Federal Register: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure (91 FR 44976); SEVP, Study in the States: Maintaining your status.

How long does a German student visa take at a US mission?

No US mission publishes a figure for students. The FAQ says long-term residence visas can take up to several months, and no mission publishes an appointment waiting time. The missions in India publish six to eight weeks, which is context from another country, not a US commitment.

Sources: German Missions in the US: Visa FAQ; German Missions in the US: National Visa for Students (Section 16b Residence Act), January 2025 (PDF); German Missions in India: Checklist for student visa applications (PDF, September 2024).

Sources and method

We read every page below on 15 November 2026 and used only what it states. Where the German missions keep two pages with different numbers, we follow the January 2025 checklist and the dated portal page. anabin’s US records carry no revision date, so rules from them are dated to our read date. Questions no official page answers are left as questions on purpose. Three things here are our own judgement, and labelled as such: the documents to request from your registrar, the view that finishing a US bachelor’s beats transferring out, and the step-by-step plan. The counts come from our dataset of 26 universities, every fact quoted from an official page with its check date. We review this guide quarterly.

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