Academic year in Germany

The academic year in Germany is divided into two semesters: winter and summer semesters.

The winter semester begins on October 1 and ends on March 31, and the summer semester begins on April 1 and ends on September 30.

Applications to universities usually start in early April and finish in mid-July for the winter semester. The summer semester begins in early December and ends around January 15.

Germany has a network of 500 universities spread throughout the country. Applications for most university programs must be made directly with the institutions. However, a uni-assist service is the central contact point for international applicants and serves at least 170 German public universities.

The uni-assist takes approximately five weeks to process documentation for students from Latin America.

Typically, you can take a Master’s degree in two, three, or four semesters, but it is possible to extend the study period in some cases. On the other hand, a diploma (B.A. – Bachelor of Arts / B.Sc. – Bachelor of Science) frequently takes six semesters (three years) to complete.

The summer vacation lasts about six weeks, from July to September. Other vacation periods or student vacations may vary depending on the rules of each institution. The most common are:

• Christmas holiday (Weihnachtsferien) – usually two weeks.
• Winter vacation (Winterferien) – can vary from a few days to a period of up to two weeks.
• Easter holiday (Osterferien) – two to three weeks.
• Whitsun vacation (Pfingstferien) – can vary from a few days to a continuous period of up to two weeks.

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