Germany has approved almost 20,000 Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) certificates since its initiation in India in November 2022, Science Counsellor in the German Embassy of India Kaspar Meyer told The Free Press Journal.
“We have approved around 20k APS applications since November 2022 when we first started the process. This is from over 36,000 applications we have received so far from Indian students,” stated Kaspar Meyer, who shares regular updates about the process on his Twitter handle @KasparJoMeyer.
The APS, which was first established in China and later in Vietnam, started its process in India in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
“APS India is the gateway to German universities for applicants with Indian academic qualifications. We facilitate a hassle-free admissions process for Indian students to German universities by authenticating their documents,” states the official website for APS’s India operations.
Official hails increasing capacity of APS in India
Though APS was introduced amid reports of a rise in fraudulent documents, with German Ambassador Philipp Ackerman putting the number at 10 - 15% for students from India last year, Kaspar Meyer highlighted the service’s month-on-month success.
“In June 2023, the APS issued more than 2500 certificates, while in July 2023 we managed close to 5,000 approvals, doubling the capacity in a month,” added Kaspar, who further added that around 1,000 certificates are being sent to students per week.
As students wait on certificates, APS assures them
Though the numbers might be a relief for students waiting to begin their study journey in Germany, many have lamented the delays and lack of communication from the Embassy on their APS status, as reported by The Free Press Journal.
With an unexpected post-pandemic boom in applications, Germany has its challenges in clearing the applications in a short duration.
“Many students have raised concerns about the delays and we take these concerns very seriously. We have gone through several rounds of the process, increased our staff, and found a new office space to cater to the applications. We are trying our best to have as many Indian students as we can.”
“There are genuine instances wherein one student might not receive a confirmation message, or they have some other issue, which is taken up by us and discussed amongst our colleagues,” asserted Kaspar, who added that following up with Indian universities on academic documents of their students can at times be a lengthy process.
More visa slots, coordination with universities through German Mission
While cautioning against sending automated emails to APS on different IDs for an update on the certification, the official assured the slots for student visas are being increased and added that the Mission is in close communication with the Consulates regarding the same.
“We understand that the winter semester deadlines for German universities are fast approaching, which is why Ambassador Ackerman has written to them about the delays being outside of students’ control.”
Fake documents, rogue agents remain thorny issues
Despite more than 15,000 Indian students beginning their classes in Germany per semester, according to official sources, ‘scamster’ agents remain a challenge to APS.
While one Kerala-based agency submitted fake payment confirmations worth Rs 18,000 in the name of applicants, 98% of the APS certificates from a single source in Surat turned out to be fake.
“We try to understand from the applicants about the fraud on a case-to-case basis but at times agencies seem to defraud the APS without the knowledge or consent of the applicants. We don’t believe students need agents for this process, as the process itself is not complex and it is the safest option to do it yourself,” affirmed Kaspar Meyer.
Indians largest student group in Germany, most pursuing Engineering
More Indians are pursuing their education in Germany than ever before with the cohort now being the largest international student group in the country.
“Great! 42,000+ Indian students in Germany, 25 % more within one year. India now no. 1 group of foreign students in Germany, much faster than expected! Germany is popular among Indian students – and Indian students are popular in Germany, I hear from professors very often,” said the tweet by Ambassador Ackermann on August 10.
According to numbers seen by The FPJ, subject fields such as Law, Management, Social Studies, and Mathematics, and Natural Sciences saw a significant rise at 22% and 14% respectively among Indians, while Engineering dropped to 60% from 68.21% in 2021-22.
