Dhruv Rathee’s Education at KIT Germany, and the Route for Indian Students

Dhruv Rathee is an Indian YouTuber and social media commentator who studied in Germany, earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s in renewable energy at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Indian students can follow the same route today, but the steps are specific: an APS certificate, German-language proof for most German-taught programmes, a blocked account of €11,904 for the first year, and a student visa. Tuition depends on the state. In Baden-Württemberg, where KIT is, non-EU students pay €1,500 per semester.

Dhruv Rathee’s studies at KIT

Dhruv Rathee was born in 1994 in Rohtak, Haryana, and completed his schooling in Haryana. He went on to study at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in renewable energy.

His story is useful because it shows the academic route, not because it is a template. Every applicant’s admission depends on their own school record, the programme they choose and the documents they can provide.

Can Indian students study at a German university?

Yes. Indian students study at German public universities every year, including at KIT. Three things decide whether a particular application works:

1. The programme. Most bachelor’s programmes in Germany are taught in German. Some master’s programmes are taught in English. A programme’s language of instruction decides which German or English proof you need.
2. The qualification. Indian students apply with their school or degree certificates, assessed through the APS process. Students coming straight from Class 12 usually go through a Studienkolleg first.
3. The money and the visa. A student visa requires proof of funds, usually a blocked account, and a visa application.

The application route, step by step

1. Choose the programme and check its language rule. Read the programme page at the university, not a summary. Note the required German or English level.
2. Get the APS certificate. The APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) certificate is mandatory for Indian applicants to German universities, and the German mission in India requires it with the visa application. Start early: processing takes weeks, not days, and APS delays are the most common reason an intake is missed.
3. Apply to the university through its own application portal. For KIT, the portal is run by its International Students Office.
4. Prove the language requirement with an accepted certificate. For German-taught programmes, KIT accepts DSH, TestDaF and Goethe certificates; the level depends on the programme.
5. Open a blocked account before you apply for the visa. The German mission in India accepts a blocked account opening confirmation, not a bank statement alone.
6. Apply for the national visa (for study longer than 90 days) through the online Consular Services Portal, then attend the appointment. The digital application process and the visa guide for Indian students cover each step; the rejection reasons post covers what goes wrong.

Language requirements

German-taught programmes need German proof. The level differs by department: KIT’s International Students Office lists B1 for courses taught only in German and C1 where German-taught courses are part of the programme. Check the programme page for the exact level before you start preparing.

English-taught programmes do not need German for admission, but they still need an English test or equivalent, set by each programme.

Costs: tuition, blocked account and visa

Item	Amount	Source
Tuition for non-EU students in Baden-Württemberg (including KIT)	€1,500 per semester for bachelor’s and consecutive master’s programmes	Universities in Heidelberg, Konstanz and Esslingen
Tuition in other German states	Varies. Check the state and university.	Each university
Semester contribution	Set by each university; check the university’s fee page	Each university
Blocked account (proof of funds, first year)	€11,904 per year, released at €992 per month	German mission in India checklist; Auswärtiges Amt
Visa fee	€75, payable in Indian rupees	German mission in India checklist
APS certificate	Check current fee and processing time on APS India’s website	APS India

Figures are as checked on 15 October 2026. Rates change; check the university and the German mission before you pay. For a full budget, see how much an MS in Germany costs and what changes after the first year.

Where Germany applications go wrong

Three points cause most of the trouble, and all three are avoidable with time:

• APS started too late. The certificate is required both by the university and by the German mission for the visa. Applicants who start it after they receive an offer often cannot reach the visa appointment in time for the intake.
• The wrong funding figure. The blocked account requirement rose to €11,904 from winter 2024/25. Proof prepared to the older figure of €11,208 does not meet the mission’s checklist.
• A language level that matches the application, not the enrolment. Some programmes accept a lower German level to apply and a higher one to enrol. Students who prepare only for the first level lose the place at the second.

Two Bluehawks cases

Bachelor’s: the Studienkolleg decision. A student from Punjab came to us after Class 12, set on computer science at a German public university and unwilling to pay for a private one. The student already suspected that an Indian school qualification would not give direct entry, and the real question was whether a year at a Studienkolleg was worth it. We went through the academic record, the preparatory route and the German-language commitment it carries. The student chose to invest the year rather than give up the public-university goal, with a plan to complete the qualification before applying for the bachelor’s.

Master’s: choosing a realistic programme. A mechanical engineering graduate from Pune wanted an English-taught master’s in Germany and was wary of applying where the undergraduate subjects might not satisfy the admission requirements. The initial shortlist was built on rankings, and several of those programmes required coursework the student had never studied. We compared each programme’s requirements against the actual transcript and prioritised the ones where the existing qualification was the stronger fit. The student chose a programme aligned with that background rather than a university name at any cost, which made the application deliberate and defensible.

Neither decision was glamorous. One cost a year, the other cost a ranking. Both were made before the applications went in, which is where the decision belongs.

If you want your own profile checked against a specific programme’s requirements, that is the conversation we have with students before they apply, not after.

FAQ

Next steps

If you are considering Germany, start with your programme’s language requirement and the APS process; those take the longest. The Study in Germany page brings the route, costs and timelines together in one place.