The best Engineering Entrance guide: FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences (undergraduate courses)

Germany is well known for its engineers, so having a German tag in your resume will be an added advantage. Higher education is free of cost in Germany, so you will have to pay only for the first year. (why? I will explain later )

Now lets get started-

Why Germany ?

Germany is the home of Audi, Bosch, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Porsche and Volkswagen. These companies don't just make cars for the average consumer but also supercars which are marvels of mechanical engineering. Most of the leading mechanical and automotive engineers work and live in Germany. German vehicles are considered the most refined and the amount of R&D that Germans put in any product they make is astounding.-Harsha Baskaran(quora)

Apart from this the cost of education in Germany is much lower compared to the US or UK.

Introduction

There are 2 type of universities in Germany-

Technical University
University of Applied Sciences

This is a University of Applied Sciences. If you want to know the difference between the two, then I guess you will get an unbiased and honest answer here.

Application process

You can apply directly through their website however its advisable to apply through agencies listed in the official website. You can also contact these agencies for more information (this will save a lot of time otherwise spent on google). Besides these agencies won't charge you for the appcation process. So I would recommend that you give the entrance test as its free and decide later. Here is a link to the list of agencies click here

A difference in the education system

In Germany, school finishes after 13th year unlike 12th in India. So before you begin with the engineering course, you will have to complete your 13th year. The undergraduate courses in Germany are just 3 years long.
To sum it up, you will still get your engineering degree within 4 year just like your friends in India.

Note-Through the entrance test, you are guarranteed admission to one of the 4 universities after completion of the 13th year. (mentioned in the website)

Cost

The fees for the first year (13th year of school) is 17,500 euros(this includes visa, insurance, residence and tution fees). There will be no fee charged for the next three years.

( higher education is free in Germany- funded by the government)

You will only have to pay for your living expenses.

LIVING IN GERMANY

> Pocket Money: In addition to the expenses covered by your fees, students need at least €50 per month for clothing, personal hygiene articles, etc.

> Working in Germany: During the Freshman year, students are not permitted to work. After completion of the Freshman year, students in Bachelor’s programs may work for 120 full days or 240 half days per year.
> Scholarships: At the end of the Freshman year, students may apply for one of the twenty scholarships of €3000 each awarded to those students who have shown the best all-round performance.

After including everything, the total expenditure for the 4 years course in Germany is roughly Rs 40 lakhs.(without scholarships)

Ranking

There isn't any ranking system in Germany and officially all colleges are treated the same. However, to draw a rough comparison, you could compare FH Aachen with other private colleges in India.

Fh Aachen will be better then a private university for the following reasons-

It is a government university
The German government invests heavily in research and development, so you will get a better educaton here.
Most students after completing thier undergraduate course opt for a Masters in Germany. (you will have a larger pool of universities to choose from if you learn German )

However if you get into an IITs or BITS or even a good NIT go for it !

After completing the freshman year (13th year) you are guaranteed admission in one of the following universities -

FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences (AC)
FH Rhein-Waal-University of Applied Sciences (RW)
FH Sudwestfalen- University of Applied Sciences (SW)
University of Duisburg-Essen (DuE)

What if you dream for a career in the automobile Industry ?

The statement "Made in Germany" speaks for itself.

For some students, studying in Germany is not a backup option. These students either study German along with 12th grade or take a drop to study Germany. This is because the best colleges in Germany ( those better than even the IITs such as RTWH Aachen or TU Berlin) have all courses in German language.

If you are a bright student who dosen't want to take a drop or have already taken a drop, you could join FH Aachen. And then prepare for these colleges in your first year (13th year of schooling).

Even if you miss, you are still guaranteed admisson to the 4 universities.

Links-
https://www.fh-aachen.de/en/
https://www.daad.de/en/

DISCLAIMER-
Selecting a college is a very difficult decision, especially if you don't know much about it. I had gathered this information while I was applying to colleges and hope you find it useful. This information is true to the best of my knowledge, however I don't take reponsibility for its accuracy.