How to do an exchange in Germany in 2026
Meta description: An exchange in Germany in 2026 starts with path, visa and blocked account. Language, university, Ausbildung and the calendar before you travel.
An exchange in Germany in 2026 starts with three decisions: the path (language, a university from the curation or Ausbildung), the right visa for your passport and the blocked account required by the German government. With those three points in place, city, enrollment and the first month become a calendar, not improvisation.
Do I need to speak German to do an exchange in Germany?
No. You can start an exchange in Germany without fluent German if the first step is an intensive course in the country or a curation program taught in English. German becomes a trajectory goal, not an entry barrier. You also do not need to arrive speaking like a native.
Anyone who arrives at absolute zero (A1) studies the language on campus, with routine and daily life. Anyone who already has academic English can enter a partner university with classes in English and raise German in parallel.
Which formats the curation uses without fluent German
Studying in Germany without speaking German usually falls into one of these paths:
- Intensive language in the country: partner schools such as Colón Language Center, in Hamburg, and Humboldt-Institut, with a heavy load from A1 • Curation university in English: UE, BSBI, GISMA, IU and Macromedia, for those who already have a diploma or a pathway • Studienkolleg: Academy of Languages prepares the entrance exam when the high school diploma needs German equivalence
The level changes the timeline and the academic decision. For the local job market, B2 is the floor we see most often in vacancies. For an academic course in German, the bar rises to C1, with TestDaF, DSH or telc.
If the goal is an international career in Germany and not only the classroom, the language stops being extra coursework. It becomes the filter of the interviews.
Which visa do I need for an exchange in Germany in 2026?
The right visa is the one that matches the reason for the stay: language study, higher education, Ausbildung or a job search. There is no single stamp for every exchange in Germany.
The visa to study in Germany in 2026 separates those who apply for authorization before traveling from those who regularize in the country. The rule changes with the passport, not with the wish to arrive and see.
Which visa paths appear in the curation
- Language course or higher education: residence authorization for study, with enrollment and financial proof
- Ausbildung: dual vocational training, with an apprenticeship contract and a technical school
- Chancenkarte: the Chancenkarte 2026 is the German points-based job-seeker visa, for those who already have a qualification and want to prospect for a vacancy in the country
Students with a Brazilian passport enter as tourists and, in many cases, apply for residence authorization at the Ausländerbehörde within 90 days. That does not waive the blocked account, enrollment or insurance. It only changes where the process starts.
Anyone traveling with another passport generally needs the national visa (type D) still in the country of origin. The dedicated senior consultant reads the passport, the goal and the calendar before pointing to the route.
What the Chancenkarte does not do
The Chancenkarte does not replace the student visa. It serves another profile: those who already graduated and want to look for work, not those who will sit in the classroom.
- The title follows the reason for the stay, not the “exchange” slogan • Regularization in the country only applies to some passports, with a 90-day deadline • Documentation and the blocked account enter both scenarios, with or without a prior visa
What is the blocked account and how much does it cost to live in Germany?
The blocked account (Sperrkonto) is the prior deposit that proves to the German government that you can support yourself in the country. The money remains yours: it goes in blocked and comes out in monthly installments.
According to the DAAD, the German academic exchange service, the study visa requires 992 euros per month since 1 January 2025. That equals 11,904 euros per year. The Make it in Germany portal confirms that threshold for 2026.
The amount changes with the reason for the stay
The German Federal Foreign Office makes that explicit. In the curation's practice, a language course and a job search require a higher monthly deposit than higher education.
The blocked account in Germany in 2026 is the predictable path for anyone without a guarantor in the country: the amount goes in blocked and comes out month by month.
How much daily life costs beyond the deposit
According to the DAAD, living in the country falls between 900 and 1,200 euros per month, depending on the city. The 22nd DZHW social survey, cited by the DAAD, points to average spending of 876 euros per month in 2023.
What weighs on the budget of anyone doing an exchange in Germany:
- Housing: the item that varies most among Berlin, Munich, Leipzig or a mid-sized city • Food and health insurance: fixed costs, with Educare or Barmer depending on the type of enrollment • Transport: the Deutschlandticket costs 63 euros per month since January 2026, according to the German federal government • Part-time work: in higher education, Make it in Germany authorizes up to 140 full days or 280 half-days per year, or up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period
Since 1 January 2026, the minimum wage is 13.90 euros per hour, according to the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). The minijob threshold rose to 603 euros per month, in the same act.
The cost of living in Germany in 2026 changes more with the city and lifestyle than with the minimum wage. Part-time work complements. It does not replace planning.
What are the best cities in Germany to live in 2026?
There is no one right city for every exchange in Germany. Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig, Cologne and mid-sized cities in Bavaria or Saxony serve different profiles of study, rent and pace.
The best cities in Germany to live in 2026 separate better by trade-off than by ranking:
- Berlin: a broad market, more English present, contested rent and a longer queue at the foreigners' office • Hamburg: port, media and Colón Language Center for anyone starting German with a big-city routine • Munich: high salaries and housing costs at the top; it makes sense with a vacancy or an Ausbildung already underway • Leipzig and other mid-sized cities: more breathable rent and university life, with less spotlight
The city needs to fit the visa, the residence authorization and the blocked account, not only the postcard. Anyone studying in English in the curation (UE, BSBI, GISMA, IU, Macromedia) chooses the campus first. The city comes with it.
Families who have already sent a child often repeat the same question: can you live well far from the capital? Yes. You are also choosing a region, a foreigners' office and an academic pace, not only the rent.
Which path to choose: language, university or Ausbildung?
The right path for you is the one that matches your current diploma, language level and timeline. Intensive language, a curation university and Ausbildung are not equal steps. They are different doors.
Three routes concentrate the exchange project in Germany we accompany:
- Language in the country: first step for anyone starting from A1 or wanting B2 with immersion, before university or a vacancy
- Curation university: UE, BSBI, GISMA, IU and Macromedia, in English, for bachelor's, master's or a pathway
- Ausbildung: Ausbildung in Germany in 2026 joins a technical school and paid apprentice work, with a contract
Studienkolleg comes in when a high school diploma from outside the EU needs equivalence. That happens before an academic course in German.
Studienkolleg in Germany has five types (T, M, W, G and S) and the Feststellungsprüfung exam.
How this guide separates from the career map
This text answers how to start. The exchange in Germany to study, work and build a career answers where that leads. Get to know UE Germany from the inside:
- The minimum wage in Germany in 2026 and the picture by profession help test whether the route fits the budget • Study and work in Germany stops being a slogan when language, visa and campus close the same calendar
Frequently asked questions about an exchange in Germany
How far in advance do I need to start in 2026? Planning an exchange in Germany in 2026 takes months, not weeks, because the blocked account, enrollment, residence authorization and visa do not close on the same day or at the same office. The senior consultant builds the calendar on your passport, without copying the neighbor's deadline.
Can I work during the language course? Work permission on a language course depends on the type of residence authorization, not on the wish to top up income in the first month in Germany. In higher education, Make it in Germany sets 140 full days or 280 half-days per year. On a language course, the consultant confirms what your title authorizes before you accept any contract.
After the course, can I stay in Germany to work? Yes, those who complete higher education can apply for a stay of up to 18 months to look for a job in the field, according to the post-study visa logic we use in the curation. Ausbildung and Chancenkarte follow their own rules. The diploma alone does not become residence: the title needs to be requested on time.
Is health insurance mandatory on an exchange in Germany? Yes, Germany requires valid health coverage to issue or renew a student residence authorization, and without that proof the foreigners' office does not complete the title. The choice between public (Barmer, for those who enroll in higher education and fit the age) and private (Educare) changes with the type of course.
Is my country's high school diploma enough to enter a German university? A high school diploma issued outside the European Union is not always enough: it often requires Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung exam before an academic course in German. Curation programs in English (UE, BSBI, GISMA, IU, Macromedia) follow another admission criterion. The path is decided on the diploma, not on the wish to go to college there.
You already have language, visa and city. Which path fits your profile?
If the map above already answered the “how to start”, the next step is to cross diploma, timeline and cash. A dedicated senior consultant reads your profile and says which door opens first.
The study and work in Germany hub brings language, a curation university and Ausbildung into the same project. You do not need to assemble the pieces alone.
Be Easy: boutique exchange consultancy
Be Easy accompanies those who want to build a real trajectory in Germany, not a loose trip. If your goal is language, university or Ausbildung, we have the right curation and a dedicated senior consultant at every stage, from the blocked account to arrival. Contact us to receive specialized senior consultancy!
