🇷🇸 Study in Germany from Serbia
A two-hour flight, no tuition at public universities, and a degree the whole EU recognises.
Germany is close to Serbia in every way that matters for a student: you can fly home for a long weekend, the time zone is the same, and the university system reads your grades in the same ECTS credits your own universities use. Serbian students already have a Bologna-system bachelor (180 or 240 ECTS), so most German master’s programmes read your degree directly — no bridge year.
Three ways into Germany
Study
Admission to a German university, then a national (D) student visa. Public universities charge little or no tuition. You prove living costs with a blocked account of €11,904 a year (€992 a month in 2026), and may work 20 hours a week in term.
Work — the Western Balkans Regulation
Citizens of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia can take any job in Germany with a job offer, without having their qualifications recognised. The quota has been 50,000 approvals a year since June 2024; the government has said it plans to halve it from 2027.
Look for work — the Opportunity Card
Up to a year in Germany to find a job, for people with a recognised degree or vocational qualification. Proof of funds is €1,091 a month. Points come from qualifications, German or English, experience and age.
The visa, from Belgrade
Since 9 September 2024 German national visas in Serbia, student visas included, are booked and submitted through VisaMetric in Belgrade rather than directly at the embassy. Book the appointment as soon as your admission letter arrives.
German
Goethe-Institut Belgrade and many private schools run intensive German courses; plan A2 before you fly and B1 in year one.
Steps, in order
- Free call with a counsellor — we read your grades and shortlist programmes they open.
- Apply — directly or through uni-assist, depending on the university. Winter intake usually closes 15 July, summer 15 January.
- Blocked account — open it once you have an admission letter; it takes a few days.
- Visa appointment in Belgrade — book the moment the admission letter arrives.
- Fly, register your address, enrol.
Prices on this site follow the country and currency in the header — choose Serbia and RSD or euros.
Questions we are asked
Can I study in Germany from Serbia without a visa?
Short visits of up to 90 days in any 180 are visa-free. A degree programme is longer than that, so you need a national (D) student visa before you travel.
How much money do I need?
For the visa you show €11,904 for the first year, usually as a blocked account that pays you €992 a month. Tuition at public universities is free or close to it; you pay a semester contribution of roughly €150–€350.
Is the Western Balkans Regulation for students?
No — it is a work route that needs a job offer, and approvals count against an annual quota. Students apply for a student visa, which is outside that quota. Some families use both: one person studies, another works.
Do I need German if my course is in English?
Not for admission to an English-taught programme. Yes for part-time work, housing and staying after graduation — A2 before you fly and B1 in the first year is the pattern that works.
Is the call really free?
Yes. A thirty-minute call with a counsellor costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We read your grades and tell you which programmes they open.
Sources
- Study in Germany (DAAD) — proof of financing
- German Federal Foreign Office — blocked account
- Federal Employment Agency — Western Balkans Regulation
- Federal Employment Agency — press release 40/2026 on the quota
- Make it in Germany — Western Balkans Regulation (PDF)
Figures checked 1 November 2026. Rules change — a counsellor confirms the current position on your call.
Thirty minutes, free, no obligation.
Pick a time that suits you — our calls run in the morning, Central European Time.
Schedule a free call