Foreign students wishing to enter the Federal Republic of Germany require a visa for educational purposes. This document is issued by a diplomatic representation of the Federal Republic of Germany (embassy or consulate) in the student's country of origin and entered into the passport. If you are a citizen of an EU-country you do NOT need a visa to enter Germany. For other countries with visa waivers see support information of the International Office.
Please start the VISA process as soon as possible after you have downloaded/received both the admission letter and the GEOENGINE information letter! Sometimes the process needs more than 3 months so that some students could not enter the GEOENGINE program because they did not get their visa in time.
You are urgently warned against entering the country as a tourist or as an au-pair. A tourist or au-pair visa cannot be retrospectively changed into a visa or residence permit for educational purposes. You are advised to contact the German Embassy or Consulate as soon as possible before you apply for a study course at the Universität Stuttgart. The embassies may further request a proof of your financial plan. Be prepared to create a blocked bank account (e.g. with Deutsche Bank). Check the German Embassies Homepages for regulations.