are refugees considered as international students?

Dear @shamaria , thank you for your important question. Yes, it is possible to study even if you are currently still in the asylum procedure and have a so called “Aufenthaltsgestattung” or temporary stay permit and are living in a refugee camp. You have the right to study at a university for a master’s degree. The only requirement is that you fulfill the entrance requirements for the university. You can find out more about the requirements for attending university here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/university-application . However, if you have applied for asylum, you are obliged to live in a refugee camp you are not allowed to travel within Germany for at least the first three months. This is called “Residenzplficht”. You can find out if this applies to you, by checking what is written on your permit. The “Residenzplficht” can sometimes be a hurdle to study since you might have to travel to another city to reach the university. However, you can receive permission from the immigration authorities when you want to leave your designated area. You can find out more about your rights and obligations with a so temporary stay permit or “Aufenthaltsgestattung” here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/aufenthaltsgestattung If you have troubles with receiving a permission or any other issues, you can find and contact your local refugee council here: https://www.fluechtlingsrat.de/ Unfortunately, this regulation is very restrictive, and there have been multiple refugee lead campaigns to abolish the “Residenzpflicht”. If you are interested you can read more about the campaign here: https://oplatz.net/about/ . Also, it is much harder for those with “Aufenthaltsgestattung” to secure funding for their studies. As one cannot receive state financial aid for students -BAFöG You can find out more about financing your studies here: https://handbookgermany.de/en/student-finance . There is the option of attending lectures as a “guest student”, for this you do not need to fulfill the requirements for the degree. This can be a good way to learn the language and see if you like the subject you signed up for. A guest student usually must pay a small fee to attend the lectures. I would recommend that you search for a suitable university and contact their international office or the student registration office ("Studierendensekretariat") Good luck with starting your studies! I am always happy, if you have further questions Best wishes Yara

Hello @shamaria , I hope you are doing well. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Something that I did not mention earlier is that you bachelor degree should be accepted in Germany to continue with a masters here. Please let me know if I can help you further Best wishes