Germany - Pursue tuition-free Doctoral programme (PhD)

Realize your dreams!! Pursue tuition-free Doctoral programme (PhD) in Germany!!
What else do you want to know! All Doctoral Programmes in Germany are tuition-free!! Owing to this there are many takers for Doctoral Research in Germany from other countries.
If you are aiming to pursue PhD in Germany, there are two ways you can apply for:
Independent Research under supervision
Structured PhD Programme
Before applying for a PhD Programme you should know that Germany does not have a system of graduate schools, centers and colleges. In fact there is no binding curriculum that guides a student throughout the programme. Therefore it is clear that a student can choose from a variety of programmes, precisely the programme that inspires him/her the most for a Doctoral Research. However any Doctoral Research is incomplete without submission of thesis or dissertation substantiating the research work you have undertaken. And as a matter of fact this thesis or piece of dissertation ought to be validated by an authority in the subject. So prior to carrying out an Independent Research, the students are supposed to get their Research Proposal authenticated by a Supervising Professor. The Supervising Professor keeps evaluating and directing the research periodically.

We can now see in a nutshell how an Independent Research Programme is carried out:
Finding a Supervising Professor: Since there is no such defined academic body in Germany, that takes the responsibility of conducting a bound Research Programme, the student has to solely rely upon the University he/she chooses and the Supervising Professor belonging to that particular University.
Students aspiring for an Independent Research usually look for experts in the subject in journals, publications or search engines. Students can also approach Universities conducting similar research activities and correspond directly with the respective Head of the Department.

In some cases the Dean’s office (Dekanat) can help as can the office of international affairs or even the counseling office.
Things to do when meeting the Supervising Professor:
Submitting a Project Proposal (description of your field and topic of interest)
A substantiating evidence, something like relevant experience you have in the field
Letters of Recommendation vouching for your academic competence and diligence
Important:
You can write your thesis or dissertation in English ‘only’ if the Supervising Professor agrees. If not you have to make your written presentation in German. For doing this you should have passed the DSH (German language test) or TestDaF (German language test; in Hong Kong TestDaF is offered 4 times a year at HK Baptist University).
Prior to enrolling for a PhD, the University you graduated in has to be assessed. It means you have to be an alumnus of a University (of your country) meeting the German University Standards.
You will also have to prepare a piece of scientific research, comprising 20-50 pages. Besides this you might be asked to take a written or oral test, in the subject you aspire to pursue research.
You will have to apply for a ‘student’ visa, not ‘tourist’ visa
B) Structured PhD Programmes:
Structured PhD-programmes or IPP’s (International Postgraduate Programmes) have been introduced by the German higher education recently. There are around 360 Doctoral programmes offered in Germany, of which around 130 have an international focus.
For more information about structured PhD programmes please go to International Postgraduate Programmes (IPP).