It is only recently that Germany began establishing elite universities in the country along the lines of Harvard, Oxford or the Sorbonne. In 2007, the government selected nine universities to receive extra funding to lure better professors, as well as upgrade their research and educational materials. The universities offer the same bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees of other universities, but they carry an extra bit of clout.

Only one of Berlin’s three universities, the Freie Universität, won elite status. Despite the new elite programme, students still have free choice of which university to attend and the schools pick students based on the final exam grades of the applicants. For example, if a school has room for 300 students, then it simply selects the 300 applicants with the highest grades. Luckily, schools reserve a certain contingent for foreign students. If you want to study in Berlin, you’ll have to get accepted by the university of your choice before applying for a student visa.

To apply, you’ll need to make a formal application that includes a statement of why you want to study in Germany, proof of your final grades or A-levels and the results of a language proficiency exam (if you don’t do well, you can make language courses part of your studies). Be sure to also mention anything else you’ve done that might apply to your studies, such as time working or volunteering in your field. Application forms are available in English on the websites of all three universities. Although an application for a German university would be relatively simple, most expat kids go elsewhere for college – if you had led a nomadic life with your family, what’s the first thing you’d do when you finally win freedom from your parents?