High tuition fees and even bigger, broken promises. For Indian students at the International University (IU), the dream of studying in Germany has turned into a nightmare. "My life feels like hell," one of them told Euronews.
Deep Shambarkar would never have thought that his studies in Germany would end up like this.
The 25-year-old moved from Maharashtra in India to Berlin last July to pursue a master's in business management. He had enrolled at the private International University, or IU for short.
Shambarkar has already invested around €20,000 for his studies - a considerable sum for the young man. He had taken out a student loan from an Indian bank.
"I don't think the university will pay me back," he explained. Others have already had to drop out of university and were left with the costs.
Instead of writing his master's thesis, he now has to deal with the authorities.
His visa was due to be extended in the summer. Yet suddenly, a yellow envelope from the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA) arrived in Shambarkar's letterbox: a request to leave the country by 3 November, or face deportation.
Broken promises
"I think it's because the university may not have had the right accreditation for its courses," said Shambarkar. In a similar case, a student had already lost in court.
"They said that the appropriate infrastructure was lacking. There are too few professors at the university." Shambarkar has also lodged an appeal. But he has little hope.
Since March, more and more students have been asked to leave. He knows of around 300 cases, said Shambarkar. This is because the authorities do not recognise IU studies as face-to-face teaching.
Students could complete it remotely - in Shambarkar's case, from India. They were promised a degree programme in Germany.
"Most of the students have since left," Shambarkar told Euronews. "Many have changed universities, at least those from wealthy families. Others have gone back home. They were helpless."
With more than 130,000 students, IU is one of the largest universities in Germany. Around 4,500 of them are Indian. They make up a good fifth of international students.
Many of them, like Shambarkar, found the university through the Indian placement agency UpGrad.
The company supports people who dream of studying abroad. The first part of the degree programme is completed online from India; in Shambarkar's case, it was the first semester. The students then move to Germany to complete their degree there.
'A year wasted'
Tanishq was also placed at the university via UpGrad. The 20-year-old from Delhi has just completed the first year of his bachelor's degree in business administration.
He was supposed to have continued his studies in Berlin in September. Instead, he is stuck in India. His visa has not yet been granted.
"I feel cheated," he tells Euronews via video interview.
One of his friends is already studying in Germany. "He says I'm lucky I didn't get my visa. Otherwise I would have been deported too," says Tanishq.
In India, he at least has the support of his family. "In Germany, students have nothing," says the Indian national.
Tanishq would prefer to simply forget about the experience. He has already invested a lot of time - "a year wasted," as Tanishq puts it.
Nevertheless, he does not want to give up his dream of studying in Germany and plans to try again with another university. "In the meantime, I'm learning German. I already have B1 level."
Pure disappointment
Simply ticking it off and forgetting everything - that's hardly an option for Shambarkar. "I've invested a lot of time and money," he explains.
Another university is also not an option, as Shambarkar fears that they would not recognise his achievements.
He still hopes to graduate from IU after all, and needs about six months to do so. "I only have a few modules left and the Master's thesis," said Shambarkar.
In response to an enquiry from Euronews, IU said the university "regrets" that students must leave.
At the beginning of 2025, the LEA changed its approach to hybrid degree programmes "without informing IU International University."
New study regulations will take effect in 2026. "This is to ensure that the face-to-face study programmes meet all regulatory requirements for visa issuance."
In particular, the LEA's change of visa policy for students "who have entered the country under different conditions" is incomprehensible, the university said.
In some instances, students could complete their studies free of charge in their home countries.
'My life feels like hell'
Looking back, the degree programme was "disappointing," said Shambarkar. "I never felt like I was at a university. There were a few classrooms, a few courses. I chose the right degree programme for me, but not the right university."
The Berlin campus on Frankfurter Allee is more office-like than a university. Here in the Plaza, which also houses a shopping centre, IU has rented several floors.
The university uses around 11,700 square metres of converted hotel space here, between an optician and a supermarket.
Contacting the university is complicated, explains Shambarkar. He received little support from the IU. "They are now paying lawyers so that students don't have to use their own money to lodge an appeal," he claimed.
Shambarkar said he was suffering under the pressure.
"It's hard to face the situation - mentally and physically," he stated. "I'm treated like a criminal."
Another student's example, who wished to remain anonymous, shows just how burdensome this is. "I feel like a failure. The situation has massively damaged my psyche. Sometimes I feel like my life is about to end," he told Euronews.
Although he came to Germany legally on a student visa and is still studying, he is also on the brink of deportation.
"I no longer have an appetite and suffer from nightmares and insomnia. My life feels like hell." The authorities have given him one month to leave the country.
Controversial judgement
In the meantime, the IU no longer wants to accept international students at the Berlin campus, Euronews has learnt from insiders.
A message obtained by Euronews states, "Due to the ongoing legal and administrative uncertainties with the LEA, IU will suspend all new student admissions to the Berlin campus until further notice."
A court has recognised that the IU has the necessary accreditation for degree programmes as well as sufficient staff and infrastructure.
At the same time, the court has tightened the requirements, "including stricter attendance controls with sanctions and examinations that take place exclusively on campus."
The judges had made it clear that the judgment was highly controversial. It would contradict university law.
A spokesperson for the Berlin State Office for Immigration told Euronews that residence permit extensions are regularly reviewed.
The focus is on whether conditions such as "sufficient livelihood, proper full-time studies, passport possession, no interest in deportation, for example due to the commission of criminal offences" are met.
Students would temporarily receive so-called "fictitious certificates," meaning that the residence permit is "granted or denied". This also applies to IU students.
The university is now planning to inaugurate a campus in Cologne. It is due to open in October 2026.