Student case study · Germany
Aayush, from Pokhara to Aachen
MSc Mechanical Engineering, October 2025 intake
The €11,904 blocked account scared the family. Planned 5 months ahead with a loan, it went through without a surprise.
- Blocked account
- Loan-funded
- After bachelor's
- Starting point
- BE Mechanical, 74%
- English
- IELTS Academic 7.0, German A2
- Study gap
- None
- Paid for by
- Education loan and father's savings
- First call to visa
- 171 days
Where Aayush started
Aayush had strong marks from his engineering degree in Pokhara and wanted a public university in Germany, where tuition is free. His father, a teacher, was worried about one number: €11,904, more than Rs 20 lakh, in one transfer.
Another consultancy had told them to "arrange it somehow" a week before the visa appointment.
What we found
The money wasn't the problem; the timing was. A loan takes weeks to sanction, the NOC must come before the transfer, and the blocked account provider needs the money before it issues the confirmation the embassy wants.
We wrote the order down with dates: loan application in April, NOC in May, transfer in June, embassy appointment in July. We also told the family plainly that the blocked account is Aayush's own money, paid back to him at €992 a month, not a fee.
Step by step, with dates
10 Feb 2025
First counselling with Aayush and his father. Blocked account explained; dates written down.
3 Mar 2025
Applications to 4 public universities, 2 through uni-assist.
14 Apr 2025
Education loan application at the family's bank.
19 May 2025
Admission letter from Aachen.
26 May 2025
NOC issued; loan disbursed.
4 Jun 2025
€11,904 transferred to the blocked account; confirmation received.
8 Jul 2025
Visa appointment at the German Embassy, Kathmandu.
31 Jul 2025
Visa issued, 171 days after the first call.
22 Sep 2025
Flies to Germany.
The result
Aayush is in his second semester in Aachen. He passed German B1 in spring 2026 and now works as a student assistant in a university lab, which doesn't count against his 140-day limit.
In Aayush's words
The blocked account scared me. €11,904 is a lot to show. My counsellor explained exactly how it works, and we planned the loan with my father months ahead. No surprises at the embassy interview.
What it cost
| Our fee (one application file) | Rs 20,000 |
|---|---|
| uni-assist (2 universities) | €105 |
| Blocked account (his own money, paid back monthly) | €11,904 |
| Visa fee | €75 |
| Semester contribution | About €310 |
Shared with the family's written consent.
If your profile looks like this
- 1
Write the blocked account dates down backwards from your visa appointment: loan, NOC, transfer, confirmation.
- 2
The blocked account is your money, paid back monthly. It's not a fee, and no one should take a cut of it. See every Germany fee.
- 3
Start German before you fly, even for an English-taught master's. It opens the better part-time jobs.
Everything about studying in Germany: cost, process and fees