For countless Indian students dreaming of an affordable, high-quality European education, Germany has long been the promised land. The combination of low or no tuition at public universities, strong post-study work opportunities, and a welcoming job market created a powerful allure. However, in 2025, this dream has turned into a nightmare for hundreds of Indian nationals enrolled at a private university in Berlin, who now face deportation due to a technicality in how their classes are taught.
The Berlin Crisis: Students Caught in a Legal Crackdown
The students are enrolled at the IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), a private institution that has aggressively expanded its international student base. According to reports from Euronews, IU boasts over 130,000 students globally, with approximately 4,500 of them from India, making Indians one of its largest international groups.
The trouble is centred on IU's Berlin campus. Students were largely enrolled in business programmes like Bachelor's in Business Administration and Master's in International Management. These were marketed as on-campus degrees but were structured as hybrid programmes, blending online instruction with limited in-person attendance. Many students entered through pathway arrangements, starting their studies online from India before relocating to Germany, believing the structure was fully compliant with visa rules.
In early 2025, Berlin's immigration authority, the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), began a strict reassessment. Authorities concluded that several of IU's hybrid programmes did not meet the legal requirement for "in-person study" necessary for a student residence permit. Consequently, students who had already moved to Germany, paid tuition, and begun their studies were informed their permits would not be renewed.
Some received orders to leave the country within weeks. Others were told they could only continue their degrees from outside Germany. While a handful managed emergency transfers, hundreds were left stranded mid-degree, with one student telling Euronews about roughly 300 affected cases. Their academic progress and significant financial investments now hang in the balance.
The Legal Basis: A Clash Between Old Law and New Education Models
At the heart of this upheaval is Section 16b of Germany's Residence Act (AufenthG). This law stipulates that a residence permit for study is granted only for full-time study at a recognised institution where physical presence in Germany is essential. The law, drafted before the boom in online and hybrid education, grants immigration authorities wide discretion to decide if a student's presence is integral to the course.
Berlin's official guidance is clear: distance learning does not qualify for a residence permit, even if the student lives in Germany. In 2025, authorities applied a stricter interpretation, viewing programmes with substantial online components as incompatible with a student visa.
This stance has been backed by the courts. A Berlin Administrative Court judgment in November 2025 reasoned that if a course can be largely completed online, Germany is not legally necessary for its completion under §16b. Compounding the problem, Germany abolished the low-cost administrative appeal process (Remonstration) in mid-2025, leaving only an expensive court route that is often out of reach for financially strained international students.
Financial Ruin and Unheeded Warnings
The human and financial cost is severe. One Indian student reported spending around €20,000 on tuition, relocation, deposits, and living costs—often funded through education loans. With annual on-campus master's fees at IU ranging between €7,000 and €10,000, plus Berlin's high living costs, students forced to leave have little hope of recovering these funds.
Alarmingly, warnings emerged months before the crisis. By June 2025, students began posting urgent warnings on Reddit forums dedicated to studying in Germany. They flagged visa refusals linked to IU's hybrid model and cautioned that Berlin authorities were questioning compliance with §16b. One widely-viewed thread explicitly warned prospective students to avoid IU Berlin "at all costs" due to visa and deportation risks. These online alerts were largely dismissed at the time but proved tragically accurate.
In response to the crisis, IU told Euronews it regrets the situation and stated that the Berlin immigration authority changed its interpretation of hybrid programmes without prior notice. The university said it is revising its study regulations, with new face-to-face structures to apply from 2026—a change that offers no solace to those currently affected.
A Stark Lesson for Future Indian Students
This incident transcends one university. It highlights a dangerous collision between evolving education models and rigid immigration laws, where students bear the ultimate risk. Germany remains a top destination, but this episode sends a stark message to the next intake of Indian students.
The word "hybrid" is no longer neutral in German immigration law. In an era of tightening controls, physical presence is being reasserted as the core purpose of a study visa. For Indian students planning their German journey in 2026 and beyond, the imperative is clear: verify not just the university's reputation, but the legal necessity of your physical attendance. Scrutinise the immigration portal's fine print as diligently as the university's offer letter. In today's study-abroad landscape, the thin line between a legitimate student and an overstayer can depend on something as quiet, yet as consequential, as how your coursework is delivered.
