Hundreds of international students at IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) in Berlin are facing possible deportation after German authorities ruled that parts of the university’s academic offerings no longer meet student visa requirements. While the ruling applies to all international students enrolled in the affected programmes, Indian students are among the most impacted, due to their large numbers at the university.
Many of those affected had taken substantial education loans to fund tuition and living costs in Germany and are now facing an uncertain future.
IU was founded in 1998 in Bad Honnef and rebranded in 2021 as IU International University of Applied Sciences. By 2020, it had become one of Europe’s largest private universities. Today, IU has more than 130,000 students from over 190 countries, studying across physical campuses and online programmes.
According to reports, IU has around 4,500 Indian students, who make up roughly one-fifth of its international student population. The Berlin campus, in particular, hosts a large share of international students enrolled in hybrid degree programmes.
The crisis centres on IU’s hybrid study programmes, which combine online instruction with in-person classes. German authorities began reviewing these programmes after anonymous complaints raised concerns about poor on-campus attendance and insufficient academic oversight. A court ruling later supported the Berlin Immigration Office’s assessment that many of these hybrid courses did not qualify as “on-campus” study under German law. As a result, the programmes were reclassified as distance learning, which does not qualify students for a German residence permit.
The situation worsened in 2025, when Germany abolished its informal “remonstration procedure”, a low-cost and fast appeal mechanism for visa rejections. Without it, students were left with limited and expensive legal options.
The consequences have been severe. Deep Shambharkar, a 25-year-old student from Maharashtra, told Euronews that he had already spent around €20,000 on his master’s degree in business management after moving to Berlin in July. He had taken out loans and was expecting his student visa to be extended. Instead, he received a notice ordering him to leave Germany by November 3 or face deportation. Shambharkar said he was aware of at least 300 similar cases.
“Most of the students have since left,” he said. “Many changed universities, at least those from wealthy families. Others returned home. They were helpless.”
IU said it “regrets” the situation and claimed that the Berlin Immigration Office changed its evaluation of hybrid programmes without notifying the university. IU has since stopped admitting new international students to its Berlin campus, mandated full in-person attendance from October, and launched a free visa assistance service. Some students have been offered the option to complete their degrees from abroad at no additional cost.
However, for many already enrolled, the damage is done. Immigration lawyers are now advising affected students to apply for Duldung, a temporary tolerated stay, as a last resort. With disrupted degrees, mounting debt, and legal uncertainty, the episode has become a stark warning about the risks tied to international education pathways.
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