Common mistakes to avoid

In France, for a first year of a Bachelor's degree, the prior admission application (DAP) opens on 1 October 2026 and closes on 15 December 2026. The university answers before 30 April 2027, and the student answers before 31 May 2027. No answer from the student counts as a refusal.

Alongside the DAP, the online Campus France procedure in Morocco for connected programmes lists an earlier close, 15 November 2026. The two calendars therefore differ by procedure. The page for the procedure that concerns you must be checked for its own deadline.

The DAP file must arrive no later than 15 December 2026. The French test TCF DAP must be taken no later than 12 February 2027, and the results must be known before 16 March 2027.

Germany has no single national date. The date that counts is the one set by each university, often 15 July for a winter semester. The file must be complete by that date. uni-assist advises applying at least eight weeks before the deadline, because the assessment takes four to six weeks.

In the Netherlands, for 2027-2028, VU Amsterdam lists 15 January for a programme with a limited number of places, 1 April for students from outside the EU and 1 May for EU students. The date applies to the request on Studielink and to the completed file sent to the university.

In Hungary, the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship does not accept applications after the deadline. For the 2026-2027 campaign, the date is 15 January 2026 at 14:00 Central European Time. An application goes both to Tempus Public Foundation and to the sending partner in the home country.

In Italy, there is no single national pre-enrolment date. Each university sets its own cut-off. The national date concerns only the visa, 30 November 2026 for the 2026-2027 year and 31 October 2027 for the 2027-2028 year.

In the Netherlands, the general dates on the national site are 15 January for a programme with a limited number of places and 1 May for the others. For a student who needs a visa, the university often asks for an earlier date. It remains necessary to check the page of the programme you target.

In France, a holder of a French or European bac forms wishes on Parcoursup. A holder of a foreign diploma, such as the Moroccan bac, goes through a prior admission application (DAP) in the Études en France procedure.

The DAP file is sent to the cooperation and cultural action service of the French embassy, and not directly to universities. A file sent directly to a university is not examined.

In Germany, whether a university uses uni-assist is its own decision. Some require it for foreign applicants, others accept a direct application. It is therefore necessary to check the route asked for by the university you target.

In Italy, visa pre-enrolment happens only on the Universitaly portal, which is free and official. Paying a third party for pre-enrolment is not the official route.

For Germany, uni-assist accepts a translation into German or English made by a person or institution authorised to translate under oath. Non-certified translations from an ordinary agency are not accepted.

In the Netherlands, Leiden University states that it does not accept records certified by a notary, a translator or a municipal office. Where online verification is impossible, the document must be legalised or apostilled in the country that issued it. This requirement depends on each institution.

In France, a DAP application is not examined if it is late, if any section is not filled in, or if a required document is missing. An incomplete file gets no extra time.

For a DAP in France, an applicant who is not exempt proves French with the TCF DAP, a TEF with a mark of 14 out of 20, or a DELF B2 or a higher diploma. The minimum level asked for is DELF B2.

In Morocco, the French certificate is compulsory. The TCF must be less than two years old when the file is submitted.

For a German-taught degree, the recognised certificates are the TestDaF with at least level TDN 4 in all four parts, the DSH-2, the DSD II or the final exam of the Studienkolleg. Level B2 is mostly enough to enter the Studienkolleg.

In the Netherlands, one university gives as benchmarks an IELTS Academic of 6.0 overall and 6.0 in each part, or a TOEFL iBT of 80 overall and 20 in each part. Tests taken online or at home and the combined My Best score are not taken into account. The exact thresholds vary by programme.

In Italy, a degree taught in Italian asks for Italian at level B2 or higher, and a degree taught in another language asks for at least B2 in the language of instruction. An applicant who has not passed the language assessment cannot go on to the other tests.

For France, from 1 August 2026, the minimum amount of funds required for a student visa is fixed at 877.50 EUR per month. It was 615 EUR per month before.

In Germany, since 1 January 2025, a student must prove that 992 EUR per month is available. This sum is placed in a blocked account.

The Federal Foreign Office states that the blocked-account amount depends on the purpose of the stay and follows the maximum support rates paid to German students. The blocked account must be opened before the visa application.

For Italy, the Italian consulate in Casablanca asks for proof of financial means of at least 10,179.85 EUR per year, lawful and traceable, through an irrevocable bank restriction. A one-off deposit is not enough.

In France, the process runs in order. Once the file is finalised, Campus France sends an authorisation to book an appointment with TLS Contact. Going to TLS without this authorisation means the file is refused.

The pre-consular review takes 15 to 20 days. The official page advises booking an appointment as soon as the authorisation arrives, without waiting.

A visa decision usually takes 15 days, and up to 45 days in some particular cases.

For Italy, even with a validated pre-enrolment, missing the visa cut-off loses the year. For 2026-2027 the date is 30 November 2026, and some universities set an earlier date.

Campus France states that no intermediary or private body is recognised or accredited to help with the procedure. Advertisements that promise admission or a visa cannot keep that promise, because no outside structure has that power.

uni-assist states that it does not cooperate with commercial agencies, and that payments go only through its official portal. An organisation that presents itself as a partner of uni-assist should be treated with caution.

In Italy, official pre-enrolment is free on Universitaly. Paying an agency for pre-enrolment is therefore not necessary.