The rules have edge cases — integrated degrees, the 29 June exemptions, already-issued APS certificates. Answer four questions and get a straight answer with the official source for it.
The dMAT applies only to one group of applicants.
The dMAT requirement starts with the Summer Semester 2027 intake.
Transitional exemptions hinge on the date 29 June 2026 — the day dMAT registration opened.
Your Bachelor's field decides — not the Master's you're applying to.
Your previous degree is in an affected field and your intake falls under the requirement, with no transitional exemption. The dMAT certificate must accompany your APS documentation (you may ship other documents first and submit it once available).
Your dates: register by 15 Sept 2026 at the g.a.s.t. portal (€150, seats first-come-first-served) · exam 26 Sept 2026 · results 12 Oct 2026.
Where: eleven centres — Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kathmandu (Nepal), Kolkata, Mananthavady, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. d-mat.de lists Kathmandu; the APS page lists only the ten Indian centres. Final availability is shown during registration.
And to be clear about the stakes: APS India states that a low dMAT score does not automatically lead to refusal of your APS certificate — the dMAT is not a stand-alone pass/fail test. Your result is recorded on the APS certificate, and each German university decides independently how to weigh it.
Bachelor's applicants and PhD applicants are explicitly outside the current dMAT requirement — it applies only to selected groups of Master's applicants from India. APS also names one more group: Bachelor students who have not yet completed at least 5 semesters of a 3-year programme, or 7 semesters of a 4-year programme, are not affected either.
Participants in officially confirmed exchange, double-degree or university-partnership programs don't take the dMAT. Submit the relevant confirmation from your home institution, the German partner, or the program coordinator (including your group number) with your APS documentation.
The dMAT is required from the Summer Semester 2027 intake onward — the first certificates only exist from 12 Oct 2026. For Winter 2026/27 and earlier, proceed with the normal APS process.
But note: if your plans slip to Summer 2027 or later, the requirement will apply to a fresh APS application under the rules at that time. Bookmark this checker.
Applicants who already completed the APS procedure and hold the certificate are not required to take the dMAT for that completed procedure — APS certificates don't expire.
One caveat: if you ever file a new APS application later (e.g. after another degree), the rules in force at that time apply.
Applicants who completed APS online registration or shipped complete APS documents before 29 June 2026 are exempt from the dMAT for that APS procedure — even if hardcopies were shipped after that date (registration case) or the verification is still ongoing (shipping case).
Do this: keep proof — the registration confirmation email and/or courier receipt. If APS queries your file, that's your evidence.
In the 2026 introductory phase, the dMAT applies only to previous degrees in Engineering, Commerce/Accounting/Finance/Economics, and Business/Management. Other fields proceed with the normal APS process.
Worth knowing: APS India describes this as a step-by-step introduction "for selected groups" — fields could be added in later phases. Double-check your exact degree title against the official Affected Fields List (PDF) to be safe. APS specifically names the programmes that sit between subject areas: Engineering Management, Business Analytics, Industrial Engineering, Data Science and Financial Technology. For all of them, the list decides — not how the degree title sounds.
Interdisciplinary and borderline degrees (BCA, B.Sc CS/IT, Data Science, Engineering Management, Business Analytics, FinTech, integrated programs…) are classified by APS India's official list — not by intuition, and not by what a consultancy tells you.
Do this, in order:
1 · Find your exact degree title in the official Affected Fields List (PDF). Listed → the dMAT applies.
2 · Genuinely not listed and not analogous → likely not required, but keep a copy of the list version you checked.
3 · Still ambiguous → email info@aps-india.de with your exact degree name and transcript header. Get it in writing; don't register for a €150 exam on guesswork.