German courses for refugees in Berlin

Here you can find offers of German courses for refugees

To study in Berlin, you need German language skills for almost all degree programs. Most universities require a language level between B2 and C1. To help you find suitable courses more easily, we have put together a selection here. Unfortunately, only a few academic institutions still offer free German courses for people who are not enrolled, so you should regularly check for newly advertised courses and register for them as soon as possible.

To make good use of the waiting time until a course starts, you can find excellent online offers to continue improving your German at make-it-in-germany.com/deutschkurse and handbookgermany.de/learning-german.

If you only want to take a language test without attending a course beforehand, you can apply to the Educational Guidance Guarantee Fund for Higher Education (Bildungsberatung Garantiefonds Hochschule) to cover the costs: https://bildungsberatung-gfh.de/

New language courses for refugees in cooperation with adult education centers Berlin:

According to our information, there are currently no new language courses at universities for people who are not yet enrolled. As soon as we receive new information, we will publish it here.

Therefore, we would like to point out an alternative: Starting December 1, 2025, Berlin's adult education centers will offer preparatory language courses for prospective students with a refugee background.

Planned courses and start dates:

B2 course (TELC B2) at the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Adult Education Center
C1 course (TestDaF) at the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg Adult Education Center
Planned course start date: December 1, 2025 (later entry possible)

Registration:

To register for the course, a registration form is sufficient. You can obtain this form from studierendenWERK BERLIN, your desired university or the Bildungsberatung Garantiefonds Hochschule.

Please write to studentrefugees@stw.berlin for a consultation appointment or use our contact form.

Requirements:

A B1 certificate for the B2 course, a B2 certificate for the C1 course.

Freie Universität Berlin (FU)

Freie Universität Berlin offers German language courses for refugee students and prospective students who are interested in enrolling or continuing their studies at Freie Universität.

The courses are aimed at individuals with refugee status in Germany (all countries of origin).
People who have fled Ukraine with Ukrainian citizenship and international students who have had to flee Ukraine can also participate in the language courses.

The next application phase is expected to begin in June 2026.

For more information, visit the FU website: www.fu-berlin.de/angebote-welcome/deutschkurse

Bildungsberatung Garantiefonds Hochschule (GF-H)

There are preparatory language courses that are sponsored by the Bildungsberatung Garantiefonds Hochschule and are aimed specifically at prospective students. Please contact them for advice on a suitable course for you at the website GF-H-sponsored German language courses.

The universities in Berlin offer various language courses. The decisive factor for your choice is whether you are already studying or are yet to enrol. Unfortunately, there are very few courses on offer for prospective students. For the lower language levels (A1-B1), integration courses are therefore also recommended (see section "Free German courses as part of integration courses").

Offers for prospective students

Berlin's universities offer various programs for prospective refugees, some of which also include language courses. You can find an overview of the programs on our website stw.berlin/en/international/angebote-der-hochschulen.

Offers for enrolled students

Prerequisite for participation in the German courses is enrollment as a student at the respective university!

Alice Salomon Hochschule - German as a Foreign Language

Bard College Berlin - German Courses

Freie Universität Berlin/Free University Berlin - Courses from A1 - C1 at the Language Center of the FU

Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler - German as a Foreign Language

Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft - German as a Foreign Language

Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht/Berlin School of Economics and Law - German Courses at the Language Center of the HWR

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - German Courses at the Language Centre of the HU

Technische Universität Berlin - German Courses at the Modern Language Center of the TU

Universität der Künste - German Courses

Many German courses are offered as part of so-called integration courses. The courses are usually free of charge because the Jobcenter takes over the financing. An integration course consists of language courses at levels A1 to B1 and an orientation course on life in Germany. It is intended to help you quickly find your way around in Germany.

Duration:

As a rule, the general integration course in Berlin consists of:

6 modules

with 100 teaching hours (UE) each for language teaching (levels A1, A2 and B1)
Completion by passing the German Test for Immigrants (DTZ)

1 module of 100 units for the orientation course

Basic knowledge of the legal system, history and culture of Germany
Completion by passing the test "Living in Germany" (LID)

Costs:

If you receive money from the Jobcenter and have received an obligation to attend an integration course, you do not have to pay anything for the language course.

If you are not entitled to a cost exemption, part of the costs can be covered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.

Enrolment requirements:

Admission to participate in an integration course can always be granted upon presentation of the residence title issued in accordance with § 24 AufenthG or a corresponding fictitious certificate.

Course participation requires prior counselling and usually also a placement test.

Application:

You can apply for this at your job centre. If you do not receive Jobcenter benefits, you can apply for participation in an integration course at a regional office of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). You can find the regional office responsible for you under BAMF-NAvI.

Bbw (Bildungswerk der Wirtschaft in Berlin und Brandenburg) (integration courses)

Bildungswelt (integration courses)

BSI Berlin (integration courses)

Europa-Spracheninstitut (integration courses)

Garantiefonds Hochschule (German courses)

Inlingua (integration courses)

iQ Lingua (integration courses)

Kontakt- und Beratungsstelle für Flüchtlinge und Migrant_innen e.V. (KuB)

Mitteldeutsches Institut (integration courses)

Network German courses for all (German courses)

Ökumenisches Zentrum Berlin (German courses)

Seconos (integration courses)

Volkshochschulen Berlin (integration courses)

Here you will find a selection of language schools in Berlin that charge a fee. If you receive benefits from the job centre or other offices, ask them whether the costs will be covered.

You can also just take the B2 or C1 test at the language schools without attending a whole course.

Language level A1-C1:

GLS Sprachenzentrum Berlin