What is a Studienkolleg?
The Studienkolleg is a one-year preparatory course at a university to acquire the university entrance qualification. The Studienkolleg usually lasts two semesters.
What is taught at the Studienkolleg?
The Studienkolleg prepares international applicants without a German university entrance qualification for studying at a German university. Full-day classes are held five days a week in the subjects of a specialisation course suitable for the desired study programme and in German.The final examination at the Studienkolleg is the so-called Feststellungsprüfung.
A Studienkolleg is divided into four focus courses:
- M-course (for medical and biological subjects),
- G-course (for humanities and language subjects),
- W-course (for subjects in economics),
- T-course (for technical and natural science subjects, except biology).
Attention: not all Studienkollegs offer all of the above courses!
Where are Studienkollegs offered?
In Berlin there is a joint Studienkolleg of the Humboldt University with the Free University as well as a Studienkolleg at the Technical University.
What are the particularities of the application process?
Find out about the application process on the website of the Studienkolleg you would like to enrol in. You apply for a place at the Studienkollegs in Berlin via the uni-assist portal in the same way as for a degree programme. There you select your desired degree programme at your desired university in the programme selection and enter the 1st semester. If the first semester cannot be selected when applying for the summer semester because the degree programme you have chosen only starts in the winter semester, select the second semester instead.
If you meet all the formal requirements, you will be invited to an entrance test after submitting your application via uni-assist, which usually takes place in August. Admission to the Studienkolleg is only granted on the basis of the results of this test. Here you will find a website with examples of previous entrance exams so that you can prepare well. In addition, you will also find FSP examples.
Many Studienkollegs have sample exams on their websites. It is worth taking a look at these as well, since the exams at Studienkollegs sometimes have different levels of difficulty depending on the educational institution.
Necessary documents for admission to the Studienkolleg
1. your university entrance qualification with a translation into German or English
2. passport or identity card
3. language certificate of at least level B2
Application deadlines
TU: The application for the summer semester 2024 is possible from September 15 to November 30, 2023 via uni-assist.
FU/HU: The application for the winter semester 2024/25 is possible from June 1 to July 15, 2024 via uni-assist.
Applicants with refugee status also have the opportunity to apply for the FU Berlin's Welcome Program, so that if they are not admitted to the Studienkolleg, they have the chance to participate.
Costs
There is no charge for taking the entrance test, classes, or the assessment test.
Since you are enrolled as a participant in a preparatory course, you pay the semester fee in the same way as students.
Why does a Studienkolleg require a lower level of German?
At the end of their studies at the Studienkolleg, all students take the FSP - Feststellungsprüfung, which, if passed, is your university entrance qualification. These exams are free of charge for students at the Studienkolleg. Exactly which FSPs you write depends on your course of study. One exam is compulsory for everyone, namely the written exam in German (unless you already have a C1 certificate). If you have passed the FSP in German, this corresponds to the C1 level.
Studienkolleg vs. direct admission to the university
The Studienkolleg gives you time to adjust to Germany and the educational system and also time to think if you have not yet decided on your desired field of study. In addition, you can make friends there. The biggest advantage of a Studienkolleg, however, is the lower level of German required: for a university you need a C1-C2 level, for a Studienkolleg - B1-B2 (more rarely: C1).
Another advantage of the Studienkolleg is that universities often reserve study places for students of their Studienkolleg. For example, if you studied at a Studienkolleg at the Technical University of Berlin, a certain number of places are reserved for graduates of the T-course for admission to the technical fields of study at the same university.
Further Information
Further information on the Studienkolleg can be found here.
If your research on uni-assist and/or anabin and the counseling at the university of your choice has shown that you can apply directly to the university without first attending a preparatory course, you can now start preparing your application.
Which documents are important for your application depends on the country in which you obtained your degrees. Therefore, be sure to read the special country information provided by uni-assist.
As a rule, you will need
- your school leaving certificate
- If you have already studied in another country, you will need proof of your previous studies and the grading system of your previous university.
- a language certificate
- a copy of your passport
- If required by the university, possibly a letter of motivation, a letter of recommendation, a curriculum vitae, photo or similar documents
You can find more information about the required documents at uni-assist and on the website of your university of choice.
Please inform yourself before applying if you need to have your documents translated or certified. You can find all information here.
If you are missing school and/or university certificates that are necessary for the application due to your flight, you can provide information about your educational background on a self-disclosure form. This will be sent to you by Uni-Assist after your application.
Not every foreign degree entitles you to take up further studies in Germany. Before you apply, be sure to ask the student advisor at the university of your choice whether your bachelor's degree is recognized there, whether you have to take an assessment test for your desired degree program, or whether there are any other special requirements for your application.
Which documents are important for your application depends on the country in which you obtained your degree. Therefore, be sure to read the special country information provided by uni-assist.
Which documents are usually required for the application to a Master's program?
- Proof of your previous studies: the degree certificate and the overview of subjects and grades.
- Grading system of your university
- School leaving certificate and, if applicable, university entrance exam
- Language certificate
- Copy of your passport
- other documents, if required by your university (a letter of motivation, letter of recommendation, curriculum vitae, photo, certificate of enrolment or certificate of removal from the register of students, or similar)
You can find more information about the required documents at uni-assist and on the website of your university of choice.
Please inform yourself before applying if you need to have your documents translated or certified. You can find all information here.
If you are missing school and/or university certificates that are necessary for the application due to your flight, you can provide information about your educational background on a self-disclosure form. This will be sent to you by uni-assist after your application.
A) I have just finished the 11th grade of school (also without a school-leaving certificate).
Since 2019, in Ukraine, after 11th grade and passing the exam, you get the school-leaving certificate "Svidoctvo pro zdobuttja povnoji zahal'noji serednoji osvity. ", the Abitur. Since the general higher education entrance qualification in Germany is only achieved after completing the 12th or 13th school year, you must make up for a "gap year", i.e. study at least one year at a Ukrainian higher education institution or attend a preparatory course in Germany, in order to apply to a German higher education institution.
Please note: If you completed grade 11 this year but were unable to graduate (= you completed the 11th school year without a final exam), you can still apply to a German educational institution according to the decision of the Conference of Ministers of Education (KMK). With a degree after the 11th grade you can apply directly to a Studienkolleg (preparatory course) at a German university.
B) I will take my Abitur in Germany
If you have a German school leaving certificate, the admission procedure for you is the same as for German applicants.
C) I have finished the 9th grade of school and continued my education at college.
In this case, there are four possible degrees:
1. Диплом молодшого бакалавра (diploma of a junior bachelors).
With this diploma you can apply to all higher education institutions for the previous field of study and related subjects.
2. Диплом молодшого спеціаліста (diploma of a junior specialist, specialised secondary school).
3. Диплом фахового молодшого бакалавра (diploma of a junior specialist bachelor).
4. Диплом кваліфікованого робітника (diploma of a skilled worker, Intermediate Vocational-Technical Teaching College).
Degrees 2, 3 and 4 are neither bachelor's nor school degrees, but are more comparable to completed dual training in an apprenticeship.
With the degrees Диплом молодшого спеціаліста, Диплом фахового бакалавра, Диплом кваліфікованого робітника you cannot apply directly to a university. You have to study for 1 year at a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution in order to apply to the Studienkolleg, or study for 2 years at a recognised Ukrainian higher education institution in order to gain direct access to a German higher education institution. It is best to contact the university where you would like to study in order to clarify all application requirements.
You can find out whether your Ukrainian university is recognised at anabin.
You can find out here how the search at Anabin works.
If you have passed ZNO and have a school-leaving certificate (Свідоцтво про здобуття повної загальної середньої освіти or Атестат про повну загальну середню освіту), you can apply as if you had completed 11 grades.
Alternatively, you can also find out whether you are already sufficiently qualified with these degrees for a profession in Germany in which you can work here.
D) I have completed a Bachelor's degree and would like to enrol for a Master's degree.
Not every Ukrainian degree automatically entitles the holder to take up further studies in Germany. Please contact the university you would like to study at with your question about admission in order to receive an accurate assessment of your degree.
Further information on the recognition of university degrees and on planning your studies in Germany can be found here.
E) I am studying at a Ukrainian university and would like to transfer to a German educational institution
In the section "Direct University Admission" you will find information on university admission to a German university if you are already studying in Ukraine. Please note: Due to differences in academic teaching, it is possible that you will "lose" one or two years of study in Ukraine and have to enroll in a lower semester in Germany. However, if normal period of a Bachelor program in Ukraine is 4 years, in Germany it’s only 3.
F) I am a researcher and am interested in opportunities to do academic work in Germany.
Numerous universities, research institutions and research-based companies in the country offer opportunities for refugee doctoral candidates to take up or continue doctoral projects and research projects in Germany. If candidates are usually enrolled at a university, researchers and scientists are hired by the educational institution.
The DAAD website contains the most important information and many offers for refugee researchers.