Studienkolleg: the preparatory year

1. Who needs a Studienkolleg

German universities admit on the basis of a higher education entrance qualification. Where a foreign school certificate is assessed as equivalent, you apply directly to a degree. Where it is not, a Studienkolleg is the bridge.

Whether yours is equivalent depends on the certificate itself, the school system it came from, the year it was issued, and sometimes your subject combination and grades. It is not determined by your nationality, and there is no country-level rule that is safe to rely on.

2. The course streams

A Studienkolleg is not a general year of study. You choose a stream, and the stream determines which degree subjects you can then apply for. Choosing the wrong one means preparing for the wrong degree, and there is no easy correction partway through.

3. The Feststellungsprüfung

The course ends in an assessment examination, the Feststellungsprüfung or FSP. Passing it gives you a subject-restricted entrance qualification, valid across Germany, for the subject group of your stream.

The grade you achieve becomes your entrance grade. That matters for restricted subjects, where admission is decided on grade: a bare pass in the FSP leaves you competing badly for a numerus clausus place, so the grade is worth taking seriously rather than treating the year as a formality.

It is possible in some states to sit the FSP as an external candidate without attending a Studienkolleg. The pass rate for external candidates is considerably lower, and it is not a shortcut we would suggest planning around.

4. German level and the entrance test

Teaching is entirely in German, including mathematics and the sciences. Most Studienkollegs expect around B1 as a floor and are more comfortable at B2, and many set their own entrance examination covering German and, for the technical streams, mathematics.

The year does a specific and valuable job: it teaches you the subject vocabulary in German. Knowing the German words for derivative, titration or amortisation is what makes the first semester of a German-taught degree survivable, and it is exactly what a language course alone does not give you.

• German at roughly B1 to B2 for admission, depending on the college
• An entrance examination at most colleges, in German and often mathematics
• Some colleges run a preparatory German course before the Studienkolleg proper
• The FSP itself is at a level comparable to the German Abitur in the stream subjects

5. Costs, and how to apply

Public Studienkollegs are attached to universities and generally charge no tuition, only the semester contribution. Private ones charge fees that can run into thousands per semester, and should be checked carefully: verify that the FSP they offer is state-recognised before paying anything.

Applications go through uni-assist for many colleges and directly to others. Because places are limited and the technical streams are competitive, apply to several.

1. 1

   Confirm you actually need one

   Check anabin and, if there is any doubt, pay for a uni-assist assessment. Doing a Studienkolleg you did not need costs a year.

   anabin — database of foreign qualifications (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Choose your stream

   Work backwards from the degree you intend to study. The stream restricts what you can apply for afterwards.

3. 3

   Find colleges offering that stream

   Not every Studienkolleg runs every stream, and provision varies by federal state.

   Directory of Studienkollegs (opens in a new tab)
4. 4

   Apply, usually through uni-assist

   Deadlines are typically earlier than degree deadlines. Apply to several colleges, since places are limited.

   Studienkolleg preparatory course (opens in a new tab)
5. 5

   Sit the entrance examination

   Usually German and mathematics. Some colleges hold it in Germany only, which affects your visa timing.

6. 6

   Then apply for your degree

   With the FSP passed, you apply as a candidate holding a German entrance qualification, using your FSP grade.