International students desiring to learn in top institutes in Germany may realise that the
universities may not acknowledge their education certificate in German colleges. The reason
is that the German education bachelor’s program accepts students who have completed 13
years of schooling. In India, we can pursue a bachelor’s with 12 years of school.
How can you become a student of a German university?
One way for students in India to get admission is learning a year of undergraduate and then
applying to a college in Germany. But every university may not accept this. Some
universities assess the students for specific skills before they join the college. One of the
major skills is language skills. The students who want to study in a German university may
need to learn German for specific courses as they may only teach in the German language.
The students need to prove their language skills through a German proficiency test. One
organiser of such a test is the ECL organisation.
Although not all courses need students to learn German, most require students to have a
specific level of proficiency in the language. Only a few courses are offered in English.
One can take a German language proficiency test like ECL that can serve as proof of your
proficiency in the language. There are 4 levels of proficiency in ECL, A2, B1, B2, and C1. A2
is an elementary level of proficiency, B1 is intermediate, B2 is upper-intermediate and C1 is
advanced proficiency. There are also other requirements that one must meet to study in
Studienkolleg.
One way to meet the requirements is by taking the preparatory course of Studienkolleg.
Studienkolleg is an institution that provides students with all the essential skills a student
needs to join a university in Germany.
To attend a German university, one needs to pass the final exam called Feststellungsprüfung
or FSP, for which Studienkolleg helps the students prepare.
You may now know what Studienkolleg is. So, what are the requirements of Studienkolleg?
To attend Studienkolleg, you need to complete at least 12 years of study in India.
You also require a minimum German proficiency of A1 or A2 level.
How to apply for a Studienkolleg?
Before applying, one should know about the types of Studienkolleg.
The type of your Studienkolleg program will decide what course you can pursue.
There are two types of Studienkolleg one can choose from; University and Applied Science.
Before applying for a course, you need to understand how these two differ.
When one passes the exam for a “University” Studienkolleg, they are eligible to pick any
university offering the course for their further studies.
While for students who choose for “Applied Science” Studienkolleg, they can not choose to
study in a “University” after passing the entrance exam.
Once you decide what type of university you want to study in, you can apply for an entrance
test for Studienkolleg. This test helps evaluate your skills and know whether you have the
needed language proficiency and knowledge for the course you want to pursue.
After understanding the types of Studienkolleg and the test you need to pass for a
Studienkolleg, you will now know how to apply for it.
You can apply for a Studienkolleg in two ways.
The best is to apply directly through the college you want to pursue your degree. This is the
simplest way and the college also helps the student with the application.
The second way is to apply via uni-assist. Some Studienkolleg does not offer direct
applications, so the students need to consider uni-assist.
Applying for Studienkolleg
If you have done 13 years of studies in India and have a minimum of A2 level proficiency in
German, you may skip Studienkolleg for some courses. You need to check if Studienkolleg is
compulsory to join the college.
Enquire about the admission details at the university you want to apply to. It is wise to
enquire about multiple universities which offer the course you want to pursue. Each
university may have a different requirement, so you need to enquire about multiple
universities to know which university is best compatible with you.
If the Studienkolleg is not available to apply directly, you will need to apply via uni-assist
You will also need a German language proficiency certificate to show that you at least have a
minimum level of proficiency to study in Studienkolleg. Such a certificate is obtained by
testing your German language skills. As mentioned above, ECL is one such German
language exam conducting organisation.
ELC proficiency certificate is accepted as proof of proficiency in the German language by
German authorities and universities. These exams are conducted every 2 months.
Once you have applied, you need to prepare for your entrance exam.
Usually, you will need to visit Germany for the exam, so you will need to apply for a visa.
Once you pass, you will study for a course for 1 year and then you will need to write the
Feststellungsprüfung (FSP) exam to enter a university.
Studienkolleg is a course designed for international students to get used to the learning style
of German universities. It allows them to understand the education manner, activities they
need to perform in the classroom, and participation in other activities. Even if one finds
Studienkolleg is difficult, it is necessary, so they get used to studying in German colleges.