Complete Guide For Studying Bachelors In Germany

Studienkolleg is a two-semester course before starting your Bachelor’s studies in Germany in June. There are many different ways to start a bachelor’s education in Germany with Studienkolleg being one of them and the best and most efficient way to do so.

Types Of Courses In Studienkolleg

Depending on what kind of Bachelor’s course you are choosing, you have to go for different types of Studienkolleg. There are five different types of courses in Studienkolleg, and they are:

• T-Kurs (Engineering and Mathematics)
• M-Kurs (Medicine and Biology)
• G-Kurs (Literature and Humanities)
• W-Kurs (Economics)
• S-Kurs (Language related courses)

Admission Requirements For Studienkolleg

Original as well as translated copies (by a certified translator) for all the specified documents are required.

• 12th Grade Certificate
• Language proficiency (German Goethe B1/ B2 or equivalent)
• Curriculum Vitae
• Previous school-leaving certificate

How To Find Studienkolleg?

To find a Studienkolleg, you can visit www.studienkollegs.de . The website has almost all the essential information regarding the student doing the different types of it, the expected cost in each Studienkolleg and the list of all the major public Studienkollegs. The website also has a classification of whether the Studienkolleg is a University Studienkolleg or a Fachhochschule Studienkolleg and has associated links. So it is highly recommended that students have a good look at this website. 

Types Of Studienkollegs

There are two different types of Studienkollegs:

Universitat Studienkolleg: If you do your Studienkolleg from the Universitat Studienkolleg, you can get into both a Technische Universitat (TU) or Fachhochschule (FH) for your bachelor studies. 

Fachhochschule Studienkolleg: If you do your Studienkolleg from the Fachhochschule Studienkolleg, it means that you can only get into Fachhochschule (FH) for your bachelor studies and not in Technische Universitat (TU). 

Now, there is also another primary classification of Studienkollegs, which is Public Studienkollegs and Private Studienkollegs. The majority of the Studienkollegs in Germany are public. However, private Studienkollegs are also increasing in number day by day.  Private Studienkollegs offers you the advantage of getting into them more relaxed. The German requirements for them are also very less. But you have to pay a pretty hefty fee ranging from 3000 Euros to even 8000 or 9000 Euros. In contrast, public Studienkollegs are almost free. You only have to pay a semester contribution that varied from 150 to 400 Euros. Public Studienkolleg has many other advantages too. The certificate provided by the public Studienkolleg is more widely recognized and the quality of education in public Studienkolleg. Therefore, it is always advisable to apply for public Studienkollegs as a first preference. 

Also read:

• How to pursue Bachelors in Germany
• Study Bachelors Engineering in Germany

How To Apply For Studienkolleg

You can not directly apply for the Studienkolleg. Instead, you have to apply for a preferred course in a preferred university through www.uni-assist.de or the university portal. The university will then go through your qualifications and decide that you need to do two-semester of Studienkolleg. There will be something called the Conditional Admission, which is very important. Sometimes, this conditional admission may also contain the invitation of your Aufnahmeprüfung. In case you did not get the invitation, you have to contact the Studienkolleg yourself and talk to them about the Aufnahmeprüfung.

Aufnahmeprüfun

Aufnahmeprüfung is the exam you write to get into the Studienkolleg. After you get your conditional admission and your invitation to Aufnahmeprüfung, you have to apply for a visa. In this case, where students are writing for the Aufnahmeprüfung, it is the national visa. The requirements for the documents for this visa can be found in the respective websites. 

The Aufnahmeprüfun mainly consists of two subjects, which are Deutsch and Mathematics ( for T-kurs, M-Kurs and W-kurs). 

• Deutsch: As far as the Deutsch is concerned, the minimum qualification is Goethe B2. However, the recommended sweet spot will be Goethe C1 or TestDAF, because, at this level, you have a considerable advantage over other students. The main reason for that is because Aufnahmeprüfun has become more and more competitive over the years. Many students are waiting for a semester; others study German in Germany, so their German tends to be better. 

• Mathematics: As far as Mathematics is concerned, it is recommended to go through the CBSE Class 10th to 12th Mathematics. However, this varies from Studienkolleg to Studienkolleg but is recommended in general because it provides an overview. Almost all Studienkolleg have their sample papers in their respective websites and a list of topics that might come, so it is highly recommended for you to check the same. 

About 700 to 1100 students write Aufnahmeprüfun in the same Studienkolleg, and the number of seats available will be varying from 150 to 300. All these seats are not available for eight semesters, because there will be some reservations, some students repeating semesters. So it is very much impossible to know the number of seats available beforehand. So, in these places, it is very much vital that you give your best. 

Moreover, it is advisable that you apply for more than two Studienkolleg and do not just depend on one Studienkolleg and plan these things much earlier, i.e., 6 or 7 months earlier, so that you do not miss any detail at the last moment. Also, make sure that you have your visa processing done on time because these Aufnahmeprüfun are sometimes often spread across months, so you have to stay in Germany according to that.

Feststellungsprüfung

Feststellungsprüfung is the exam that you write at the end of two semesters of your Studienkolleg after which you receive an FSP certificate, which is very crucial for your bachelor admission. To apply to universities, you will require this FSP certificate and the conditional admission and your 12th-grade certificate (or, in some cases, your VPD).

The universities take 50% of the FSP and 50% of the 12th-grade scores to assess your admission. However, in many cases, a higher weightage is given to the FSP Grade. 

Student Loan Process

First, you need to explain the bank manager about the entire studies. This is the most tricky part because you have to explain the conditional admissions, the Aufnahmeprüfun, and the fact that only after writing the Aufnahmeprüfun you are going to get selected in the Studienkolleg. Often, bank managers can take a while to understand this process because it is entirely new to them, and not many students pursue this approach. But it all comes down to the way you’re explaining. 

You also have to provide documents concerning the proof of financial resources along with the split of amounts allocated for food groceries, etc. Apart from these, the documents regarding conditional admission and invitation for Aufnahmeprüfun (both original and translated ones) also need to be submitted. The entire processing time for student loans can vary from several weeks to months.

Time Frame 

As a student, it would be best if you did a lot of processes before getting into Studienkolleg. First, you have to learn German up to Goethe B2 or C1. Then you have to find and shortlist the Studienkolleg universities and contact them for any doubts you have. Then you have to do the visa process, and in some cases (as per personal situation), you also have to go through the student loan process. So you have to do a lot of things in a very tight time frame. For the students willing to apply for the Studienkolleg right after their 12th, the time frame available is less than four months. 

However, it is pretty much possible without the help of consultancies with just patience and research, as everything is available online. For any further queries regarding this topic, you can comment on the comment box below, and we will be glad to resolve it.