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Preparatory course (Studienkolleg)

If you do not hold a secondary school diploma that permits you to study in Germany, you can take a preparatory course (Studienkolleg) to qualify for admission to university. After a year of instruction, you can take an assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung). If you pass this test, you may be allowed to study certain subjects anywhere in Germany.

Types of courses

There are different types of preparatory courses, which will prepare you for one of five different fields. Your previous education and your choice of subject will determine which course you take:

• “T” courses for technical, mathematical and natural science fields (except biology)
• “M” courses for medical and biological fields
• “W” courses for business, law and sociological fields
• “G” courses for humanities, social sciences and artistic fields

No preparatory courses are held at Osnabrück University. As with all applicants to universities in Lower Saxony, Osnabrück applicants for W, M and T courses must attend the Niedersächsische Studienkolleg in Hannover. Applicants for G and S courses will go to the Studienkolleg in Halle/Saxony-Anhalt. We regret that Osnabrück University cannot send you to a Studienkolleg where German language courses are also offered.

Applying for a preparatory course

Applicants do not apply directly to the Studienkolleg, but via their application at their chosen university. Please complete the admissions application (Antrag auf Zulassung zum Studium) with your chosen subject and university, and send your application to uni-assist. You will find the application form and information about the documents to be sent with your application in our download area for international students. If your secondary school diploma is not considered to be equivalent to the German Abitur (secondary school diploma), you cannot be admitted to the university immediately. You will only be admitted only if you pass a preparatory course at the Studienkolleg.

Requirements

To be admitted to the preparatory course, you will need good German language skills, which must be documented (test results, etc.). Your documents may not be older than around one year.

To take Gcourses, you must have passed the Goethe Institute’s Goethe-Zertifikat B or TestDaF and scored 1 points. As a substitute, we will also accept certification that you have completed over 1200 hours of advanced-level German instruction.

For natural science subjects, including biology (M, W and T courses), we accept the Goethe Institute's Zertifikat B1 graded either “gut”,or a TestDaF with a score of 12 points. As a substitute, we will also accept certification that you have completed over 800 hours of intermediate-level German instruction.

In addition to German language skills, your documents must also demonstrate that you have a good average grade. Osnabrück University requires a minimum grade of 3.0, calculated according to the German grading system. In addition, you must pass the admissions test to be admitted to the preparatory course. This examination consists of a German test and other tests in the various subjects. You will find the test dates and past papers on the following websites:

Niedersächsische Studienkolleg in Hannover

Studienkolleg in Halle/Sachsen-Anhalt

Assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung)

After two semesters of instruction, you will take an assessment test. If you pass, you will be able to apply to all German universities that offer your particular subjects.
To begin a study program, you must again apply to the university of your choice.
Passing the assessment test is the equivalent of passing the DSH examination, so you no longer have to take any German language tests. You can also take the assessment test without taking a preparatory course. However, the success rate is very low, and we strongly advise against it.

There is also a private Studienkolleg in Mettingen in the Osnabrück region. Applications for this Studienkolleg must be sent directly to Mettingen, not to the University.