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Preparatory course (Studienkolleg)
If you do not hold a secondary school diploma that permits you to directly start your studies 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.
On uni-assist or anabin you can check if you have to visit a preparatory course (Studienkolleg).
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, linguistics, language-related and artistic fields
No preparatory courses are held at Osnabrück University. As with all applicants to universities in Lower Saxony, Osnabrück applicants for the Studienkolleg courses must attend the Niedersächsische Studienkolleg in Hannover.
Requirements
As a prerequisite for admission to the Studienkolleg, you need a good knowledge of German at B1 level.
We recognize these certificates as proof of German language skills:
Onset, TestDaF, DSH, DSD I, DSD II, Telc, Telc Hochschule, Goethe-Zertifikate, ÖSD, Unicert, IB-Deutsch
Please note that the language certificate must not be older than two years at the time of application and we cannot recognize certificated from private institutions.
If you are not sure whether your language certificate is recognized, please contact us at studentsoffice@uni-osnabrueck.de
Note on German language skills
We recommend that you apply with at least a B2 certificate. In recent years it has in fact rarely been possible to obtain a place with a B1 certificate.
Admissions test
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
Assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung)
After two semesters of instruction at the Studienkolleg, 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.
Further preparatory course
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.
Studienkollegs throughout Germany
There are further Studienkollegs in Germany. You can find a list of state-recognized Studienkollegs here. We recommend that you use this list as a guide when choosing a Studienkolleg.
