How to Get Into a University in Germany as an International Student

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Germany has no national entrance exam for international students. Instead, the question is whether your school-leaving certificate is treated as equal to the German Abitur. If it is, you apply like a German student. If it is not, there is a preparatory year. This guide explains both paths.

Step 1. Check whether your certificate gives direct access

German universities call this the higher education entrance qualification. For every country there is a published rule: some certificates give direct access to any subject, some only to certain subject areas, and some require one or two years of university study at home or a preparatory course first. The official database of these rules is anabin, run by the education ministers of the German states. The DAAD has a simpler admission checker in English.

Step 2. If there is no direct access: Studienkolleg

A Studienkolleg is a one-year preparatory course attached to a university. You choose a track that matches your future subject (technical, medical, economic, humanities), and you finish with an exam called the Feststellungsprüfung. Passing it gives you access to that subject area. Places at a Studienkolleg are limited and have their own entrance test, usually in German and maths.

Step 3. Open admission or numerus clausus

Programmes fall into two groups:

Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy are allocated nationally through hochschulstart.de. They are the hardest programmes to enter in the country.

Step 4. Apply: directly or through uni-assist

Many universities do not check foreign certificates themselves. They ask you to send the documents to uni-assist, a service that verifies them and converts your grades to the German scale. Other universities take applications directly. The university's own page for international applicants always says which one applies, and the deadline for the winter semester is in summer.

Language

German-taught programmes require German at DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 level, which corresponds to an advanced, university-ready command of the language. That takes most learners well over a year of serious study, so start early. Our catalogue also lists 114 undergraduate programmes taught in English; they are a minority at bachelor's level.

What it costs

Public universities charge no tuition for a first degree in most of the country. The details and the exceptions are in how much it costs to study in Germany.

Where to look next

Browse all 4,435 programmes in Germany by city and field.

Official sources

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.