Studienkolleg Heidelberg — Heidelberg
The "Internationales Studienzentrum" is part of the University of Heidelberg. Its aim is to prepare students for studying at post-high school level by teaching them German and the specific knowledge required.
Facts about the college
| Type | State |
|---|---|
| At which university | Heidelberg University |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Duration | 2 semesters |
| Courses | T-Kurs · M-Kurs · W-Kurs · G-Kurs · S-Kurs |
| Entrance exam | German B2 |
| How the FSP is taken | At the college, by its own board |
| Application method | Via partner universities, for your future programme of study |
| Cost and fees | Tuition is free — only the semester contribution |
| Nearest intake | Summer semester 2027 · apply by 15.01.2027 · entrance exam ~07.04 |
Data from the college's official pages
* Exam dates are approximate — based on the previous intake.
About the college
The "Internationales Studienzentrum" ...
- offers basic and advanced courses on German language and culture,
- offers the Obligatory Proficiency Examination (DSH) and courses that prepare students for this test,
- provides relevant information about studying at Heidelberg or other German universities,
- familiarizes students with German history and culture and informs them about the political and economic structures of Germany,
- provides contacts with German and foreign students through cultural activities.
Participants in the courses of the ISZ are registered as students of Heidelberg University.
The "Internationales Studienzentrum" offers special courses in cooperation with the International Relations Division of Heidelberg University, the German Academic Exchange Service, the Ministry of the Sciences, Research and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg and foreign universities.
Courses of the college
The course is chosen for your future field of study: it cannot be changed after enrolment.
Exams
* Exam dates are approximate — based on the previous intake.
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Part I: Grammar (grammatical structures, 45 min)
The grammar tasks are typically arranged in levels of ascending difficulty: basic level (A1, A2) → intermediate level (B1, B2) → advanced level (C1). You may be asked to fill in missing word parts or sentence elements, do transformation tasks, and syntax exercises
Part II: Either Listening Comprehension (30 min for completing the tasks, not including listening time) or Writing (guided written expression, 45 min)
The second part of the exam will be either (A) a listening comprehension or (B) a writing test. You cannot choose between the two variants.
Variant A: Listening Comprehension
A non-fictional text comprising approximately 30 lines which does not require subject-specific background knowledge will be read aloud twice while students may take notes. The individual tasks will require you to answer questions on the text and/or give an account of the most important facts.
Variant B: Writing
You will be asked to express yourself coherently and independently about a given topic by way of description, comparison, or comment. The task may be based on an illustration or a graph.
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Are you planning to study in Germany, but your foreign university entrance qualification (e.g. high school diploma) is not recognized as equivalent to the German university entrance qualification (e.g. "Abitur") required to enter the degree programme of your choice? If so, you must first pass the Assessment Examination ("Feststellungsprüfung"/"FSP") - short for Examination to Assess the Aptitude of Foreign Applicants for Acceptance to Institutions of Higher Education in the Federal Republic of Germany (Prüfung zur Feststellung der Eignung ausländischer Studienbewerber für die Aufnahme eines Studiums an Hochschulen in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) - before starting your programme. This exam is typically preceded by a core course at the Studienkolleg.
The Studienkolleg offers you optimal preparation for the Assessment Examination and your desired university studies. It usually takes two semesters.
The subject of the examination are the compulsory subjects for the study of German, humanities, artistic (both alternatively S-course) and related courses (focus course G): - German - history German literature or social studies / geography (subject connection).
Linked universities
Universities the college works with. At a home university the college is part of the university or admits its applicants.
How to apply
- 1Check that you need a StudienkollegYour certificate's status in the recognition database decides — direct admission may be possible after one or two years at a university at home.
- 2German B2Confirmed by a certificate at the time of application.
- 3Apply via a universityYou apply to a bachelor's programme of a linked university; the university admits you conditionally and sends you to the college.
- 4Entrance examGerman and the main subject of the course; places go to the best results.
The application goes to a partner university of the college, for the bachelor's programme you want to study later; the university sends it on to the college.
Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
- ✓We check the certificate and the translations
- ✓We fill in and submit the application
- ✓We keep track of the deadline and the invitation to the entrance exam
Each additional college: €197
To apply with us, order at least 2 weeks before the application deadline — for the nearest intake by 01.01.2027. What matters is the order itself — documents can follow later: these two weeks are exactly the time for checking and preparing them. The earlier you order, even if something is still missing, the calmer and more reliably we prepare everything together for the strongest application.
Apply with our help · €297StudyInFocus does not represent the college and does not influence the admission decision.
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