Preparing for Your Studies

The Studienkolleg courses are aimed at international applicants who would like to study at our university but do not yet fulfil all the formal admission requirements.

To study in Germany, you need a higher education entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, HZB). Please use the anabin database or DAAD database on admission requirements to check whether your degree entitles you to study at our university. There are the following possibilities:

• Direct HZB
  • Your educational qualification meets the admission requirements for studying at a German university or university of applied sciences. You can apply directly for an undergraduate course (bachelor’s, Diplom and State Examination programmes).
  • You do not have to attend a Studienkolleg (preparatory course) beforehand.
  • Applicants whose knowledge of German is not sufficient can take a paid preparatory German course (DSH course) at the Studienkolleg Sachsen.
• Indirect HZB
  • You will need to pass an assessment test known as the Feststellungsprüfung (FSP) before commencing your studies.
  • You can take this assessment test either externally or after completing a preparatory course at the Studienkolleg.
  • The Studienkolleg course usually lasts two semesters and ends with the FSP.
  • If you pass the FSP, you will fulfil the formal requirements for studying at a German university or university of applied sciences.

Participation in the Studienkolleg courses is subject to various admission requirements:

1. Higher education entrance qualification (HZB)

• foreign educational qualification indirectly recognised in Germany (‘indirect HZB’)
• conditional admission to study at our university to take the assessment test (FSP) at the Studienkolleg Sachsen

2. Language certificates

• German certificate at level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
• We accept the following language certificates:
  • “Zertifikat Deutsch” (ZD)
  • “Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache” (ZDaF)
  • “Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache”, level 3 (TDN 3)
  • “Europäisches Sprachenzertifikat”
  • “Goethe-Zertifikat B1”
  • The European Language Certificates (telc) Deutsch B1
  • intensive language courses for beginners (levels A1 to B1) offered by interDaF e. V. at our university’s Herder Institute
  • certificate of attendance for 500 hours of German lessons (issued by a language institute)

If you do not yet have the necessary language skills, you can, for example, improve your skills in advance by taking a paid language course at interDaF e. V. at Leipzig University’s Herder Institute.

3. Entrance test
In order to participate in any course at the Studienkolleg you must first pass an entrance test. The entrance test usually takes place in the first two weeks of March (for the summer semester) and September (for the winter semester) at the Studienkolleg. You will be told the exact date when receiving your notification of admission to the Studienkolleg.

Applications for the Studienkolleg must be submitted via the uni-assist service.
Before applying at the Studienkolleg, please check whether you fulfil the formal requirements for participating in a course there.

Please note:

Online application via uni-assist:

The application via uni-assist is an online application. Therefore, please upload the necessary appliation documents electronically using uni-assist’s MyAssist portal.
Please observe the relevant application deadline. Please do not send certified documents or originals by post to uni-assist.
You can find instructions on how to apply via uni-assist in the download area.

Application periods

Please be sure to apply during the correct period. Otherwise we will be unable to process your Studienkolleg application.

• Application period for the winter semester: beginning of April–15 June 
• Application period for the summer semester: beginning of November–15 December

How to apply: step by step

• In the uni-assist application portal, it is not possible to select “Studienkolleg” as your preferred course of studies. Instead, please select the degree programme you would like to study after the Studienkolleg (e.g. History, Bachelor of Arts) and complete the application form.
• When filling in the form, you will be asked whether you would like to attend the Studienkolleg before commencing your studies. If you select “yes” at this point, then your application will be processed for the Studienkolleg – provided you fulfil the necessary requirements.
• When filling in the form, you will also be asked whether you want to take the external assessment test (Feststellungsprüfung, FSP). If you would like to take this assessment test without completing a preparatory course at the Studienkolleg beforehand, please select “yes”. Your application will then be processed for the external FSP.

Tip: Our Studienkolleg Sachsen Checklist contains all the required documents at a glance.

What are my chances of getting a place at the Studienkolleg?

• If there are more applicants than places:
  The number of applicants has risen sharply in recent years. Since the high demand exceeds the number of available places, we are forced to make a preselection when admitting applicants to the entrance test. Only some applicants will be invited to the entrance test at the Studienkolleg. The results of the admission test then decide who receives a place at the Studienkolleg. Applicants do not have a legal claim to a place at the Studienkolleg.
• How many places are there?
  There are usually 20 available places in each of the specialist courses S, G, M, T and W. The available places are overbooked by up to 200 per cent per specialist course. Approximately 60 places can be allocated in the entrance test. The courses are overbooked because not all applicants who are admitted actually attend the entrance test and some do not pass it. The overbooking rate stated here is based on empirical values from previous semesters and will be adjusted if acceptance patterns change in future. Due to the overbooking of the courses, there is no waiting list for admission to the admission test. If applicants do not attend the entrance test, the places will not be reallocated. Cancellations are already factored into the overbooking rate.

Selection criteria

The selection criteria for your application are the grade of your higher entrance qualification and your nationality:

1. Grade of your higher education entrance qualification (HZB): Generally speaking, the better your HZB grade is compared to other applicants’ grades, the more likely it is that you will receive an invitation to the entrance test.

2. Nationality: For each of the specialist courses offered, it is possible to admit up to three applicants per country and up to six applicants for large countries. A country is considered large if its population is at least as large as that of Germany (83 million).

If you correctly followed all the steps when applying but have still not been invited to the entrance test, you have the following options:

1. Reapply
You are welcome to apply again for the next semester via uni-assist. Please note the information for returning applicants on the uni-assist website.

2. Complete years of study in your home country
You probably applied for the Studienkolleg Sachsen because you do not have a ‘direct’ higher education entrance qualification (HZB) for your desired degree programme in Germany. By taking the assessment test (FSP) as part of the Studienkolleg Sachsen, it is possible to acquire this higher education entrance qualification.
Instead of taking the FSP, it is possible for applicants from some countries to demonstrate that they have been studying and earning credits in their home country. If you can prove that you have successfully completed a certain number of semesters at a recognised university in your home country, then it may be possible to have this converted into a ‘direct’ (subject-related) higher education entrance qualification in Germany. You will then need a to attend the Studienkolleg Sachsen or take the FSP, but can instead apply directly for your chosen degree programme.

You can check the anabin database to find out whether this possibility exists for your country and your degree programme. It lists the corresponding arrangements for each country.

3. External FSP
It is also possible to take the assessment test without attending a preparatory courses at the Studienkolleg Sachsen beforehand (this is referred to in German as an externe Feststellungsprüfung). To do this, your proficiency in German must already be at B2 level. Unlike attending the Studienkolleg Sachsen, in this case you prepare independently for the FSP. Independent preparation is of course more demanding and can only be recommended in exceptional cases. Information about the external FSP is available on the website of the Studienkolleg Sachsen.

4. Private Studienkolleg
In recent years, more and more private Studienkollegs have been set up. Whereas the state-run Studienkollegs are usually free of charge (apart from the semester fee), most of these private Studienkollegs charge fees. If you do opt for a private Studienkolleg, please make sure that it offers a qualification recognised by the state.

Were you admitted to the entrance test for the last semester but unable to attend (e.g. because you were still awaiting your visa)?

Did you already take the entrance test once but failed it, or were you not offered a place at the Studienkolleg despite having passed the test?

In these cases, you can take the entrance test again in the following semester. If you wish to do this, please email the International Centre to request that your admission be renewed. The relevant contact details can be found on your letter of admission. Please be sure to contact us during the Studienkolleg application period. Admission can only be renewed once and only for the same specialist course; otherwise you must apply again via uni-assist.

• Application period for the winter semester: beginning of April–15 June
• Application period for the summer semester: beginning of November–15 December

Every year, the PANDA programme offers an average of 80 to 100 Chinese students professional, tailored support throughout the entire study preparation process. Some 1800 Chinese participants have successfully completed the programme since 1999.

The services of the PANDA programme include:

• Language training at the highest level
  • Learn German fast and intensively: you study in Germany with German language teachers up to level C1 (DSH or testDaF).
  • Since language training in Leipzig begins six times a year, a flexible entry into the programme is possible.
• Comprehensive services – from airport transfers to student halls of residence
  • Throughout your language training and your visit to the Studienkolleg, the contact persons at the respective universities will be available to answer any questions you may have about language learning, application, studying and changing subjects.
• Access to comprehensive study programmes at participating universities (provided all admission requirements are met)
  • After successfully completing the PANDA programme, you can apply for a normal place at university just like all other international applicants.
  • By participating in the PANDA programme, you will not only learn the German language, but also get to know the country and its culture before commencing your studies.

If you would like to participate in the PANDA programme, please do the following:

• Choose your preferred course of study at one of our universities. Please also state your second choice.
  • Leipzig University
  • TU Bergakademie Freiberg
• Let us know how good your German is.
• Tell us when you would like to come to Germany.
• Give us your written application to study. This will save you having to apply via uni-assist.
• Take part in the APS group procedure (run twice a year) or let us register you for an individual interview.

More information is available on the PANDA programme website.

Our contact persons in Germany and China will of course be happy to answer any questions you may have about the PANDA programme.

You can also read about two students’ experiences of the PANDA programme: the Chinese master’s students Weiwei Gao and Ran Liu explain how PANDA helped them prepare for studying in Germany.