Studienkollegs – Your License to bachelor programs in Germany

by | Aug 12, 2021 | Uncategorized

Studienkollegs – Your License to bachelor programs in Germany

Studienkollegs is a bridge course or foundation year or preparatory college to meet the criteria of the German University system for the high school education of 13 years.

The international students including students from India have the following options to pursue undergraduate education in Germany

Options Bachelors Courses in
German English Bilingual
1.       Complete one year of Studienkollegs in German Language (foundation course) and pass the state assessment exam – Festellungsprufung (FSP) Yes Yes Yes
2.       Complete one year of Studienkollegs in English Language (foundation course) and pass the internal assessment exam No Yes Yes if B2 Certified
3.       Complete First Year of Bachelors in your country Yes if C1 Certified Yes Yes if B2 Certified
4.       High School Diploma in the US with Additional criteria Yes if C1 Certified Yes Yes if B2 Certified
5.       JEE Mains + JEE Advanced in India Yes if C1 Certified Yes Yes if B2 Certified

 

For students who want to do the bachelors in English need to understand the following limitations

  1. A limited number of English taught courses for the bachelors in Germany
  2. Constraints on finding a good job if the student does not acquire good proficiency in the German language.

This makes the Studienkollegs or preparatory year the BEST option for most of the international students in their quest for higher education studies in Germany.

Types of Studienkollegs

  1. Public Studienkollegs –
    1. This requires students to first apply to the university of their choice. Upon validation of students’ documents universities will recommend appropriate public Studienkollegs for the entrance exam.
    2. The student needs to pass the entrance exam (Aufnahmeprufung) to get admission to public studienkolleg. The exam consists of the German language and a subject relevant as per the chosen course. The number of applicants for public Studienkollegs entrance exams is at least 4 to 10 times higher than the seats available at respective Studienkollegs. This makes it extremely difficult to get admission into public Studienkollegs.
    3. The cost of public Studienkollegs involves the only cost of living (€10, 322) and normally there are no tuition fees.
    4. The students need to have at least a B2 certificate for applying to the public Studienkollegs along with their 12th mark sheets.
    5. Student can appear for state assessment exam Festellungsprufung (FSP) in the same studienkollegs.
  2. Private Studienkollegs
    1. There is no entrance exam for the majority of the private Studienkollegs. Certain private Studienkollegs have their entrance exams.
    2. Students can apply to private Studienkollegs with a B1 level certificate. Few private Studienkollegs take care of teaching A1 to B1 in online mode before the beginning of Studienkollegs.
    3. The fees for private Studienkollegs range from €3000 to €10,000 for a year excluding the cost of living.
    4. Students will be given assistance to appear for the state assessment exam Festellungsprufung (FSP) at the nearby public Studienkollegs.

Courses for Studienkollegs

Student needs to choose from the T (Engineering), W (Economics/Business), M (Medical/Bio/Pharma), G (Humanities), S (Languages) course based on their planned field of study for bachelors. The subjects for the public Studienkollegs entrance exam (Aufnahmeprufung) will depend on the chosen course. German language assessment will be common for entrance for all courses. The final assessment exam Festellungsprufung (FSP) will be based on subjects covered under respective courses.

Key points to keep in Mind

  1. The Studienkollegs or Festellungsprufung (FSP) is only a university entrance certificate. It is not a degree or does not add value to your overall profile. It is only a bridge between your high school and bachelor’s program.
  2. The students appearing for private Studienkollegs can apply to any public university in Germany with Festellungsprufung (FSP) certificate. There could be certain state-specific restrictions.
  3. The private Studienkollegs have a partnership with certain public universities, and they provide the conditional offer letter along with admission to their private Studienkollegs. The conditional offer letter helps during the visa process.

What to expect in Studienkollegs?

  1. Many private Studienkollegs are small setups with 1 to 5 classrooms in a commercial complex. It is like coaching classes infrastructure in India. It can not be called a campus.
  2. Certain public Studienkollegs are inside university campuses, but it is still made up of few classrooms.
  3. Better facilities or higher tuition fees do not guarantee success in the final assessment exam Festellungsprufung (FSP). It is primarily dependent on the quality of faculty and efforts put in by the student.

Studying in a foreign country away from parents after 12th at the age of 18 could be overwhelming for many students. We at the Desi Germans are there to buddy up with your child during his/her preparatory year.

Desi Germans have thorough expertise in Studienkollegs. Please reach out to us at education@desigermans.com for a complimentary session on Studienkollegs.