Although the name may sound like someone messed up the spelling of Student College, Studienkollegs is a prep course in Germany. This course is designed for students willing to study in Germany but do not meet the baseline criteria.
This is a huge relief to the students who are willing but do not have the necessary qualification requirements for their education in Germany. This course, which generally lasts for a year or two academic semesters, is meant to prepare the students for their life in Germany. This is done by providing you with the necessary skills and knowledge for life in Germany as an international student.
At the same time, you need to choose from one of four courses in the Studienkollegs program. Your choice will completely depend on what you want for higher education in Germany. Although you can study in Germany in English, you need to have some knowledge of German Language. Therefore, the German Language is a must.
But, with all this said, How do you apply to Studienkollegs in Germany?
How to Apply for Studienkollegs in Germany?
The Application process for Studienkollegs is simple and similar to the application process of any other course like Bacholers in Germany in German Language or Masters in Germany in English Language.
You will need to find a suitable course, find the requirements and apply for the Studienkollegs, find a university to take the course, get the visa and take the entrance exams. As long as you meet the requirements and have the necessary documents, you are good to go.
Here is a general summary of the application process for Studienkollegs in Germany.
Step 1: Find the appropriate course.
This is the first step you need to follow to apply for any sort of study programs, including Studienkollegs. As we listed before, there are Studienkollegs programs, each with its speciality. Choose one depending on what further course you want to study.
Step 2: Meet the requirements
After knowing what course you want to study in, you should see if you are eligible to take the course. This includes gathering documents and leveling up your skill set should you need to. Since you will need to go to Germany to take Studienkollegs, you naturally need to have some level of language proficiency.
Besides this, there are not many requirements that need to be met. That said, you do need to collect the required documents. They are:
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School Leaving Certificate
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Education Grades
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language Proficiency (at least B1 levels of German Language proficiency)
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Your Curriculum Vitae
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Translated copies of the mentioned documents by a certified translated
Step 3: Apply for the Study programs
If you meet all requirements, you are ready to apply for the Studienkollegs. All you need to do now is submit the application form and the documents to the educational institute. However, there is a small catch here.
You need to apply to the university and cannot directly apply for Studienkollegs courses. The only exception is when you apply for this course in a private Studienkollegs institute. Although most German universities do indeed provide this program, there are a few that don't. Under such cases, you will have no other option but to apply to a private institute.
It will take some time for your application to be reviewed and the acceptance letter to arrive. That there is always a chance for your application to be rejected. But, you can boost your chances through the best German education consultancies like Edu Zeit.
Step 4: Get a Student Visa
You need to have a Student visa to study in Germany. Although Studienkollegs is not a major course, it is still a preparatory course. Therefore, you need to have a student visa to study this course. You will need to gather all the relevant documents, including the acceptance letter and go to the German Embassy near you.
Step 5: Take the entrance exams
Once you receive the student visa, you will need to take the entrance examination (Aufnahmeprüfung)before attending the course. That said, this entrance exam is not meant to be hard but rather to check weaknesses so that they can design the perfect education plan.
You will need to take a test at the end of this program. If you do not improve within this year and meet the requirements of the German universities, you will need to return.
As a side note, it should also be noted that you must have health insurance in Germany to be a student of Studienkollege there.
Who can attend Studienkollegs?
Students can attend the Studienkollegs program as long as they have the +2 documents and their high school must not have academic credentials equivalent to the German Abitur. If your high school already meets the qualifications equivalent to German Abitur, you can directly join the Bachelors programs in Germany.
But, most of the 10+2 study programs in Nepal are not recognized as equivalent to German Abitur. Due to this, unless you are from those few selected high schools in Nepal, you will need to attend this preparatory course called Studienkollegs in Germany.
What are the types of Studienkollegs?
Although all Studienkollegs provide the same types of education, it can still be divided into different types. This education course is separated based on how they are run and what they are affiliated to. There are four primary types of Studienkollegs. They are:
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Studienkollegs affiliated to the University: They allow you to apply for virtually any Private or public university in Germany.
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Studienkollegs affiliated to the University of Applied Science: They allow you to apply only to Germany's University of Applied Science.
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State-run University: Usually tuition-free and allows you to apply anywhere in Germany.
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Private Studienkollegs: Charges tuition fees and the certificates may not be accepted in all of Germany
Although the course is virtually the same as where you take this preparatory course, it is still a big factor for your future. If you choose the wrong place to study this course, you will limit your range. We suggest applying for a university-affiliated state-run Studienkollegs unless you are sure about your future path.
Courses for Studienkollegs
Now that you know the application process, the requirements, and the type of Studienkollegs, it's time to know the courses you can take. There are a lot of courses that you can take in this course. Depending on what future path you want to follow, you can choose from the few courses in this preparatory class.
Here, we have listed the Studienkollegs course and their core subjects below.
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M-course: meant for medical, biological and pharmaceutical degrees
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T-course: meant for those pursuing mathematical, science or technical degrees
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W-course: for the pursuers of financial and social science degrees
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G-course: for the humanities or german studies
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S-course: for all the language courses
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TI-course: for technical and engineering course
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WW-course: meant for those pursuing economics and business degrees
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GD-course: for those pursuing design and art degrees
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SW-course: for the students of social science
These are all the courses that you can choose in this study program. As a side note, the courses with double lettering are specialized courses offered at the university of applied sciences.
What is the Cost of a Studienkollegs course?
The simplest answer is it depends on the type of institution you want to apply for. You can take this course for free if you study in a state-funded university-affiliated Studienkollegs. But, if you apply to the Private Studienkollegs institutes, you may need to pay anywhere from 4000 euros to 28000 euros. This is equal to somewhere around Npr 513979.31 to Npr 3597855.16, which may vary on the Foreing Exchange Rate of Euro and Nepali Rupee.
This excludes the cost of living in Germany as an international student.
How long does Studienkollegs last?
Studienkollegs generally lasts for around a year with two semesters. That said, you can reduce the total time of the course by showing your expertise in education. If you show quick and good improvements in your study, the entire course can be reduced by a semester.
At the same time, if you do not show a satisfactory performance, you will be given a second chance. As a rule, you can repeat each semester once. If you do not meet the requirements and pass the assessments, you will not be able to attend the university.
Studienkollegs generally ends a year after you clear the (Feststellungsprüfung) assessment exam.
Conclusion
Studienkollege is a preparatory class in Germany for students who have the will but lack some requirements to study in German Universities. That said, those who are involved in this education program are not any less skilled or talented than those who do not need to attend this class. In order to attend this preparatory course, you either need to lack the educational qualification, not have an academic credential equal to German Abitur or both. Once you graduate from this course, you will meet all the requirements to study among the best universities in Germany.
