Who may study in Germany?

Whether you are allowed to study in Germany with the university access authorisation (HZB) from your mother country varies depending on the country of origin. As a matter of principle, for admission to a German university sufficient linguistic proficiency must be proven. Confirmation of language proficiency is, as a rule, provided through the DSH test.

Nevertheless, other tests are also officially accepted as linguistic proof for university study. For example:
Es sind jedoch auch andere Prüfungen offiziell als Sprachnachweis für die Aufnahme eines Hochschulstudiums anerkannt, wie z.B.

• • the TestDaF (at least TDN 4 in all four parts)
• Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung ZOP
• the Deutsche Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz Stufe II
• the Kleine Deutsche Sprachdiplom
• the Große Deutsche Sprachdiplom.

Will my university access authorisation be accepted?

The recognition of the university access authorisation (HZB) depends on the educational system of the country in which you have acquired your graduation. There are different possibilities and methods:

• You merely need a university access authorisation(HZB)
• • You need the HZB and one or two academic years at a university approved by the German Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in your homeland
• • You need the HZB and must visit before admission a preparatory college(see below)
• • You need the HZB, one academic years at a university approved by the German Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs in your homeland and the visit a preparatory college. In some cases, seperate verification qualification must be provided for admission.

Which regulations apply to you can be found on the homepage of the German Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs(www.anabin.de).

What is a Preparatory College?

Not all university access authorisations (HZB) from abroad are comparable with the German university entrance diploma. Therefore, applicants from some countries must first pass the so-called "Feststellungsprüfung" (university exam). When you have successfully passed the university exam, you will recieve a certificate that allows you to apply for admission to universities anywhere in Germany. The Feststellungsprüfung is always carried out in a certain study main focus: if you qualified for medical, biological or pharmaceutical study, you cannot register later for economics.
This examination is given at universities and technical colleges. If you qualify at a technical college, you may study there, however, not at a university.

The preparatory college offer a linguistic and specialised study preparation to foreign students and is therefor a kind of prestudy. The year long preparatory course with main focus, illiminates the Feststellungsprüfung
You will find further details about preparatory colleges under www.studienkollegs.de