Studienkolleg

The Studienkolleg is a public educational institution in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, for students whose secondary school certificate is not recognized as equivalent to the Abitur. It is a preparatory course or first year program for academic studies at university.

Training

German is spoken in all courses. The students are prepared in a two-semester course which is subject-specific.
Usually these types of courses are offered:
;University Preparatory schools: G-course for the humanitiesW-course for social sciences M-Course for medical studies T-Course for technical studies andS-Course for philology
;Technical College Preparatory schools: TI-Course for Technical and Engineering studiesWW-course for Economics and Business studies GD-course for Art and Design studies SW-course for Social Science studies

Costs

The lessons and tests at the Studienkollegs are currently free, but the registered students have to pay semester fees. These costs are depending on each college from 100 to 400 euros per semester.
The cost of living are around 700 euros per month. For the students of Studienkollegs there are usually no scholarships.

Secondary School Education (Abitur)

After two semesters of study the students complete their secondary school education. Exams must be passed in different subjects, such as maths, sciences, economics, languages. In the German language test, students must achieve level C1 of the CEFR. After passing the Studienkolleg, the students can apply to either the university or technical college of their choice. However, graduates of a university-preparatory Studienkolleg cannot attend a Technical College and graduates of a technical-preparatory Studienkolleg cannot attend university.