Germany is one of the three most popular places to study for foreign students. This is hardly surprising: higher education institutions in Germany offer the highest academic standards – and as such are the perfect springboard for a successful career at home or worldwide. The Goethe-Institut’s Studienbrücke programme is specifically designed to prepare students from abroad wishing to embark directly on a course of study in Germany.
The programme is modular in design and follows a set learning progression. It encompasses the following modules, which prospective students complete in their home countries and are designed to give them linguistic and subject-matter-specific preparation for studying in Germany:
Module
Content
Language courses
At the Goethe-Institut, at a language learning centre or as a Goethe-Institut online language course
TestDaF preparatory course
Familiarization with the individual test sections (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, oral expression)
Technical language preparation in the STEM subjects (online)
Familiarization with content and typical questions in the TestAS (scholastic aptitude test)
TestDaF and TestAS exams
TestDaF and TestAS
Intercultural training
Familiarization with the German higher education system and intercultural sensitization
Academic guidance counselling
Supported by the DAAD
Attending preparatory STEM Academies in Germany or your home country is another (optional) part of the preparation. Please contact the Goethe-Institut in your home country for further information.
The Studienbrücke partner universities offer successful programme participants a wide range of courses in the STEM subjects and economics, making a certain number of places available for them each year. The comprehensive support provided by the university’s to the new students gives graduates of the Studienbrücke programme the best possible start to studying and life in Germany. The partner universities are situated in the federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg and Thuringia.
Conditions for taking part in the current Studienbrücke programme are as follows:
pupils from years 9 to 11
proof of the required language proficiency level (see question 5)
high level of motivation to study in Germany, as demonstrated by motivation letter, participation in competitions at school and elsewhere, regional and international projects in the STEM subjects
Each university offers particular study programs in the STEM subjects and/or economics for the Studienbrücke program. You can find them listed on the pages of the universities under "partner universities".
Please contact your local Goethe-Institut to learn more about the costs of the programme and scholarship options for preparing for the Studienbrücke in your home country.
To study at a German university, prospective students have to prove a sufficient command of German at B2/C1 level. This proof can be obtained by successfully completing the TestDaF at level 4. The test comprises four sections: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression and oral expression. The test can be taken at your local Goethe-Institut or at another test centre near to where you live.
The TestAS is a central and standardized scholastic aptitude test for prospective students from abroad. They have to pass the test with a minimum score of 100 points in order to be admitted to study at one of the Studienbrücke programme’s partner universities. The test comprises a core test of cognitive abilities, plus a subject-specific test either for the subjects mathematics, IT and science, or for the engineering sciences.
