Studienkolleg Konstanz 🎓 Guide for Foreign Students (2024) 🌐

As you might know, there are two main types of application modes for international students willing to pursue a degree in Germany. Those are: 1. Direct application. 2. Application via a third party.

Direct application means the university has its own application portal through which international students can apply for their desired study program at the given institution without involving intermediaries. In the case of the second type of application mode, the third party gets involved between the university/study program and the international applicant. The most famous example of that is the application via uni-assist.

If you are an international student who wants to study in Germany and, specifically, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, then you might come across another type of non-direct application: application via Studienkolleg Konstanz. In this article, we provide you with the answers to the critical questions regarding this procedure.

It is our goal to inform you honestly and accurately, therefore, we need to add a disclaimer:

You should use this text as a general guide, but it cannot be a legal consultation. All of the information regarding the whole procedure of the certificate recognition by the Studienkolleg Konstanz needs to be double-checked with the Studienkolleg itself.

What is Studienkolleg Konstanz?

To put it simply, Studienkolleg Konstanz, or Center for International Students Konstanz, is an institution which offers two core services to international students who would like to do their Bachelor's or Master's in Germany:

Center for International Students Konstanz offers a 1-year preparatory course to those international applicants, whose qualifications are not recognized as equivalent to the German level.
Studienkolleg Konstanz recognizes certificates and diplomas, which is a prerequisite for foreign students aiming at joining Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) in Germany's Baden-Württemberg. In other words, if your application for recognition to Studienkolleg Konstanz is successful, you will receive a special certificate from the institution ("Studienkolleg Konstanz Certificate"), confirming that your qualifications are valid and that, consequently, you are eligible to study at the UAS in Baden-Württemberg.

In this article, we focus on the latter service - namely, the validation of certificates, or Zeugnisanerkennung, by the Studienkolleg Konstanz.

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Application via Studienkolleg Konstanz: How does it work?

The whole procedure of applying via Center for International Students Konstanz can be viewed as a 3-step procedure:

Apply for recognition: first, you need to send your documents to the Studienkolleg for recognition

Get the recognition: afterwards, you will receive proof of recognition, the "Studienkolleg certificate" (Zeugnisanerkennung)

Apply to the study program: as a final step, you must attach the Zeugnisanerkennung to your university application package and apply to your desired study program.

Therefore, this process is quite similar to the application mode, which involves Vorprüfungsdokumentation (VPD) from uni-assist.

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Keep in mind that sometimes you have an option to ask Studienkolleg Konstanz to send the Studienkolleg certificate directly to the university you are applying to. For instance, it is true when it comes to Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences (source). Hence, we suggest to always check this opportunity with the individual university/study program.

Does every international student have to apply via the Center for International Students Konstanz?

Quick answer: No. In fact, only a specific portion of international students are required to apply to the desired German university and study program via Studienkolleg Konstanz. Three decisive factors are the location of the university, the type of the university and the origin of your educational certificates.

As was already mentioned, if you want to study in Germany, in some cases, you need to get recognition for your certificates before applying to your desired German program. And that is precisely when the Center for International Students Konstanz jumps into the equation.

However, this applies only to a small portion of international applicants. To be more specific, you will most likely need to apply via Studienkolleg Konstanz only if:

1. Your desired university is located in Baden-Württemberg (south-west Germany); AND
2. Your desired university is a "University of Applied Science"; AND
3. Your educational certificate(s) are not acquired in Germany.

Thus, international students can apply without Studienkolleg Konstanz if:

They are applying to a university located in any federal land of Germany other than Baden-Württemberg; OR
They are applying to a classical Universität type of university, even if it is in Baden-Württemberg (e.g., University of Stuttgart); OR
They have German diploma(s) (e.g., German high school diploma, German university degree, German university entrance qualification).

In fact, there are some more exceptions when it comes to the whole Zeugnisanerkennung procedure. Put differently, there are more ways to avoid the Center for International Students Konstanz when applying to German universities.

For instance, non-EU applicants willing to study at English-taught Bachelor's study courses offered by the International Business University of Applied Sciences Reutlingen can apply directly. Also, EU applicants do not need the Centre's recognition service if they are applying to Pforzheim UAS, Karlsruhe UAS or Ravensburg-Weingarten UAS.

How to validate documents via the Center for International Students Konstanz?

As an international student, you can apply for the recognition of qualifications by the Center for International Students Konstanz in 3 simple steps:

Research: find out what documents you need for the application (do not forget to check the country-specific information)

Organize: Collect the required documents (do not forget about certifications and translations (when applicable))

Submit: Send the documents via physical mail (not email!)

Documents required by the Studienkolleg Konstanz

You might need a different package of documents depending on the aspects like in which country you completed the studies, whether you are applying for a German- or English-taught* study program, etc. Here is the list of documents that Studienkolleg Konstanz definitely needs to recognize your certificates:

Complete application form (signed)
Curriculum Vitae (CV/Resume)
A (simple) copy of your passport
Educational certificates (certified copies) with translations (when applicable)**

*If you are applying to a German-language degree program, Studienkolleg Konstanz also requires a certified copy of the proof of your German skills (e.g., DSH 2 or 3, TestDaF 4.0 or 5.0, Goethe-Zertifikat C2, ÖSD C2 or equivalent). If you are targeting an English-taught degree course, you do not need to send any language certificates.

**No translations are required if your documents are in English or French. Otherwise, you should translate the certificates into German or English

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Certified Copies: Details

If you need to certify your papers outside Germany, Studienkolleg Konstanz will accept the copies, if they are certified by:

German Embassy/Consulate
Issuing institution (e.g., school, university), only if the certificates are in a sealed envelope
Apostille.

In case you are in Germany and would like to certify your documents here, keep in mind that the Studienkolleg recognizes the certifications by the following institutions:

Town halls/citizens' offices
Notaries
District administrations/local authorities
State universities.

Important: Incorrectly certified or not certified copies will not be accepted. This means that Studienkolleg Konstanz will not recognize your qualifications, and, as a result, you will not be able to apply to your target university/study program.

Submitting the application

For the Center for International Students Konstanz to recognize your certificates/documents, you need to send the application via POST, via PHYSICAL MAIL! Applying via email is not accepted! Here is the address where you should send your whole application package to:

Hochschule Konstanz
Studienkolleg
Alfred-Wachtel-Str. 8
78462 Konstanz
Deutschland

Keep in mind that you will not receive any confirmation that your application has successfully reached the Studienkolleg.

Important notes:

Do not expect the Center for International Students Konstanz to return the documents to you. As they will keep your application papers, you should not send them any original documents!
You do not need to file a separate application to Studienkolleg for each university and study program you are applying to. Instead, international students need to submit just one application, even if they are applying to multiple institutions.

Studienkolleg Konstanz verification: Processing times

To process your application for verification of your documents, Studienkolleg Konstanz will need around 3 weeks. Generally, they start processing your application as soon as they receive your certificates.

If your application was successful and your papers were recognized, you will receive two copies of the so-called "recognition certificate" (Zeugnisanerkennung). Once you have this document, you can apply to your chosen university and study program.

Center for International Students Konstanz: Fees

Unlike the verification procedures by institutions like uni-assist or APS, the application via Center for International Students Konstanz is free. In other words, you can get your documents certified without paying any cent. The only fee that you will need to deal with is the cost of sending the documents to Germany.

When to apply for the Zeugnisanerkennung by Studienkolleg Konstanz?

As soon as possible!

It is noteworthy that students can request the "Studienkolleg certificate" from the Center for International Students Konstanz at any time. Hence, given the fact that you need to send the documents by post and that the recognition process itself takes up several weeks, we suggest you apply for your documents' validation at least 8 weeks before the deadline of your target study program. That should be enough to file your university application on time.