Foundation Year (Studienkolleg) study programs

Study Foundation Year (Studienkolleg) in Germany (2026/27)

Foundation Year (Studienkolleg) in Germany

A Studienkolleg (foundation year) prepares international applicants whose school-leaving certificate does not give direct access to German universities. Over two semesters, students take subject-specific courses – for example for technology, business or medicine – along with intensive German, and finish with the Feststellungsprüfung (assessment test). Passing it grants access to degree programmes in the corresponding subject area in Germany.

Application Deadlines

Numerus Clausus

NC-Free

Most Popular Universities for Foundation Year (Studienkolleg)

Top 1
Foundation Year (Studienkolleg) Universities (by popularity)

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Hochschule Fresenius - University of Applied Sciences

4 programs

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Fees & Costs

German Students

Degree

Tuition Fee

Bachelor

12,000 euros (per semester)

Disclaimer: You should use this text as a general guide, but it cannot serve as a guarantee. Keep in mind that there is no universal tuition fee that applies to all study programs and all student groups. Hence, we urge you to always individually double-check the specific fees of the specific study programs on their official websites.

Deadlines

Below are the most frequent application deadlines for Foundation Year (Studienkolleg) study programs in Germany.

Non-EU Students

Winter Semester

Summer Semester

	Admission-restricted courses	Admission-free courses
Bachelor	No courses	No deadlines (apply anytime)

Bachelor

Admission-restricted courses

No courses

Admission-free courses

No deadlines (apply anytime)

See all deadlines

Specific courses may have different application deadlines. Please always double-check the information individually.

Numerus Clausus (Admission Restriction)

For degree courses with a numerus clausus, part of the study places are allocated according to the grade point average (GPA) of the previous degree. Selection is generally based on how many applicants apply for a place. The higher the grade, the more difficult it is to get onto the course. The German grading system ranges from 1.0 (very good) to 6.0 (unsatisfactory).