Conditions eased for Ukrainian refugees planning to enter a German university. The innovation applies to those who studied for the last year at school in Ukraine and, due to the Russian military invasion, could not pass the final exams and receive a certificate, as well as those who started studying at a Ukrainian university, but did not complete the first year for the same reason.
According to the rules in force in Germany, only applicants whose education formally corresponds to the German matriculation certificate (Abitur) can apply to a German university. Since German schoolchildren study for 12-13 years, that is, longer than schoolchildren in Ukraine, the missing years must be " In particular, Ukrainians with a certificate of complete general secondary education must additionally study for one year either at a university in their homeland or at a pre-university training college in Germany - and only after that do they receive the right to higher education at a German university.
An important condition for admission is the availability of a certificate from a domestic university and a school certificate. Now, by decision of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Culture of the Federal States of Germany, an exception has been made for those who fled the war in Ukraine, DW reports.. And without the corresponding document, first-year students can apply for a study place directly to one of the universities in Germany. There are usually no entrance exams, but knowledge of the German language is required if the specialty is not English. And eleventh-graders can enter the college of pre-university training without a certificate.
College of pre-university training - in German Studienkolleg - is a kind of preparatory course for applicants who graduated from school in one of the non-EU countries. Here they help to adapt to the German education system, improve knowledge of the German language and specialized subjects to the level necessary to start studying.
There are colleges for pre-university training in almost all federal states, but not in every city. There are only about three dozen such colleges in Germany.. The whole list is here. You usually need to apply through the university where you would like to study. If you did not find the city you need in the list, do not be discouraged - several universities are "
Most colleges are public. Education is mostly free: students pay only a semester fee - approximately 170-300 euros per semester. Teaching is in German, so knowledge of it is required at least at level B1. To enroll in college, you must pass an entrance test in German or a specialized subject.