What is Studienkolleg in Germany? Studienkolleg is a preparatory department for foreign students that prepares foreigners to enter the German classical university or the German university of applied sciences (dt. Hochschule or Fachhochschule).
The Preparatory Department/the Foundation year (dt. Studienkolleg) is designed for those international students who come from countries where the secondary school system is very different from the school system in Germany. For example, in Ukraine people attend school for 11 years, and in Germany for 12 years, so Ukrainian entrants must enter the Studienkolleg after school if they want to study at a German university.
У Німеччині середня шкільна освіта триває 12, а подекуди і 13 років і якщо у вашій країні шкільна освіта триває менше, то ви повинні у Німеччині для того, щоб навчатися в університеті спочатку 1 рік відучитися у Studienkolleg, але тільки у тому випадку, якщо ви у себе вдома ще не навчались в університеті.
In Germany, secondary education lasts 12 and sometimes 13 years, and if in your country school education lasts less than 12 years, then you must study at first 1 year at Studienkolleg in Germany and after it you will have a possibility to enter one of the German university, but only if you have not yet studied at home at the university.
In order to get a place at Studienkolleg in Germany, you must first apply to one of the German universities, and the university must, on the basis of a check of your documents, give you a permission for a visiting the Studienkolleg. It means that you cannot enter the Studienkolleg on your own without an admission from one of the German universities.
There are about 25 Studienkolleg in Germany, and only 7 of them are private, but for most of them you still need a permission for entering from one of the German universities.
The cost of studying at the state Studienkolleg in Germany is low from 450 to 600 euros per semester, but it is very difficult to get a place there. The cost of studying at the private Studienkolleg ranges from 5,000 euros per year to 20,000 euros per year.
Admission to the Studienkolleg in Germany requires perfect grades in the school certificate, a certificate in German for B2 and preferably C1 (although many Studienkolleg indicate B1 on their web pages), and passing the Studienkolleg entrance exams (not in all).
The competition for the place in the state Studienkolleg is very large about 100 people per place, as the number of foreign students who want to study in Germany is very high, and the number of places in each Studienkolleg per semester is very limited to about 150-200 people.
Therefore, it is more realistic than entering the Studienkolleg to study at home at the university for the desired specialty for two years, and then to enroll in the 1st year of a German university in the specialty you studied at home. This will allow you to avoid studying at the Studienkolleg in Germany.