Preparatory semester

To a limited extent, TU Dresden offers its future students the option of preparing for the DSH examination in a preparatory semester/preparatory course and taking this examination at TU Dresden. The participants of the preparatory semester are enrolled as students at TU Dresden. The preparatory semester is available only for foreign students, who have a valid conditional admission/study place reservation for it.

Applicants for the following degree programs can not participate in the preparatory course:  Applicants for  International Relations (Ba/MA), Human Medicine, Medicine, Dentistry, Public Health (MA) and Medical Radiation Sciences (MA) already need to provide sufficient knowledge of German.

The preparatory semester includes the following modules:

• DHS preparatory course with country-specific phonetic training
• Tutor Program for subject orientation
• Specialist communication in the course (only in the summer semester, also for students in the orientation semester) with four groups:
  1. Engineering/Electrical Engineering (ENG)
  2. Engineering/Mechanical Engineering (ENG)
  3. Economics (ECON)
  4. Humanities and Social Sciences (HUM/SOC)

The Tutor Program is conducted in November/December (winter semester) and May/June (summer semester) and encompasses three double periods.

The whole course lasts one semester (six months) and ends with the DSH exam in March or September.

Requirements for the application

The application for participation in the Propädeutikum/study-preparatory German course has to be made in the context of the application for a degree program. It is not possible to apply directly at the Language Center! Please inform yourself about the application procedure of the TU Dresden. In order to participate in the preparatory semester, you will need an conditional admission/study place reservation.In addition to good subject-specific performance, good intermediate German language skills are expected, i.e.:

• German B2 certificate or German B1 certificate in combination with a certificate of participation of a B2 course (as the admission test is at the level of B2)
• Evidence of the following language certificates: the Goethe Institute Zentrale Mittelstufenprüfung (Intermediate Examination - ZMP) with at least "satisfactory"; the German Language Diploma of the Conference of State Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs Level 1 (DSD), TestDaF with at least 14 points

Due to the high number of applicants for the preparatory semester, a written admission test (level B2) is conducted immediately before the start of the language course. You can repeat this test once. You can find an example of this admission test here.

Applicants who do not receive a place on the TU Dresden preparatory course have the opportunity to participate in a language course at TUDIAS or another language school in Dresden for a fee.

More information

Information about the preparatory college (Studienkolleg)

The preparatory college prepares applicants for studying at a German university. If you have graduated from a secondary school that grants access to studies at a university in your home country, but which does not allow immediate admission to a university in Germany according to the assessment guidelines of the Conference of State Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs, you will have to attend a preparatory college before starting your studies in Germany.

You can find country-specific information on university admission in the assessment guidelines and database of the Conference of State Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs/Central Office for Foreign Education Anabin and in the DAAD admissions database.

Studying at a preparatory college takes 2 semesters and ends with the "Examination for the assessment of the qualification of foreign applicants for admission to a course at universities and universities of applied sciences in the Federal Republic of Germany" (assessment test; often abbreviated as FSP).
Preparation for the assessment test is done in subject-specific preparatory courses that already focus on certain key aspects according to the chosen future degree program:

T-Course:
Preparation for technical, mathematical and science-related degree programs (except for biology programs)

M-Course:
Preparation for medical, agricultural, biology or forestry related degree programs

W-Course:
Preparation for economics and socio-scientific degree programs

G/S-Course:
Preparation for degree programs in arts, humanities and linguistics

Please check the classification of TU Dresden's degree programs and the respective courses to choose at the preparatory college.

Application to the preparatory college

The application for a place at the preparatory college takes place with the application for a program at TU Dresden. It is not possible to apply directly to a preparatory college.  Application to a preparatory college already requires proof of knowledge of the German language on B1 level.

After your application to TU Dresden was positively evaluated you will receive a conditional admission for TU Dresden and an invitation to the entrance test at the preparatory college. Conditional admissions for restricted degree programs can only be issued if the submitted documents prove the required GPA that was stipulated for admission in the previous semesters for the respective program.

TU Dresden sends its applicants either to the Saxon State Preparatory College in Leipzig or to the Preparatory College TUDIAS in Dresden, i.e. with a conditional admission of TU Dresden you can participate in both colleges' entrance tests.

The entrance tests encompass the following tests:

• German test (B1)
• Mathematics test on knowledge acquired in school (only for T-, M- and W-Course)

Please make sure to check the sample tests for Leipzig and Dresden.

At the Saxon State Preparatory College in Leipzig, you will find preparatory courses for all subject areas  (T-, M-, W- and G/S-Coures). There is no tuition fee for these courses. Admission is granted after passing the entrance tests according to the availability of places as the capacity of the Saxon State Preparatory College is very limited.
During their studies at this preparatory college, students will be enrolled at the University of Leipzig.

At the Preparatory College TUDIAS in Dresden you can attend T-, M- and W-Courses There are tuition fees for these courses.
During their studies at this preparatory college, students will be enrolled at TU Dresden.

If you are unable to provide evidence of any German language skills, an application to TU Dresden is unfortunately not possible.

The minimum requirement for an application to the preparatory German course is the provision of a German B1 certificate + a certificate of participation of B2 course. For application for the preparatory college you need at least a B1 certificate. You have the option of applying for a so-called language course visa (in conjunction with a registration for a German course at a recognized language school) and thus of acquiring the necessary language skills in Germany.

Here, you can find a list of language schools in Dresden.