Studienkolleg
Studienkollegs are educational institutions in which applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification that is not recognized as equivalent to the German Abitur are prepared for academic studies at a German university . They exist as state institutions in most of the federal states of the Federal Republic of Germany . In NRW there after the closure of the state preparatory courses in 2010, two church-supported facilities and range of preparatory courses in private ownership.
As a rule, the students / colleagues in the preparatory college are enrolled at the university in the city in which the relevant preparatory college is located. Whether a preparatory college has to be attended or whether the foreign student has direct university access is usually decided by the certificate recognition office (or a similar body) of the chosen university. Visiting the preparatory college is generally free of charge. All you have to do is pay the fee for the student union of the respective university. Some preparatory colleges also offer a voluntary (mostly free) preparatory course for foreign students with direct university access. Here, foreign students are prepared for scientific work at universities in a one-semester preliminary course. Privately owned preparatory colleges usually charge course fees that are not uniformly regulated.
education
The students / fellows are prepared for university studies in a two-semester course. Usually 5 course types are offered: G course for humanities courses, W course for economics courses, M course for medical courses, T course for technical courses and S course for philology . In all courses, German is a compulsory subject and the language of instruction in the subjects (e.g. history in the G course, business administration and economics in the W course, biology or chemistry or biochemistry in the M course, mathematics in the T course and English in the S course -Course). In addition, the students / fellows learn skills and abilities, so-called key qualifications , which can be helpful to them in coping with the specialist course. This includes, for example, working with text sources, writing argumentative and analyzing texts, as well as writing simple seminar papers, presenting work results and taking structured notes at lectures. At the preparatory college in Munich, foreign students / colleagues also have the opportunity to acquire the Latinum in two semesters .
Admission requirements
No German lessons for beginners are offered in the preparatory colleges. At the time of entry into the preparatory college, the students / colleagues must already have a good command of German (level B 1+ to B 2, see Common European Framework of Reference ). A good knowledge of mathematics is also required for the T courses. At some preparatory colleges, English skills for W, S, T, M and G courses are also required. In most cases, the relevant entry requirements are checked in the form of entrance tests, for which private institutes offer special preparatory courses.
graduation
After the two-semester course, the students / colleagues take the assessment test, which determines that the students / colleagues have knowledge of the subjects relevant to their studies at the Abitur level . In the subject of German, the students / colleagues must prove knowledge of the level B 2+ to C 1, depending on the type of course. Once they have passed the assessment test, students / colleagues apply to their preferred university. Depending on the country of origin and subject, there are special quotas for foreign applicants at the universities; EU foreigners are generally treated on an equal footing with German applicants. The assessment test can also be taken by external applicants under special conditions. In order to pass the exam as an external candidate, however, early advice in the preparatory college and intensive preparation are required.
Web links
- Studienkollegs in Germany. Website of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Studienkollegs at German universities
Individual evidence
- ^ North Rhine-Westphalia closes its preparatory colleges. In: Zeit-Online , July 28, 2010, accessed March 21, 2013.
- ↑ Information on the closure of preparatory colleges in North Rhine-Westphalia ( Memento from July 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ). In: studienkollegs.de , accessed on March 21, 2013 (PDF; 27 kB).