To study in Germany, you need to prove that you speak English or German well enough to study in that language. This proof needs to be delivered by handing in an official language certificate unless you are a native speaker or have graduated from an English or German-speaking program. Of course, getting to this point requires hard work. But do not worry: Universities will not expect you to speak anywhere near as perfectly as a native speaker.

More than 245,000 international students are currently enrolled at German universities, most of them come from non-English and non-German speaking countries. Therefore, universities are prepared to have second-language speakers in the classroom.

The German law clearly defines which German language certificates a student may hand in. However, the universities and each program can make independent decisions when it comes to setting the requirements for the German language level. That is why it is important that you check with the program of your choice to learn precisely which proficiency level they expect from you.

As a rule of thumb, German universities require you to present a proof of upper intermediate to advanced German language skills (level B2/C1) to study in German.

To let applicants know how well they should speak German, many German universities use the terms defined by the Council of Europe in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). On this scale, there are 6 levels (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2).