External Procedure

Entry requirements for the the Assessment Test / Supplementary Exam for external candidates

If you have an indirect higher education entrance qualification (indirekte Hochschulzugangsberechtigung aka HZB), you can take the Assessment Test (or a supplementary exam after passing the Assessment Test in one particular subject-related course) at our Studienkolleg. To do so, you must meet the following requirements.

• You have a current conditional letter of admission to study at a university in Saxony as well as a German certificate at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to prove your German language proficiency.
• You have sent the corresponding application form to our Studienkolleg and have been admitted to take the Assessment Test/supplementary exam.
• You have paid the corresponding exam fee.
  The amount of the examination fee is regulated by the: Hochschulgebühren- und Entgeltordnung der Universität Leipzig (page 19, section 28/19, point 3) and is:

               - Assessment Test - 400,00 Euros

               - Supplementary exam - 75,00 Euros (per subject)

Conditional letter of admission for the first-time Attessment Test/supplementary exam participants

The first-time applicants for the Assessment Test/ supplementary exam receive a conditional letter of admission from Stabsstelle Internationales of Leipzig University or from the International Office of another university in Saxony. 

With this in mind, please do not contact the Studienkolleg Sachsen or the support unit at the uni-assist e.V. to help you while applying for the conditional letter of admission. Instead, please refer to the staff of the corresponding International Office of the chosen university with questions regarding the application process.

Conditional letter of admission to retake the Assessment Test/supplementary exam (after not passing the previous attempt)

Applicants who want to retake the Assessment Test/supplementary exam will receive the updated conditional admission through the same office they received the original conditional letter of admission from, i.e., through:

• Stabstelle Internationales der Universität Leipzig
• International Office der Technischen Universität Dresden
• Studierendenservice und Studienberatung der Technischen Universität Chemnitz
• International Office der Technischen Universität Bergakademie Freiberg

FSP exam period at Studienkolleg Sachsen in winter semester 2025/26

January 5–27, 2026: Written FSP (registration deadline for external candidates: November 21st 2025) 

January 19–23, 2026: Oral exams 

Applications will be accepted starting in early November 2025.

Application deadlines for applying for a conditional letter of admission

In order to apply for a conditional letter of admission as an external candidate you must meet the following application deadlines: 

• Universität Leipzig
  • December 15 for the following summer semester
  • June 15 for the following winter semester
• Technische Universität Dresden und Technische Universität Chemnitz
  • January 15 for the following summer semester
  • June 15 for the following winter semester
• Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
  • October 31 for the following summer semester
  • April 30 for the following winter semester

Application form for the Feststellungsprüfung

If you are taking the Feststellungsprüfung for the first time, please use the form Erstprüfung:

Erstprüfung
PDF ∙ 656 KB

If you did not pass the Feststellungsprüfung the first time, but would like to retake it in the same course, please use the form Wiederholungsprüfung:

Wiederholungsprüfung
PDF ∙ 656 KB

If you have passed the Feststellungsprüfung in a course but your intended course of study has changed, please use the form Ergänzungsprüfung:

Ergänzungsprüfung
PDF ∙ 849 KB

Information on the Feststellungsprüfungen

The Assessment Test is course-specific. For your exam preparation purposes here you can find information about the 

• Subjects
• Literature, as well as the
• Sample papers

for all subject-related courses that are offered by the Studienkolleg Sachsen (preparation material is only in German language).

Dokumente zur Prüfungsvorbereitung

Requirements for the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH)

If you have a direct higher education entrance qualification (HZB), you can take the DSH at our Studienkolleg. To do so, you must fulfil the following requirements:

• You have a current conditional letter of admission to a study program (Bedingte Zulassung) from a university in Saxony. In this case you are only allowed to start your study program after passing the DSH examination and reaching at least level DSH-2.
• You have sent the application form to our Studienkolleg and have been admitted to the DSH examination.
• You have paid the examination fee.
  The cost of the examination fee is 150 euros and is determined by the Hochschulgebühren- und Entgeltordnung der Universität Leipzig (page 19, section 28/19, point 1.2).

Conditional letter of admission for taking the DSH Examination (first attempt)

First-time applicants for the DSH examination receive the conditional letter of admission to a study program from the International Centre of the Leipzig University or from the international office of another university in Saxony. 

For further enquiries regarding the application, please do not contact the Studienkolleg Sachsen or uni-assist e.V. You should address your questions to the international office of the university you want to study at.

Conditional letter of admission for repeated DSH examination (after failing at the first attempt)

Any applicant willing to repeat the DSH examination will receive the updated conditional letter of admission from the same institution they received it the first time from:

• Stabstelle Internationales der Universität Leipzig
• International Office der Technischen Universität Dresden
• Studierendenservice und Studienberatung der Technischen Universität Chemnitz
• International Office der Technischen Universität Bergakademie Freiberg

DSH examination period at the Studienkolleg Sachsen in winter semester 2025/26

The exam will take place on March 2nd 2026 (written component) and on March 17th or March 18th 2026 (oral component). The registration deadline is February 11th 2026 at 4:00 pm.

Application deadlines for applying for the Vorzulassung (pre-admission)

• Universität Leipzig
  • December 15 for the following summer semester
  • June 15 for the following winter semester
• Technische Universität Dresden und Technische Universität Chemnitz
  • January 15 for the following summer semester
  • July 15 for the following winter semester
• Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg
  • October 31 for the following summer semester
  • April 30 for the following winter semester

Important note!

The application deadlines for the study to receive pre-admission to Saxon universities do not claim to be complete. Please check the current application deadlines for international applicants in your program.
 

Application form Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang

Apply for the DSH Examination using this form (only in German):

ANTRAGSFORMULAR DEUTSCHE SPRACHPRÜFUNG FÜR DEN HOCHSCHULZUGANG
PDF ∙ 264 KB

Information on the Deutschen Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang

The following information is intended for international applicants who wish to take the DSH exam after external preparation (i.e., without attending courses at the Studienkolleg Sachsen).

The DSH consists of a written and an oral exam. The written exam is divided into three sub-tests (listening comprehension, reading comprehension with academic language structures and text production). Both parts must be taken at the Studienkolleg Sachsen and within the same examination period. The written exam lasts 210 minutes. There are usually 20-minute breaks between each sub-test. The oral exam lasts 40 minutes (including 20 minutes of preparation time).

The DSH exam is regulated by the University of Leipzig's regulations for the German Language Examination for University Entrance (DSH).

You can find instructions on the rules of conduct during the DSH exam here.

Find out more about the content of the exam sections in our exam preparation document. We've compiled sample texts and exercises, as well as references, to help you optimally prepare for the exam.

If you have any content-related enquiries about th exam preparation, please contact the chairman examination board – Mr. Manuel Engert 

Exam Preparation Document

Written Part of the Exam: Sample Questions for Reading Comprehension and Text Production

The following documents contain sample questions for the written part of the DSH exam.

Reading Comprehension

- Sample Question for Reading Comprehension Text

- Sample Question for Reading Comprehension Tasks

Text Production

- Sample Question for Text Production
 

The written exam date will be communicated to you by the study organization. You can also find the written exam date here under "Aktuelles" for the respective semester.

The oral exam dates can be found after the written exam and during the examination period in the University of Leipzig's cloud storage.

The written and oral exam results will be communicated to you via the University of Leipzig's cloud storage.

In advance, the email address you used during registration will be activated for use in the cloud storage, and you will receive a personal identification number from the study office, so that you can identify your appointment and result in the list. Please check the cloud storage for yourself to find out about your appointment and result.

The overall result of the exam is passed and is determined as:

• DSH-1, if at least 57% of the requirements were met in both the written and oral exams;
• DSH-2, if at least 67% of the requirements were met in both the written and oral exams;
• DSH-3, if at least 82% of the requirements were met in both the written and oral exams.

Information on Applying for Compensation for Disadvantages

If you wish to receive compensation for disadvantages in exams, you must submit a written application to the relevant examination board. The application must be submitted to the examination board at least two weeks before the exam date.

You will need appropriate documentation for your application for compensation for disadvantages (e.g., a medical certificate detailing the consequences for the examination performance resulting from your health impairment).

The application must be appropriate and enable the examination board to make a decision. This creates a duty of cooperation on the part of the applicant.

The application for compensation for disadvantages, along with the appropriate documentation, must be submitted to Study Office (email: dsh(at)uni-leipzig.de) by the above-mentioned deadline.

If you have any questions about the application process, please feel free to contact me at any time.
 

Information on Inability to Take the Exam Due to Illness

If you are unable to attend the written or oral exam due to illness, you must provide appropriate medical documentation to justify your absence. The certificate of inability to take the exam due to illness must be issued by a doctor. The fee for completing the certificate is €10, which you must pay directly to your doctor. Please inform us of your illness by email (dsh(at)uni-leipzig.de) on the day of the exam. The original medical document certifying your inability to take the exam must be received by the Studienkolleg no later than the fourth working day (including the day of the exam) from your notification of illness. If you do not submit the original document within the deadline, the exam will be considered failed.