To be admitted for study at a German university, you must prove that your German language skills are sufficient to be able to complete the course of your choice by taking an exam. To prepare for this language exam, you can take a DSH course at the Studienkolleg Sachsen.
What is a DSH?
DSH is the abbreviation for Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (German Language Examination for University Admission), a language exam which applicants can take if they have a direct university entrance qualification (HZB), but still need to prove the language skills required for their chosen studies.
The DSH is a language exam. It is used to check whether your German language skills are sufficient to complete a course of study at a university in Germany which will be taught and assessed in German. Your language skills must correspond to level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The DSH examination consists of both written and oral tests. In the exam, various language competences such as reading (including scientific language structures), listening, writing and speaking are assessed.
You can prepare for the DSH at the Studienkolleg Sachsen by taking a DSH course with us. Alternatively, you can prepare for the DSH externally and solely take the exam with us.
Fee-based DSH courses
Preparation for the German Language Exam for University Admission takes place as part of the DSH course. This lasts one semester and includes 25 hours per week in German. The DSH regulations and specifications can be found here: DSH-Ordnung der Universität Leipzig (University of Leipzig applications for the DSH exam: only in German).
Participation in this course is fee-based
Fees:
- Course fee: 2200 Euro plus 150 Euro exam fee, payable if the DSH course takes place at the Studienkolleg Sachsen as the minimum number of participants has been reached.
- Course fee: 2900 Euro plus 150 Euro exam fee, payable if the DSH course does not take place at the Studienkolleg Sachsen, and is instead held at our partner institute interDaF e.V. due to the minimum number of participants not being reached at the Studienkolleg.
Admission
You can only enroll in the preparatory DSH courses at the Studienkolleg Sachsen after you have successfully completed the admission procedure. Find out which requirements you have to fulfill, how the entrance exam works and what results you can achieve. Learn more.
DSH courses For Refugees
Study applicants with refugee status who do not yet have the necessary German language skills to apply to university can take German language courses at the Studienkolleg Sachsen. These courses prepare them for their studies and are free of charge. This year, two SMWK-funded DSH courses for refugees will take place (01/2022 to 06/2022 and 07/2022 to 12/2022). LEARN MORE.
Since May 2022, German courses for students from Ukraine continuing their studies in Germany have been held at the Studienkolleg Sachsen.
These courses aim to support people who have had to interrupt their studies as a result of the war in Ukraine (including third-country nationals), through measures for the successive development and improvement of German language skills as is necessary to enable students to continue their original studies at the University of Leipzig. The German courses for refugees are funded by the Saxon State Ministry for Science and the Arts (SMWK). Learn more.
In the Press and Media section (only in German) you can read and listen to various articles about our international language courses and engage with contributions from some who have previously taken these courses.
DSH-exam as an External Candidate
You can also take the German Language Examination for University Admission (DSH) without having previously attended courses at the Studienkolleg Sachsen. It is possible to take the exam as an external candidate if you have a pre-admission from a university in Saxony (University of Leipzig, TU Dresden, TU Chemnitz or TU Bergakademie Freiberg). You can find all further information about this external examination procedure here.
