FIT für das Studium - Deutsch (DSH course)

Applicants who do not yet have the necessary German language proficiency to apply for a degree programme can improve their German language proficiency at Studienkolleg Sachsen in cost-reduced preparatory German courses and then take the DSH exam. The courses last one semester. The courses are offered at level B2 - C1. The courses conclude with the DSH exam. Participation in the course is not tied to enrolment at Leipzig University. At the beginning of the course, you will receive a participation certificate, which can be presented to the relevant authorities (e.g., Job Center, Foreigners' Registration Office).

The application requirements for participation in the course are:

• a direct university entrance qualification to study in Germany
• German language proficiency at B1 level,  proven by a language certificate (e.g. telc B1) or a one-page document detalling 500 hours of German lessons
• intention to study at Leipzig University

You must apply for the course at the International Centre and via uni-assist e.V. It is mandatory to book a consultation at the International Centre. Afterwards you can apply for the course at uni-assist e.V. during the application periods:

• Course starts in April: Application period from early November to mid-December
• Course starts in October: Application period from early April to mid-June

You will receive your admission letter from the International Centre after uni-assist e.V. has forwarded your application and you have been successfully pre-selected. Processing your application takes at least 6 weeks.

If you have any questions regarding your application or admission, please contact the International Centre directly.

At Studienkolleg Sachsen, you must take an entrance exam before you can take part in the ‘FIT für das Studium - Deutsch’ course. Learn more about the entrance exam and how to prepare for the entrance exam here and in your admission letter.

The student initiative mitStudieren at Leipzig University offers a language learning workshop to help applicants prepare for the German entrance exam. You can find out more about mitStudieren on Instagram, Facebook or by email.

In summer semester 2025 there will be an open office hour on Wednesdays (3:15-6:00 pm) at Campus Augustusplatz at the Leibnitzladen.

The ‘FIT für das Studium - Deutsch’ course is offered with project funding. However, all participants are required to pay a course fee of EUR 500,00 per participation (incl. exam fee).

Before acceptance to the course, Studienkolleg Sachsen will send an invoice to the e-mail address provided during the application. The course fee must be paid before the start of the course by the due date. The course fee is non-refundable if the course is cancelled. Studienkolleg Sachsen reserves the right to exclude participants from the course in case of non-payment.

The ‘FIT im Studium - Deutsch’ courses are offered twice a year (starting in April or October). A course usually lasts 30 weeks (incl. exam period). The course series ends on 31/12/2028. The following dates are currently planned (as of 22/01/2025):

• April to September 2025
• October 2025 to March 2026
• April to September 2026
• October 2026 to March 2027
• April to September 2027
• October 2027 to March 2028
• April to September 2028
• October to December 2028 (crash course at C1 level)

The course usually takes place on 5 weekdays with 4 lessons of 45 minutes each. The lessons take place in the afternoon. Please ensure you have enough time to prepare for and review the course each day (usually 1-2 hours for homework and guided self-study). There are no holidays included in the course period.

The participants will be intensively prepared for the DSH exam. The intensive language course is designed for participants with a solid B1+ level and covers both general and academic topics.

The main topics of the course are:

• Society
• Migration
• Environmental and climate issues
• Media
• Future technologies
• Health
• Globalisation

The following course contents are covered in the lessons:

• Vocabulary expansion on the above topics
• Understanding and note-taking during extended lectures
• Reading comprehension of complex articles from science and media
• Grammar exercises for sentence transformation (e.g., passive-active transformations, verbal and nominal style, indirect speech)
• Written and oral production: Discussion and presentation of current topics (e.g., through presentations or group discussions)
• Graphs and charts as prompts for text production

Upon course participation, the following learning materials will be provided:

• Course materials in paper or digital form
• Additionally, the Moodle learning platform will be used, where tasks for listening and reading comprehension, grammar exercises, and further resources are available

The course content is complemented by study preparation:

• Project days where you will visit and get to know Leipzig University
• Insights into lectures of your preferred degree programmes
• Attend information events and fairs about the offerings of Leipzig University
• Application events for choosing a study programme organised by the International Centre

To ensure a successful start to your degree programme, you can contact the International Centre at Leipzig University before and during the course with any questions or challenges you may have. For example on the following topics: 

• Residence regulations
• Financing options
• Transition to degree programmes, application processes, choice of degree programmes, etc. 

You can contact the International Centre by email or in person during office hours.

In order to claim compensation for an exam, you must submit a request to the examination board. The request must be submitted to the examination board at least 4 weeks before the exam date.

You will need to provide appropriate proof to support your request (e.g. a medical certificate stating the impact of your medical condition on your ability to take the exam) and a proposal for the implementation of the compensation for disadvantages (e.g. extension of writing time or layout adjustment). The request must be sufficiently clear for the examination board to make a decision. This entails a duty of cooperation on the part of the applicant.

The DSH is a language exam. It is used to check whether your German language proficiency is sufficient to complete a German study programme at a German university. Your language proficiency must correspond to level C1. The DSH exam consists of both written and oral tests. In the exam the language competences reading (including scientific language structures), listening, writing and speaking are assessed. The DSH exam is governed by the Ordnung der Universität Leipzig über die Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang (DSH) (in German only).

The instruction on rules of behaviour during the DSH exam can be found here (in German only). 

You will be informed of the date of the written exam during the courses. You can also find the date of the written exam here in Aktuelles in the respective semester.

The date of the oral exams will be available after the written exam and during the exam period in the Speicherwolke (cloud) of Leipzig University. 

You will receive the results of the written and oral exams via the Speicherwolke (cloud) of Leipzig University.

The email address you used in your application will be activated for access to the Speicherwolke (cloud) and you will receive a personal identification number to identify your exam date and exam result in the list. Please check your exam date and  exam result in the Speicherwolke (cloud).

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

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

If you are unable to attend the DSH exam due to illness you must inform your teacher on the day of the exam. Additionally, please submit your completed certificate to the Study Office FIT immediatly, or no later than 4 working days after the exam. You can hand in the certificate in person during office hours. Outside office hours you can drop the certificate in the letterbox (main entrance Lumumbastraße 4). Alternatively, you can send the certificate by post:
    Studienkolleg Sachsen
    Adressed to: Study Office FIT
    Lumumbastraße 4
    04105 Leipzig

The original postmark or date of receipt of the certificate will count. Please be sure to include the following information, otherwise the certificate may not be processed correctly:

• Full name
• If applicable, which partial exam
• Date of the exam

Once the certificate has been submitted, a make-up date for the DSH exam will be arranged with the teacher in charge.

Read more about the change in the law from January 2025 on the inability to take an exam due to illness here.

The DSH exam can be re-taken twice. Any previously failed DSH exam taken at another university or Studienkolleg must be considered. The student must declare in writing whether it is the first attempt, the first retake, or the second retake the DSH exam.

A passed DSH exam can be re-taken to improve the overall result. The DSH exam can be re-taken after three months at the earliest. 

Learn more about the DSH exam dates offered by Studienkolleg Sachsen and the requirements for participating in the exam.

All graduates in the winter semester - in February/March each year - have the opportunity to take part in the Propädeutikum at Studienkolleg Sachsen. Learn more about thePropädeutikum, its advantages and contents here.

In addition, all course graduates are invited to take part in a survey 6 months after the end of the course about the paths they have taken since attenting the course. The survey will be conducted digitally using the LimeSurvey software. We look forward to your participation and feedback! We will be giving away a voucher for all the feedback we receive.