Preparatory Study at the Studienkolleg
Some international secondary school certificates do not directly qualify students to study at a German university. In these cases, you can qualify for a degree program at a German university via the Studienkolleg.
Please note: Invitations to the admission exam for the Studienkolleg sent to Gmail addresses are not delivered correctly. Please use a different email address or make sure to check your Gmail spam folder regularly.
To prepare for the entrance examination, the Studienkolleg München is again offering a preparatory course for refugees, starting on 15 September 2025. Requirements for participation are German language skills of at least level B1 (CEFR), a higher education entrance qualification from the home country, and eligibility to participate in the preparatory course.
The focus of this course lies on teaching German and mathematics skills.
You can find more information about the course and the entrance exam here. Registration for this course is possible between 15 June and 31 July 2025, and is done directly through the university.
All information on how to apply for the Studienkolleg via TUM can be found at www.tum.de/en/studies/application/other-forms-of-study/preparatory-study-at-the-studienkolleg.
What is the Studienkolleg?
The Studienkolleg is an educational institution for students who are qualified to study in another country, but not in Germany. The final exam after the course at the Studienkolleg is the so-called Feststellungsprüfung, which enables subject-specific access to a degree program at a German university. The preparatory phase in the Studienkolleg takes 2 semesters.
The Studienkolleg München ist responsible for applicants to all bavarian universities, including TUM.
There are different courses at the Studienkolleg that provide access to different degree programs:
- The G course for Humanities and Arts degree programs
- The M course for Medicine and Biology degree programs
- The T course for Technical, Mathematical and Natural Science degree programs
- The W course for Business and Social Science degree programs
Please note: From the winter semester 2025/26, you can only apply for one course leading to a Studienkolleg degree. Thus, you must decide in advance for which course (G, M, T, or W) you are seeking an invitation to the entrance test.
If you would like to apply to the Studienkolleg München via TUM, please submit an online application throughTUMonline. Select “Preparatory colleges” as type of studies and choose your desired course from the list. You will be assigned to a suitable course accordingly.
This overview shows which TUM Bachelor’s degree programs are assigned to which course of the Studienkolleg München:
| Aerospace | T course |
| M course | |
| Architecture | T course |
| Biochemistry | T course |
| Bioeconomy | W course |
| T course | |
| Chemical Biotechnology | T course |
| Chemical Engineering | T course |
| Chemistry | T course |
| Civil Engineering | T course |
| T course | |
| Engineering Science | T course |
| T course | |
| Food Chemistry | T course |
| Food Technology | T course |
| M course | |
| T course | |
| Geosciences | T course |
| Health Science | M course |
| Informatics | T course |
| Information Systems | T course |
| T course | |
| Life Sciences Biology | M course |
| Life Sciences Nutrition | M course |
| Management and Technology (at Campus Heilbronn) | W course |
| Management and Technology (at Campus Munich) | W course |
| Mathematics | T course |
| Mechanical Engineering | T course |
| Molecular Biotechnology | M course |
| T course | |
| Physics | T course |
| Political Science | G course |
| Sport Science | M course |
| Sustainable Management and Technology | T course |
Degree program or Studienkolleg?
Be sure to check as soon as possible whether your secondary school diploma qualifies you for direct access to a German university. If you are qualified to study in your own country, but not in Germany, then the courses at Studienkolleg are a way to qualify for a regular degree program at a German university. In some countries, you also need to have completed a university entrance exam or to have studied for at least one year at a univerity or similar institution.
- On the Deutschen Akademischen Austausch Dienstes DAAD website, you will find an overview of applicants for whom the assessment test is required and those who may be admitted directly into the German university system.
- Important information on recognizing and assessing educational certificates and diplomas awarded in other countries can be found in the Datenbank anabin of the Bavarian Central Accreditation Agency.
Please be aware that the language of instruction at Studienkolleg is German. To apply, you need to provide proof that your German language skills are at least on Level B2. During the admission exam to Studienkolleg you will then have to prove that your language skills are sufficient to successfully complete the course there.
If you apply for Studienkolleg, you do not need a Preliminary Documentation (VPD) by uni-assist.
Additional regulations apply to applicants from certain countries. For more information, see “Online Application”.
Check the visa regulations that apply to you – and be sure to contact the German embassy in your country well in advance. If you do need a visa, you can now plan your application free of charge using the VisaFlow app. Just use the code “TUM25”. Please note that VisaFlow is an external service provider. For technical or content-related questions, please contact the VisaFlow team directly.
Application for Studienkolleg Munich – step by step
The courses at Studienkolleg have a limited capacity – be aware that there is not guarantee for a spot in the courses, and that applications which do not fully comply with the formal requirements cannot be considered.
Applications for Studienkolleg are filed via our online application portal TUMonline – you cannot apply directly at the Studienkolleg itself. During the online application, you will be asked which degree program you wish to apply for after successfully completing the “Feststellungsprüfung”. The degree program you choose in this step determines the course at Studienkolleg you are assigned to, so choose carefully.
To our online application guide for the Studienkolleg
Entering your personal data:
Please provide your personal data, entering your name according to your ID.
If you already have an address in Germany, please use this address (and enter an apartment number and/or c/o name if relevant).
Please note: Invitations to the admission exam for the Studienkolleg sent to Gmail addresses do not get delivered! Please make sure you set up a different e-mail address if necessary.
Application periods:
- For summer semester: 15.11. – 15.01.
- For winter semester: 15.05. – 15.07.
By the end of the application period, you must have completed the online application and uploaded all required documents:
- your higher education entrance qualification
- a translation of your higher education entrance qualification by a sworn translator, if it has not originally been issued in German or English.
- Applicants with an Iranian higher education entrance qualification must submit the corresponding documents in a legalized form when applying for the Studienkolleg. Please see the website of the German Embassy in Tehran for all information on the process of legalizing documents.
Please note: Due to the current situation, legalization is not yet required for the application, but only for enrollment. - your passport
- a current and complete curriculum vitae in German detailing schools visited, examinations passed, etc.
- proof of German-language proficiency Level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)
- verification of any prior university study (e.g. Transcript of Records)
- a certificate issued by the “Akademische Prüfstelle“ (APS) (for applicants from China, India or Vietnam)
- Please note further special rules applying to specific countries.
If you comply with the admission criteria and all of your documents have been checked successfully, you will receive an invitation to the admissions exam at Studienkolleg per e-mail.
This same message also informs you about your assigned area of concentration – depending on the desired degree program you stated during the online application.
Areas of Concentration
Studienkolleg offers several areas of concentation. Depending on the choice made in TUMonline, you are assigned to one of the four courses:
- T-course for technical and mathematical programs and programs in the natural sciences
- M-course for medical programs and programs connected with biosciences or sports
- W-course for business and economics programs
- G-course for programs in arts and humanities
Once you have sent your online application and uploaded all documents, your application will be reviewed. When all uploaded documents have been checked and accepted (status “OK” in TUMonline), you will receive an invitation to the admission test by e-mail within approx. 10 working days. Please check your inbox and spam folder regularly. You can then download the official PDF document of the invitation in your TUMonline account.
Please note: Invitations to the admission exam for the Studienkolleg sent to Gmail addresses do not get delivered! Please make sure you set up a different e-mail address if necessary.
If you have not received an invitation one week before the admission test, please write an e-mail to studium@tum.de with the exact subject “Einladung Aufnahmetest Studienkolleg” and ask for your official invitation to be sent to you again.
If you are unable to take part in the admissions exam, please withdraw in good time by sending an e-mail to studium@tum.de with the exact subject “Aufnahmeprüfung Studienkolleg” and state your applicant number. If you do not withdraw by e-mail in good time, you will be deemed to have failed the examination.
You can only take the exam if you have received an invitation from a university – e.g. from TUM.
The admission exam takes place on a certain date for every semester. The dates can also be found on the website of the Studienkolleg.
Should you fail the exam, you can repeat it twice. Should you not attend an exam date, it will count as a fail – provided you do not inform the Studienkolleg in time via email, including your application number.
If you are assigned to the T-course, the M-course or the W-course, you also have to complete a maths test.
Learn more about the admission exam on the website of Studienkolleg
If you pass the admission exam, you can start your course at Studienkolleg, by enrolling at TUM.
The deadline for enrollment is
- October 1 for the winter semester,
- March 1 for the summer semester.
Once you receive your offer of admission, you can download the application for enrollment in your TUMonline account. You need to download it, sign it, and upload it to TUMonline together with the remaining documents for enrollment. A list of these documents will also be available in TUMonline.
Please note: Special requirements apply to graduation documents to prove your higher education entrance qualification issued by schools in China, Georgia, or Iran. Detailed information can be found in the overview of special conditions for certain countries.
As a student at Studienkolleg, you only have to pay the student union fees.
As soon as
- your application for enrollment
- and all documents for enrollment are received
- and the payment of the semester fees is confirmed,
you are enrolled as a regular student at TUM.
After 2 semesters (one year) you take the so-called Feststellungsprüfung. If you pass, you receive a subject specific higher education entrance qualification for Germany – and are free to apply for the Bachelor’s program of your choice (see step 1).
Please note: The passing of the Feststellungsprüfung does not exempt students from paying tuition fees for students from third countries at TUM.
After Studienkolleg – Application for a Bachelor's
In order to apply for a regular Bachelor’s after Studienkolleg, you need to submit a new online application within the designated application periods.
Even if you have originally applied for Studienkolleg via TUM, you need to submit a new application and upload all required documents in due time. In addition, you must also apply via uni-assist and upload all necessary documents for the application for a Preliminary Documentation (VPD) on their website.
Together with the qualification for higher education from your home country, the Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung qualifies as a subject-specific higher education entrance qualification. This means you can apply for all undergraduate programs within the range of your subject-specific qualification. The Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung is also valid as proof of your German skills, provided that German is listed as examination subject.
Your qualification for higher education from your home country (50%) + Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung (50%) = subject-specific higher education entrance qualification (100%)
The subject-specific qualification is defined by the course you take in Studienkolleg. With it, you can apply for all subjects from your area of concentration in Studienkolleg.
If you have applied for Studienkolleg via TUM, you have already chosen a degree program you are interested in pursuing after Studienkolleg. You are, however, eligible to apply for every undergraduate program with the subject-specific qualification.
Thank you for understanding that we can only assess your eligibility to apply for a certain program within the regular application process. A preliminary evaluation is not possible.
Please note: In order to study at TUM, you will need a Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung, which is valid for eligibility to study at universities and universities of applied sciences in Germany.
Your grades will be evaluated by uni-assist.
Your higher education entrance qualification consists of both the qualification for higher education from your home country and the Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung. The results from both documents will be evaluated equally.
So both the general grade average as well as the subject-specific grades the average from both documents will be considered.
To give an example:
Grade from your secondary school diploma: 2.5
Grade from the Feststellungsprüfung: 1.5
Average grade considered for the application: 2.0
After the end of the online application via TUMonline, you will receive an individual list with the documents you have to submit within the designated deadline.
Your higher education entrance qualification consists of both the documents which constitute a qualification for higher education in your home country (e.g. your secondary school diploma) and the Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung.
In addition, you will need a Preliminary Documentation (VPD), which you must apply for at uni-assist.
You can apply for an undergraduate degree program at TUM if your Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung confirms your qualification to study at German universities and universities of applied science. Also, the program you apply for has to be within the range of your subject-specific qualification.
Thank you for understanding that we can only assess your eligibility to apply for a certain program within the regular application process. A preliminary evaluation is not possible.
You also need to apply for a Preliminary Documentation (VPD) at uni-assist.
Lecture period, lecture-free days, or enrollment periods – all semester dates and deadlines at a glance.
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions.
+49 89 289 22245
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
studium@tum.de
Please observe the e-mail etiquette.
Find all the info on our services here.
Personal advising sessions with General Student Advising by appointment.
Campus Munich, Arcisstraße 21, Room 0144, 80333 München
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
(Student Information only)
