Study opportunities for refugees

Prerequisites and required documents:

• Sufficient knowledge of German or English for the consultation (Level B2)
• Curriculum vitae (listing all schools and universities starting from primary education to higher education, including the month and year of admission and graduation. The CV should be written in tabular form without gaps).
• Secondary education qualification (original and certified German/English translation)
• Academic achievements with subjects and grades (original and certified German/English translation)
• Certificate of German language proficiency (if available)
• Current residence permit and supplementary sheet (front and reverse of both documents)
• Valid passport (copy of photo ID, if available)

Please e-mail us the required documents and tell us which degree program you would like to study: students-welcome@fau.de

After we have checked your documents, we will contact you to arrange a consultation. It may take up to two weeks to process your application.

With the exception of a small number of degree programs, German is the teaching language at FAU. Therefore, a very good knowledge of German is essential for successfully completing a degree program at our university. An overview of all the recognized language certificates.

The preparatory German course is 20 hours per week (mornings and afternoons) and is partly subsidized for refugees. Courses are held on campus in Erlangen.

Registration

Would you like register? Please e-mail us the following documents and tell us which degree program you would like to study: students-welcome@fau.de

Required documents

1. • Curriculum vitae (listing all schools and universities starting from primary education to higher education, including the month and year of admission and graduation. The CV should be written in tabular form without gaps).
   • Secondary education qualification (original and certified German/English translation)
   • Academic achievements with subjects and grades (original and certified German/English translation)
   • Certificate of German language proficiency (if available)
   • Current residence permit and supplementary sheet (front and reverse of both documents)
   • Valid passport (copy of photo ID, if available)

What happens after you register?

After we have checked your documents, we will contact you to arrange a consultation. It may take up to two weeks to process your application. Language courses are only offered if there are enough participants. A placement test will take place at the University’s Language Center before the courses begin (early April for the summer semester and early October for the winter semester). The test determines whether you are admitted to the course. The fee for the placement test is partly subsidized. Applicants do not have a legal right to a place on the course.

The online evening German courses allow you to connect and learn from home. The course schedule includes two 2-hour sessions per week for a total duration of twelve weeks.

Courses will be held in April in the summer semester (2023) and October for the winter semester (2023/24) if there is sufficient interest. Courses are funded in full by the PACT4Ukraine team, co-financed by the Bavarian Emergency Fund “Ukraine-Krise”.

Would you like to register? Please e-mail us the following documents and tell us which degree program you would like to study: students-welcome@fau.de

Required documents

1. • Curriculum vitae (listing all schools and universities starting from primary education to higher education, including the month and year of admission and graduation. The CV should be written in tabular form without gaps).
   • Secondary school leaving certificate (original and certified German/English translation if available)
   • Academic achievements with subjects and grades (original and certified German/English translation if available)
   • Certificate of German language proficiency (if available)
   • Current residence permit and supplementary sheet (front and reverse of both documents)
   • Valid passport (copy of photo ID, if available)

What happens after you register?

After we have checked your documents, we will contact you to arrange a consultation. It may take up to two weeks to process your application. Language courses are only offered if there are enough participants. A placement test will take place online before the courses begin (early April for the summer semester and early October for the winter semester). The test determines whether you are admitted to the course. The placement test is subsidized entirely. Applicants do not have a legal right to a place on the course.

Do you have a university entrance qualification already and German proficiency at level B2?

Perhaps the orientation program can give you an idea of what you would like to study? You can enroll in degree programs without admission restrictions for a maximum of two semesters to see whether a program is the right choice for you. You also have the right to take examinations during the orientation program. If you decide to enroll in a full degree program later, examinations that you have already taken can be recognized.

Prerequisites and required documents

• Applicants must meet the formal requirements for university study (the database of the Central Office For Foreign Education can help you to ascertain whether your secondary education qualification is a recognized university entrance qualification in Germany).
• Curriculum vitae (listing all schools and universities starting from primary education to higher education, including the month and year of admission and graduation. The CV should be written in tabular form without gaps).
• Secondary education qualification (original and certified German/English translation if available)
• Academic achievements with subjects and grades (original and certified German/English translation if available)
• Current residence permit and supplementary sheet (front and reverse of both documents)
• Valid passport (copy of photo ID, if available)
• Recognized certificate of German language proficiency, level B2
• An individual consultation session with the study advisors is required beforehand

How to apply

Would you like to apply? Please e-mail us the following documents and tell us which degree program you would like to study: students-welcome@fau.de

What happens after you register?

After we have checked your documents, we will contact you to arrange a consultation. It may take up to two weeks to process your application.

• Language: With the exception of a small number of degree programs, German is the teaching language at FAU. Therefore, a very good knowledge of German (Level C1/C2) is essential for successfully completing a degree program at our university.List of recognized language certificates
• University entrance qualification: FAU follows the recommendations on university entrance qualifications from the Central Office for Foreign Education .

Please refer to the list of degree programs offered at FAU:

• List of all FAU degree programs 
• Detailed information on all FAU degree programs

FAU offers a few Bachelor’s degree programs and some Master’s degree programs in English.

List of FAU degree programs taught entirely in English

The qualifications you gained from your secondary school in your home country do not necessarily entitle you to study at a German university. In many cases, international applicants have to take an assessment examination (Feststellungsprüfung) at a Studienkolleg or provide proof of previous study periods in their home country before they are admitted to the degree program. The Database of the Central Office for Foreign Education gives recommendations on the recognition of foreign qualifications and can help you to ascertain whether your secondary education qualification is a recognized university entrance qualification in Germany.

Further information on applying to a Studienkolleg

Information on the application deadlines, documents required and the application procedure

Information on certification

Information on accommodation and living costs

Tips and contacts for finding accommodation

You can find more information yourself on these websites:

• FAU list of scholarship organizations
• DAAD scholarship database

• Students who are not admitted to the University’s language course can attend a language course at a private language institute.
• Deutsche Welle offers free online language courses.
• There are also more tips for learning German on the DAAD website.

As well as individual consultations, we offer an orientation program and German courses that are partly subsidized.

Further options for Ukrainian refugees