Courses at the Studienkolleg
Overview
- Who is allowed/required to attend a Studienkolleg?
- How to apply?
- What courses are offered?
- When and where do the courses take place?
- Who do I contact with questions?
- What do our former students say?
1. Who is allowed/required to attend a Studienkolleg?
- Prospective students with a foreign indirect university entrance qualification ("HZB"), i.e. without direct university access
2. How to apply?
Please note:
- You cannot apply directly at the Studienkolleg Heidelberg.
- The application procedure varies depending on - amongst other factors - your nationality.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (A) Foreign Applicants (with non-EU/EEA nationalities) |
(1) You apply at a university in Baden-Württemberg for admission to a degree programme.
(2) As part of your application, you request admission to a Studienkolleg.
Links to the websites of the universities of Baden-Württemberg are available →here (German language only).
It is the university you apply to, not the Studienkolleg Heidelberg, which assesses your application documents before sending you either a notice of admission or rejection by post.
If you receive a notice of admission (“Zulassungsbescheid”) and are required to pass an →Assessment Examination (“Feststellungsprüfung”) before starting university studies, the university will automatically assign you to the corresponding Studienkolleg and a fitting subject-specific core course (see →below). In this case, your notice of admission will comprise an official invitation to the entrance examination at the respective Studienkolleg.
Please note that in the following cases, for non-German applicants, the corresponding Studienkolleg is typically a Studienkolleg other than the Studienkolleg Heidelberg:
- if you apply to a university based outside the State of Baden-Württemberg (→overview)
- if you apply to a University of Applied Sciences (“Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften” / “Fachhochschule”) in Baden-Württemberg (→Studienkolleg of Hochschule Konstanz, University of Applied Sciences)
- if you apply to the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology or Stuttgart University for a place in certain technically oriented degree programmes (→Studienkolleg of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
![]() (B) German applicants |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() (C) Foreign applicants with EU/EEA nationalities |
Do you intend to apply for a place in a degree programme at Heidelberg University?
Detailed information on the application procedure can be obtained from the →website of Heidelberg University.
A subject catalogue featuring all the degree programmes offered at Heidelberg University is available →here. The column "Studienkolleg course" tells you which of the subject-specific core courses at Studienkollegs will correspond to the given degree programme. If the column "start of programme" says only "WS", this means that applications for this programme can only be accepted for a winter semester, not for a summer semester.
3. What courses are offered?
The preparation for the →Assessment Examination (“Feststellungsprüfung”) at the Studienkolleg Heidelberg usually comprises two semesters. The following subject-specific core courses (“Schwerpunktkurse”) are taught:
Core Course G
(→examination subjects
and syllabi)
preparation for German studies ("Germanistik”), humanities1, arts1, and related
programmes
1 alternatively Core Course S
Core Course M (→examination
subjects and syllabi)
preparation for: medical and biological programmes, such as medicine, pharmacy, biology,
agricultural science, forestry science, sports science,
and related programmes
Core Course S (→examination
subjects and syllabi)
preparation for languages (except for German studies), historical
sciences1, law2, social sciences2, and related programmes
1 alternatively Core Course G
2
alternatively Core Course W
Core Course T (→examination
subjects and syllabi)
preparation for technical, mathematical, and science-oriented
programmes, such as architecture, civil engineering,
chemistry, chemical engineering,
vocational school teacher (“Diplom-Gewerbelehrer”),
electrical engineering, geology, geoecology,
computer science, infonomics, food technology,
mechanical engineering, mathematics,
mineralogy, physics, technical biology, engineering
mathematics,
geodesy, economics1 (technically oriented), business administration1 (technically
oriented), mathematical economics1,
engineering management1, business informatics1, and related programmes
1 alternatively Core Course W
Core Course W (→examination
subjects and syllabi)
preparation for programmes in the
fields of economics or administration,
such as business
administration, economics, economic pedagogy, public
administration/management1,
and related programmes
1 alternatively Core
Course S
1st semester
- 20 hours per week of German language instruction as preparation for the Assessment Examination in German + 12 to 16 hours per week for the other, course-specific subjects
- At the end of the first semester, students usually take the Assessment Examination in German.
2nd semester
- Preparation for the Assessment Examination in the course-specific subjects, approx. 30 hours per week in each core course (G, M, S, T, W)
- At the end of the second semester, students take the Assessment Examination in the course-specific examination subjects.
4. When and where do the courses take place?
|
4.1 Dates |
For the core courses, the →lecture periods at Heidelberg University apply:
- October - February (winter semester)
- April - July (summer semester)
As a rule, the →Entrance Examination is held one week before the beginning of the lecture period.
Changes due
to the coronavirus: Please regularly check our →homepage for announcements of new dates and further information! |
☀ Dates for the summer semester 2022 | ||||
obligatory →Entrance Examination | Mon, | Apr 11 2022 | 08:30 am | Neue Universität, lecture halls |
announcement of the examination results | Wed, | Apr 13 2022 | 08:00 pm | →online |
beginning of classes 2nd-semester courses |
Wed, | Apr 20 2022 | 08:00 am | Studienkolleg building |
beginning of classes 1st-semester courses |
Thu, | Apr 21 2022 | 08:30 am | Studienkolleg building |
→Dates for the Assessment Examination | ||||
final day of classes | Tue, | Aug 02 2022 | Studienkolleg building |
❄ Dates for the winter semester 2022-23 | ||||
obligatory →Entrance Examination | Mon, | Oct 10 2022 | 08:30 am | Neue Universität, lecture halls |
announcement of the examination results | Wed, | Oct 12 2022 | 03:00 pm | →online |
first day of classes 2nd-semester courses |
Mon, | Oct 17 2022 | 08:00 am | Studienkolleg building |
first day of classes 1st-semester courses |
Tue, | Oct 18 2022 | 08:30 am | Studienkolleg building, great hall |
no classes | Dec 22 2022 to Jan 06 2023 | |||
→Dates for the Assessment Examination | ||||
final day of classes | Fri, | Feb 17 2023 | Studienkolleg building |
|
4.2 Class times |
Classes take place from Monday and Friday from 8:00 am to 3:15pm, sometimes to 5:00 pm.
|
4.3 Location |
All the courses take place in the Studienkolleg building, Im Neuenheimer Feld 684 (→map).
5. Who do I contact with questions?
If you have any questions about the application procedures or the Studienkolleg, please contact the service portal of Heidelberg University: Phone: +49 (0)6221 - 54-5454 E-mail: studium@uni-heidelberg.de |
6. What do our former students say?
Original e-mail feedback (courtesy of the former student):Ich habe im Jahr 2020 an dem Studienkolleg studiert. Ich wollte mich bei Ihnen für die Kenntnisse und Fähigkeiten, die Sie mir beigebracht haben, bedanken. Ich studiere jetzt allgemeine Biologie am KIT und meine Kenntnisse aus dem Studienkolleg helfen mir bei Prüfungen und Praktika.
I studied at the Studienkolleg in 2022. I would like to thank you for all the knowledge and the skills you taught me. I now studying General Biology at KIT [= Karlsruhe Institute of Technology], and my knowledge from Studienkolleg helps with my exams and practical courses.
