The Academic German Semester is a programme for international students planning to study for a university degree in Germany. To be admitted to a German university, certain language skills are required by law. With the Academic German Semester, students with prior knowledge of the German langugage (intermediate level) can aquire these skills within only six months. The Academic German Semester has 20 places each year.
To be admitted to the programme you need to send us a letter of motivation either in German or English, describing your reasons and your plans for studying in Germany, and why you chose the University of Passau in particular. You should also indicate whether you fulfil the eligibility criteria (i.e. the entry qualifications) for a degree programme in Germany, other than the German language proficiency requirement.
Application start for the AGS 2025: 01.10.2024
You should attach or enclose the following documents:
You may submit a paper-based application or apply by e-mail.
Please send your full application by post to:
University of Passau
German Courses Passau
Innstr. 40
94030 Passau
Germany
If you wish to apply by e-mail, please ensure that you attach all of the above document scans in a single pdf file. The filename should be: Family name_Given name_AGS25
Send your application by email to following address:
info-gcp@uni-passau.de
If you have offered a place on the AGS programme and fulfil the university entrance requirements, you will receive a registration form. Please fill this in and send it back for a binding registration. You are only fully registered for the programme – and have a right to the place offered – after:
Documents that are written in a language not offered by the Language Centre should be accompanied by a certified German translation (please see bottom of page for an explanation of what constitutes a certified copy and a certified translation). In general, you do not need to provide translations for certificates issued in the following languages: Chinese, Czech, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Polish, Thai or Vietnamese.
However, we may still request a certified translation after issuing a conditional offer for a place on the programme under certain circumstances.
Available places will be allocated in the order in which the registrations and payments are received. We therefore recommend that you make payment as early as possible, as places on the programme are strictly limited.
We reserve the right to retain your advance payment to cover our costs if you decide to cancel your reservation after 1 February. If you are unable to participate in the programme for reasons beyond your control (e.g. if you are denied a visa by the German immigration authorities), we will refund your payment less the bank charges for the bank transfer.
We will stop taking applications and registrations as soon as all places on the programme have been filled and notify all those who have been offered a place on the programme. Otherwise the closing date for registrations is 31 January: your payment and the completed registration form must reach us on or before that date. Applications and payments received after the e-mail notification or after the closing date will not be considered. Any payments received after that date will be refunded less the bank charges incurred.
Once the university has received your payment and registration sheet, we will send you an official confirmation of your admission to the language programme Academic German Semester which is important for your visa application.
The remaining course fee (1,500.00 Euro) has to be paid before the course starts.
International students coming to Germany must abide by certain additional laws and regulations – for more information, please turn to the web pages of the International Office.
All other information pertaining to your stay in Passau, the programme and the support we provide during the courses will be sent to you at the end of the admission process.
Successful participation in our language courses does not automatically enable you to enrol in a degree programme at the University of Passau! It is important that you read up on the academic and language requirements for joining your desired degree programme beforehand. Please also note the detailed information on how to apply and which documents to enclose at www.uni-passau.de/en/apply.
The Anabin website (only available in German) provides details on whether your qualifications are recognised as equivalent to a German university entrance qualification. If your qualifications are equivalent, you may apply directly to a place at the University of Passau or other German higher education institution. If you have any questions concerning university entrance qualifications or the degree programme offered by the University of Passau, please contact the Academic Advice Service.
If your qualifications do not equate to a German university entrance qualification, you may have to complete a one-year bridge course at a Studienkolleg (further education college for international applicants) and successfully complete their final examination (called 'Feststellungsprüfung') before you can apply for a place on a degree programme. The Studienkolleg is generally free of charge. However, please note that you will not be able to complete this course in Passau, as the relevant Studienkolleg is located in Munich.
