Language of study in Europe

Most programmes are taught in German. Universities usually require a level equivalent to the DSH-2 exam. The University of Bonn, for example, accepts these as equivalent:

• TestDaF with TDN 4 in all four sections,
• the Goethe-Zertifikat C2 and telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule,
• the German Language Certificate (DSD II) and the Austrian ÖSD C2.

You take the DSH at a university in Germany, while TestDaF is offered at more than 500 test centres in 100 countries, also in a digital version. If your programme is taught entirely in English, you usually don't need to prove your German.

In the 2025/26 winter semester there were 2,383 programmes taught in English (10.6% of all programmes), but most of them at master's level: 1,944 compared with 439 at bachelor's level. For these you will usually need IELTS or TOEFL. You can search for them in the DAAD International Programmes database.

German universities with programmes taught in English