Studying in Germany – soon without tuition fees again

The tuition fees in many countries are immense and continue to rise. In February tens of thousands of university students in England demonstrated against a court judgment that allows universities to charge up to £ 9000 in tuition fees (www.spiegel.de, 18th February 2012). In countries like Canada, the USA, Chile, Switzerland, and Austria many students are also protesting against tuition fees. From the fall of 2012 onwards, studies in Germany will be free of charge in 14 states again, making it even more attractive. The German universities are looking forward to the rush of new students.

However, most of the future foreign students in Germany have to pass a German test before their studies. That can either be a DSH exam at the university in question, with many of the German universities offering preparatory classes lasting one to two semesters, or alternatively the TestDaF exam. The TestDaF exam can already be taken in the native country at a Goethe Institute or any other licensed exam center, and is accepted at most German universities, and universities of applied sciences. With a passing grade in the TestDaF exam (most universities demand at least grade 4 in all parts of the exam: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written expression, and oral expression) and an accredited high school diploma, those who are interested can begin their studies at once, saving the cost of at least one expensive semester abroad.

TestDaF is a centralized exam, which is offered worldwide, six times a year. The variation in the topics and exercises of the TestDaF exams is rather limited, which means it can be prepared very well. Klett, Langenscheidt, Fabouda, and Hueber offer exam preparation materials, Hueber even published six model exams licensed by the TestDaF exam board.
But many times self-studies alone do not produce the desired result. It is advisable to prepare the exam at a language institute, like e.g. the Goethe Institutes, at DUO (DeutschUniOnline), or at GERON (german-learning-online.de). DUO and GERON offer online classes which can be taken in the native country. GERON offers the advantage of all classes being taught by an experienced native speaker of German. The course participants study in small groups (up to four participants) in face-to-face Skype conversations. Future students can take entire exam preparation classes at GERON, or focus their training on individual skills and exam modules. For more information go to www.german-learning-online.de.