Language certificates
In order to study at university, your proficiency in the language used to teach the course must be very high. In Germany, courses are usually taught in German. Some courses of study are taught in English, but nevertheless may require you to be proficient in German.
Officially certified copies
Many universities require officially certified copies of your proofs of language proficiency to be sent by post to uni-assist.
This usually applies to:
- your language certificates and any other proofs of language proficiency, such as proofs of participation.
- proofs of language proficiency issued by both German and non-German institutions.
Exception: We can verify certain proofs of language proficiency online. For these, a non-certified copy of the certificate is enough. Find out below which certificates can be verified online.
In some cases, an online-only application is sufficient. Check here whether your chosen university accepts an online-only application.
German
From each university of your choice, find out what proof of proficiency in German is accepted, as well as which level of proficiency is required.
This is a certificate that attests proficiency in a language at a specific level.
All universities accept the following language certificates:
- DSH
- TestDaF (You can find notes on submitting this in our FAQs)
- Certificates issued by the Goethe-Institut
- The DSD German language diploma (“Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz”)
The required proficiency level may differ between universities and individual courses of study.
This confirms that you have taken or are taking a language class. Many universities do not accept this as proof of language proficiency.
Proof of having taken a certain number of German language class hours. Universities only rarely accept this as sole proof of language proficiency.
The confirmation of registration attests that you have signed up for a language class or language exam. This confirmation of registration is very rarely accepted as the only proof of language proficiency.
Both of these are accepted only by few universities as proof of language proficiency. In general, you will have to submit an additional language certificate.
English
From each university of your choice, find out which proofs of English proficiency are accepted and which level of proficiency is required.
Universities require a certain minimum score for the IELTS. We can verify IELTS results online. Simply upload your certificate (IELTS Test Report Form) to your My assist account.
There are 3 different types of TOEFL. Universities require a minimum score for each of them. We can verify TOEFL results online. Simply upload the Test Taker Score Report to your My assist account.
You can submit the following documents as evidence:
A Degree certificate or transcript of records which confirms that English was the language of instruction during your studies
Written confirmation from your university that English was the language of instruction
A link to the page of your university’s website that confirms that English is the language of instruction of your degree programme. An upload to your My assist account is sufficient. Important: We must be able to copy the link. Please do not upload screenshots of links!
uni-assist can verify the Cambridge English language certificates FCE, CAE, and CPE online. Simply upload your certificate to your My assist account within the application deadline. A certified copy is not required. Important: Your certificate must show the Statement of Results Number.
Other languages
For some courses (such as courses of study with an international focus), proficiencies in other languages may be required. From each university of your choice, find out what proofs of proficiency are accepted and which level of proficiency is required.
