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Study opportunities for refugees from Ukraine

Information about the study programme

First, please find out whether Goethe University offers your study programme of choice. In the overview of all study programmes offered at Goethe University, you can find information on all undergraduate (Bachelor, Staatsexamen = “Grundständige Studiengänge") and Master degree courses. For more information regarding the content and requirements of the degree programme, click on the title of the degree programme or on "anzeigen". The Central Student AdvisoryService can help with additional information on individual degree programmes.

Please note: Goethe University does not offer undergraduate degree programmes entirely in English. For all undergraduate degree programmes you need German language skills at DSH-2 level. A few Master degree programmes are offered exclusively in English, e.g. in Economics or Cultural Studies.

Please note: Learning German at degree level takes quite a long time. If you have no or few German language skills, it takes at least 1.5 years on average to reach a C1 level of German. Therefore, an English-language degree programme might be a better option, if you have a good command of English. This can speed up the time until you can start studying, while you learn German alongside your studies. Other EU countries offer more degree programmes (e.g. also medicine) in English.

Goethe University does not offer any degree programmes in engineering. If you are interested in studying engineering, please contact a different university, e.g. Frankfurt University of AppliedSciences or Technical University of Darmstadt.

The search engine on the website www.hochschulkompass.de can find degree programmes throughout Germany. You can filter, for example, according to the desired study language or the place / federal state, etc.

Study options

Studienkolleg

If you have a Ukrainian school-leaving certificate after completing eleventh grade ("Svidoctvo pro zdobuttja povnoji zahal'noji serednoji osvity") and have not yet studied, you must first attend the Studienkolleg preparatory course in Germany before you can commence your studies. To apply for the Studienkolleg, you need at least a B1 German certificate. Since there are significantly more applicants than number of available places in the course, there is an entrance exam. The better the German language skills, the better the chances of receiving placement.

Undergraduate studies

If you have a Ukrainian school-leaving certificate after completing eleventh grade ("Svidoctvo pro zdobuttja povnoji zahal'noji serednoji osvity") and have already successfully studied at least two semesters, you can commence studies directly in Germany, but only your previous or a related subject. A change of subject, for example, from history to mathematics is only possible after attending the Studienkolleg (see above).

Visiting students

If you have a Ukrainian school-leaving certificate after completing eleventh grade and were close to completing your studies in the Ukraine (maximum of two missing semesters), you can apply as a guest student. The prerequisite is that the Ukrainian home university is still functional to the extent that it can award the degree. In addition, a lecturer in the respective department at Goethe University must be responsible for guidance and supervision. Since some degree programmes also offer courses in English, German language skills are not necessarily required. Further information is available from the Global Office.

Master

If you have a Ukrainian Bachelor's degree (usually after 4 years of study) from a recognised university, you can apply for a Master's programme in Germany. At Goethe University, only a few Master programmes are offered exclusively in English language, e.g. in the field of economics or cultural studies. For all other Master programmes, German language skills at DSH-2 level are required. If you already have German language proficiency, you can directly apply for the programme. Please note the respective application deadlines. Some degree programmes only start in the winter semester, so you may have to wait a semester before you can begin your studies.

Academic Welcome Program

The "Academic Welcome Program (AWP) for highly qualified refugees" offers free German language courses for refugees with university entrance qualifications. German courses from level B1 to C1 are offered. The application process runs through uni-assist.

Doctorate

If you have a Ukrainian Master's degree (usually after 2 years of study) from a recognised university, you can apply for a doctorate in Germany. Basically, there are two different models of doctoral studies: an individual doctorate that is not integrated into a programme ("apprenticeship model" or also "traditional doctorate") and a doctorate within a structured programme. For the individual doctorate, you must first find your own supervisor at Goethe University.

Information for third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine

For third-country nationals who have fled Ukraine, the regular application procedure for international students applies. To enroll at Goethe University, you need German language skills in most cases. There are only a few exceptions for English-language Master programmes. If you have any questions about the application process, please contact the applicant counselling service.

According to the current legal situation, third-country nationals who had a student visa in Ukraine have to apply for a German student visa or another residence status in Germany. For more information on the requirements for a student visa, please visit: https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/plan-your-studies/visas/