German courses in Germany

Count on 4–8 weeks per level in an intensive course. One Unterrichtseinheit (UE, teaching unit) is 45 minutes, and an intensive course usually comes to 20–25 UE per week. Most learners need around 14–18 months to get from zero to B2 — considerably less with a full-time intensive course in Germany. How fast it goes depends heavily on which languages you already speak and how much you practise outside class.

That depends on your goal. For a degree at a German university, TestDaF and DSH are what count; both are recognised by universities, although the DSH is usually set by the university itself. telc exams are geared towards work and residence and are widely accepted by the authorities. The Goethe-Zertifikat is the best known internationally and therefore strong for applications abroad. Before you register, find out which exam your target university or authority requires — switching exams afterwards costs time and fees.

Integrationskurse are aimed at people who live in Germany permanently — depending on your residence title you may have an entitlement, an obligation, or the option of being admitted on application. The course comprises 600–900 UE of language teaching plus an orientation course and ends with the “Leben in Deutschland” test and the DTZ exam. If you are entering the country for a limited language course only, you are generally not in the target group and take an intensive course at a private school instead.

For the language course visa under § 16f AufenthG you have to show a course with at least 18 UE per week. Most intensive courses are well above that at 20–25 UE. The German mission abroad also requires proof of funding, usually via a Sperrkonto (blocked account): €992 per month for a study-preparatory language course, €1,091 per month for any other language course (2026 figures).

That depends on the course type. Integrationskurse and exam preparation courses run as closed groups — there you join at the beginning of a Modul (module), otherwise you never catch up. General intensive courses, on the other hand, start every month at many schools, some even every Monday, because they are split into weekly modules. When you register, ask explicitly about the next regular start date for your level, not just about the next free place: joining in the middle of a Modul is often possible, but you then usually pay for the whole module and have missed its first weeks.

For getting started and for brushing up, online works well and is usually cheaper. Two limitations are worth knowing: the language course visa normally requires classroom teaching, and the everyday advantage of a course in Germany — using German outside the classroom — disappears online. Many learners combine the two: prepare online up to A1/A2, then continue on site in an intensive course.