Language entrance requirements

General information

In order to start studies at our University, you have to meet the German language requirements and, if the desired degree programme is not taught in German, the foreign language requirements; these requirements are a necessary prerequisite for enrolment stipulated by Enrolment Regulations of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt.

The proof of having passed the German language exam or required English language skills must be submitted by the time of enrolment at the latest (end of September for the winter semester or beginning of March for the summer semester). Please refer to the Enrolment Regulations of THWS for more information.

Required German language skills

Applicants who acquired their higher education entrance qualification at non-German speaking institutions, must submit proof of their German language skills thus their aptitude to enter the respective degree programme.

In general, the following German language exams/certificates are recognised at the required levels:

• DSH examination (German language exam for admission to a higher education institution)
• TestDaF (examination for German as a Foreign Language for international applicants)
• German section of the examination of the “Special University Admissions Procedures for Foreign Students” (Feststellungsprüfung) at a “Studienkolleg”
• German language diploma of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (DSD)
• Proof of German language skills that have been recognised by bilateral agreements or other agreements concluded by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (KMK) and German Rectors' Conference (HRK) as sufficient proof of language proficiency for admission to higher education studies
• Goethe Institute language certificate
• German language examination at the Sprachen & Dolmetscher Institut München (SDI)
• Telc certificate
• UNIcert® certificate
• Certificates obtained at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
• Austrian language diploma German (ÖSD)

Recognised exams/certificates for German by entrance requirements

Different language entrance requirements apply for the different degree programmes. For information about specific degree programmes, please refer to the overview of language entrance requirements for each degree programme. Depending on the required language level, the following exams and certificates are recognised in particular.

Required English language skills

For enrolment in a non-German-speaking degree programme, English language skills at least at level B2 must be proven as a rule.

At our university, proof of English language proficiency at level B2 is accepted, in particular, through the following language examinations and levels:

• Valid TOEFL IBT® test result of at least 83 points (internet-based)
• Valid IELTS test with at least 6.0 points
• Cambridge First Certificate in English (FCE) or Cambridge B2 First, minimum grade C
• Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge C1 Advanced, minimum level B2
• UNIcert® Certificate, minimum level II (UniCert® II)
• English language certificates at the minimum level B2 obtained at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt

Please note that English language proficiency at a different level is required for some degree programmes. For more information, please refer to the overview of language entrance requirements.

These requirements do not apply for native speakers or for applicants who have obtained an English language school-leaving or academic qualification. In these cases, a document from the school or higher education institution certifying that the degree was obtained in English is sufficient.

For applicants with a German school leaving certificate the following applies: Level B2 is recognised,

• if the certificate of the general higher education entrance qualification shows at least the grade "sufficient" in the continued foreign language (i.e. in the first or second foreign language of the German Gymnasium or at the corresponding level of another typoe of school leading to the general higher education entrance qualification) or
• if the certificate of the higher education entrance qualification of a public or state-recognised German Fachoberschule or Berufsoberschule shows at least the grade "sufficient" in the relevant language.

If you apply with a language certificate that is not listed here or does not show the required level, your certificate will be evaluated after your applitaion. If it cannot be accepted, you will find a corresponding note in our THWS CampusPortal.