You have a direct university entrance qualification but do not yet have sufficient German language proficiency for a program of study at a German higher education institution?
Our German language courses prepare you linguistically and thematically for the German language examination for university admission (DSH).

At JGU the application process is handled centrally and consists of two steps:

If you have submitted a German B1 CEFR certificate in the application processyou will be attending the DSH-1 course. After passing the exam at the end of the semester you will be entitled the DSH -2 course.

The course has a total of 20 SWS (12 SWS face-to-face teaching and 8 SWS self-study units) and lasts about 12 weeks.

With a German B2 CEFR certificate in the application process you will be admitted to the DSH-2 course which leads to the DSH at the end of the semester.

The course has a total of 20 SWS (12 SWS face-to-face teaching and 8 SWS self-study units) and lasts about 12 weeks.

Our German language courses prepare you for the DSH. In class, students work on actual exam tasks which are analyzed and discussed in the group together with the teachers. In addition, we cover the grammar and vocabulary of the German Academic Language (Deutsche Wissenschaftssprache /DWS) to ease the transition to a program of study in Germany. The content of lessons also covers topics that are relevant to studying and living in Germany. This will enable you to integrate socially and academically.

The lessons also train competencies and skills that are important for a program of study in Germany. You will receive additional materials to work through independently or in groups during the self-study units. Students and teachers then meet in the attendance phases to discuss results together. In this way, you will get to know the learning practice at a German university at an early stage.

Foreign applicants for a place at university who have been admitted by Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz must provide proof of the necessary German language proficiency. Proof can be provided by passing the “German Language Test for Admission to Higher Education (DSH)”.

Fall semester:

ApplicationMid-May until 15.07.
Start of lessonsMid August

Spring semester

ApplicationMid-November to January 15 of the following year
Start of lessonsMid-February
Adjunct lecturerEmail address
Marta Marciniak-Gorskimarciniak-gorski@international.uni-mainz.de
Max Helmichehelmich@uni-mainz.de
Steffen Schmidtsschmid@uni-mainz.de