Germany's Support Programs for Refugee Students: DAAD Integra and University Preparation Courses

What DAAD Integra funds

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) runs Integra as a funding program for German universities, which use the money to run German language courses and subject-specific preparation classes aimed at refugees who want to study in Germany. Universities apply for Integra funding and then deliver the courses locally, so availability depends on which universities near you run an active Integra program.

Integra courses target university-entry German, not conversational German, since the goal is to bring you to the level a German-taught Bachelor's or a Studienkolleg admission requires.

Who is eligible

Integra targets refugees and people with a residence permit tied to asylum or protection status who want to start a degree in Germany but have not yet reached the language level or document readiness to enrol directly. Requirements around your specific residence status can differ between the individual university-run courses, so confirm current eligibility directly with the international office or Integra coordinator at a participating university before you apply.

From BAMF integration course to Integra

If you arrived in Germany with little or no German, the standard starting point is a BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees) Integrationskurs, which teaches general German plus an orientation module on German society and institutions. This general course gets you to a baseline level, after which an Integra course at a university can take you further, toward the specific academic German a Studienkolleg or degree program needs.

Treat the BAMF course and the Integra course as two stages rather than substitutes for each other, since the BAMF course covers everyday German and the Integra course covers university-level academic German.

Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprufung

If your foreign school-leaving certificate does not directly qualify you for German university admission, you attend a Studienkolleg, a one-year preparatory course that ends in the Feststellungsprufung, an assessment exam. Passing this exam gives you the qualification German universities require in place of a directly recognized Abitur-equivalent certificate.

Studienkolleg courses run in subject tracks, such as technical, medical, or economics-focused, so choose the track matching your intended degree field before you apply, since switching later usually means restarting the preparation year.

What Integra covers financially

Integra funding covers the cost of the language and preparation courses themselves, delivered through the university at no separate tuition charge to you beyond what a regular Studienkolleg or preparation track would normally cost. It is not a personal living-cost scholarship, so budget separately for accommodation, health insurance, and daily expenses while you complete the course, and check with the university's social services office about any additional local support available to asylum seekers and refugees.

How to find a participating university

Not every German university runs an Integra program, so search directly on DAAD's website for current participating institutions, since the list changes as funding rounds renew. Contact the international office of a participating university directly rather than applying to DAAD centrally, since universities administer their own Integra course places and application steps.

Apply early, since course places are limited and university-run programs often set their own intake dates ahead of each academic year's Studienkolleg or Bachelor's application deadlines.

After Integra: enrolling in your degree

Once you pass your language test and, if needed, the Feststellungsprufung, you apply to the Bachelor's program itself through the normal university admission process, using your Integra or Studienkolleg certificate as proof you meet the language and qualification requirements. German public universities charge little to no tuition for a first Bachelor's degree, so your main ongoing cost from that point becomes living expenses rather than course fees.