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Your path, your studies – your alternative route to higher education
Do you want to study in Germany? If you do not qualify for direct access to university, international foundation programmes (VSI) offer you a path to studying at Saarland University, provided you meet the requirements for indirect access via a higher education preparatory institute (Studienkolleg) or a subject-specific preparatory programme.
VSI programmes were developed specifically with prospective international students in mind. During the programme, you complete the prerequisites needed to begin a Bachelor's at Saarland University – even without a higher education entrance qualification. You also get all of the benefits of being a student, such as the nation-wide semester travel ticket (Deutschlandsemesterticket), access to the University Sports Center and discounted prices in the university refectories. The best part? You do not have to pay tuition fees during the international foundation programme – only the small semester fee.
Depending on the subject you would like to study, you can apply for one of three subject areas:
- MINT (German acronym for STEM)
- Business Science and Economics
- Humanities
Upon successfully completing the foundation programme, you will have a subject-specific higher education entrance qualification that permits you to study all subjects that fall under your programme's area of focus. Read the 'You pick the focus' section of this page to find out more information about the degree programmes you can study depending on the VSI programme you choose.
The international foundation programme is split into two phases:
- Preparatory phase
- Access phase
Preliminary review documentation
Before you can apply to join an international foundation programme, you will first need to obtain preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist for one of the Bachelor's degree programmes listed below. When requesting the VPD, be sure to select a degree programme in your international foundation programme's subject area. It typically takes around six weeks for uni-assist to process a VPD request.
Preliminary review documentation
Language requirements
Language requirements depend on your area of focus.
- VSI Business Science and Economics: Proof of proficiency in English (at least B1)
- VSI Humanities: Proof of proficiency in other languages, depending on your desired programme (see programme-specific requirements)
German (not required)
You do not need to speak and write German in order to apply for a place on one of our international foundation programmes, as our VSI programmes include German language courses at a range of proficiency levels from A0 to B1.2 (CEFR). In the later parts of the preparatory phase, you will take an advanced German course (B2 to C1 level) that is combined with modules specific to your subject. If you already speak German at B2 level or higher, you will take advanced German courses right from the beginning of the programme.
You pick the focus
The first step of your journey is picking the right VSI focus area for you from our three options. During the first stage of the international foundation programme you build a comprehensive basis for your future Bachelor's studies. You then have the opportunity to complete a trial period in your chosen field of study. Once you have successfully completed the trial period, you can begin your degree programme.
Note: Please note that students on a VSI international foundation programme only have access to a limited number of Bachelor's degree programmes. It is not possible to switch to an alternative degree programme even after successfully completing the VSI foundation programme.
How to apply
The application is a two-stage process:
- The first step is to request preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist that confirms that you qualify for indirect access to study at a German university.
- Once you have received your preliminary review documentation, you can apply via Saarland University's SIM portal for a place on one of the university's VSI foundation programmes.
The application periods are:
- beginning of June until 15 July (for admission in the winter semester)
- beginning of December until 15 January (for admission in the summer semester)
Required documentation
The following documents need to be submitted electronically (as scans, for example):
- Preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni-assist
- School-leaving certificate (in the original language plus an officially certified translation into German, English or French; if the original document is in German, English or French, no translation is required)
- Valid identity document or passport
- Proof of proficiency in German (if applicable)
- If applying for the foundation programme 'VSI Business Science and Economics': Proof of proficiency in English (at least B1)
If applying for the foundation programme 'VSI Humanities': Proof of proficiency in other languages (as required)
Need help?
Why should you study at Saarland University?
- High quality degree programmes: Academic quality audits are carried out at regular intervals to ensure that students continue to benefit from small-group supervision and close interaction with their teachers and supervisors.
- Promising career outlook: Students benefit from our strong ties to industry partners, whether it comes to searching for internships, organizing practice-oriented projects or founding start-ups. As an entrepreneurial university, Saarland University offers a variety of support and consultation resources for future and budding entrepreneurs.
- International atmosphere: Saarland University is a trilingual university with students and researchers from all over the world.
- Lively Campuses: Cultural and sports programmes and parties on both campuses.
- No tuition fees: For most degree programmes, students only need to pay the semester fee. Plus, the cost of living in Saarland is lower than in many other European cities.
Still have questions?
Get in touch!
Dr. Michael Aulbach
ISZ Saar (International Study Centre Saar)
Tel.: +49 681 302-2850
anmeldung-isz(at)uni-saarland.de
Not quite sure what you would like to study? The experts at the Central Student Advisory Service offer free, no-obligation consultations to prospective students.
Central Student Advisory Service
You can find more resources and information on our website for international students.
Information for International Students