I’m from America and speak some German (A2 level, if you’re wondering), but not enough to take four years of college solely in the language. I’ve heard of Freie (which doesn’t have any undergraduate majors I enjoy) and Berlin International (which costs almost 10k a year). I was wondering if there were any (free or cheaper) universities in Germany that have majors in graphic design, business, advertising/marketing, or communications for undergraduate students?
Also, can anyone who has studied abroad (either in Germany or other similar countries) for college tell me how their experience has been? I know it’s cheaper to study, but is there any major issues?
to search for study programs in Germany. You can select by major, degree and language taught. There are a number of Bachelor degree programs that are taught in English, but those require sometimes a tuition fee. Also, compared to US undergraduate programs, colleges in Germany are more focused around a specific major and somewhat less flexible in terms of being able to mix and match various interests. The net cost to study in Germany including tuition fees, housing and travel can be close to what one would pay at an instate public college. The goal of saving costs might not be worth the trouble of studying overseas.
Admission to German public universities system can be difficult because Germany does not accept the US high school diploma without specific additional credentials. For details see:
It is obligatory for your High School Diploma*) to be acquired after continuous attendance of the classes 9 to 12 at a US High School and to comprise a total of 16 “academic units” in the forms 9 to 12:
4 units (3 units are sufficient for 11 forms) English with a minimum grade C: English IV or Honors or AP English,
2 units Second Language,
3 units Social Studies,
5 units in total Mathematics and Science:
2 or 3 units Mathematics with a minimum grade C: Algebra II or Trigonometry and Precalculus,
2 or 3 units Science with a minimum grade C: Biology, Chemistry or Physics,
2 academic units free to choose.
Additional requirements are a IB diploma or 4-5 AP tests in calculus, English, another foreign language, a science and a humanities. Without meeting IB or AP requirements one need to first enter one year of preparatory courses, http://www.studienkollegs.de/home.html , and pass the assessment examination.
There are quite a few universities in Germany, Norway and Finland that offer free tuition to international students. However, only select majors (I.e. engineering) are offered in English.
I studied overseas in a neighboring country (also in German) and the system has changed a lot in Europe. I’ve looked into it quite a bit for my daughter who would like to attend university in Germany as well. The different universities have different admission requirements and also different programs for foreign students who don’t have B2 proficiency so you will have to look at them each individually. Congrats on your A2 proficiency and I encourage you to start googling and searching until you find the right place. Can you beef up your German in the meantime?