The university offers a range of support for people from crisis and war zones who could not begin or had to drop out of their studies in their home country.
Refugees are welcome at the FH Dortmund. Our consultation is aimed at refugees who would like to study in Germany and are allowed to do so based on their certificates from their home country. FH Dortmund has been offering advice and German courses for refugees since November 2015. Since 2020 there is the possibility for other international students to attend the German courses.
Please also note our scholarships for enrolled international students with refugee experience.
On this page we provide current information on all offers for refugees at our university.
Video: Shape the future with Fachhochschule Dortmund
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Counceling for refugees
The International Office of the FH Dortmund offers regular consultation hours for refugees who are interested in studying or who are already enrolled and studying at the FH Dortmund. For prospective students we explain the possibilities of studying at FH Dortmund. Refugees who are enrolled and studying at FH Dortmund can ask for support and advice on subjects like financing and studying in Dortmund.
In order to guarantee good and detailed advice, prospective students are asked to email the following documents with a telephone number to fhdohilftfh-dortmundde
high school diploma,
university diploma, if you have started or completed your studies somewhere
certificates of German courses and integration courses,
work certificates.
Consultation hours
At the moment, counseling takes place via e-mail (fhdohilftfh-dortmundde), telephone (0231-91128187) and video consultation.
Open video consultation hour for prospective students with refugee background (Jennifer Bühsing): -Information will follow soon-.
Open video consultation hour for enrolled students with refugee background (Elisabeth Auinger):
German courses for refugees interested in studying
Missing language skills can be acquired within preparatory German courses at FH Dortmund. This enables a direct insight into everyday life at the university right from the start, as well as close support and supervision for prospective students with refugee background.
Since November 2015, FH Dortmund has been offering intensive German courses with 25 hours of lessons per week, which take place from 4 to 8 p.m. in the rooms of the departments of Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. The offer is aimed at refugees who would like to study in Germany and who are allowed to do so based on their previous educational biography.
Good knowledge of the German language is key to successful studies in Germany. For this reason, we offer certified German courses for prospective students with refugee background. The German course leads to the TELC C1 Hochschule exam, which prepare prospective students for their studies at a German university, and also integrate aspects of everyday student life. This special offer is part of the "NRWege ins Studium" program and is funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and awarded by the DAAD.
At what levels are the courses offered?
B2.2/ C1 incl. telc C1 university exam (duration: 6 months).
The number of participants per course is limited to a maximum of 20 people.
Requirements for participation in the preparatory German course for studies
To get a place in our German course you must meet the following requirements:
Application at the International Office digitally by mail, video appointment or phone call
successful participation in the internal placement test
Completed German course B2, integration course or higher
university entrance qualification
German course availabilty and news
Registration for a B2.2/C1 German course in the winter semester 21/22 is now open! The course will start in August 2021. Due to the Corona Pandemic there may be changes in the course start date at short notice.
How can you register on the waiting list for German courses 2020? Please contact us to register on the waiting list at fhdohilftfh-dortmundde.
What documents do you need to register? If you have never been to our office, please send us the following documents to fhdohilftfh-dortmundde and include your phone number:
High school diploma
University certificate or evidence if they have already started or completed a course of study
German course certificates or proof of integration courses
proof of work if available
If you have already been to our consultation and we have your documents, you do not need to send anything.
Welcome – Students support refugees
Since March 2016, FH Dortmund has received funding through the DAAD program "Welcome - Students support refugees".
As part of the project "Welcome - Students support refugees", student assistants within the university get involved with refugees. They conduct regularly scheduled meetings in the form of online meetings and accompany refugees who are in the process of preparing for entering university from a student perspective.
As part of the Legal Clinic, students at FH Dortmund advise refugees and our German course participants interested in studying at FH Dortmund on topics such as asylum law/residence law, asylum applications/procedures, Dublin procedures and much more.
More information about studying in Germany is provided on the DAAD website.
Legal Clinic for Migration Law FH Dortmund
Since March 2016, students of the Department of Applied Social Sciences have been advising new immigrants and refugees on a voluntary basis in connection with the courses of the "Legal Clinic" with regard to aspects of residence and social law. The counseling is offered in cooperation with the association "Hilfe für Menschen in Abschiebehaft Büren e.V.", where it also covers custodial law.
In cooperation with the Legal Clinic the International Office of FH Dortmund has integrated an additional and permanent offer for refugees interested in studying through funding from the DAAD program "Welcome - Students get involved with refugees". This offer is particularly focused on asylum law issues.
"Fit für's Studium" and "Fit for life" are weekly online meetings for participants of the FH German courses, which are organized and conducted by a student assistant. In this way, the participants are supported during their time in the German course and introduced to studying at the FH Dortmund. The goal is to facilitate the path to studying at FH Dortmund.
Peer to Peer Network
Since the winter semester 2020/21, the International Office of FH Dortmund offers a Peer to Peer network. Peer to Peer is a network for refugees who are prospective or already enrolled students at FH Dortmund. The network is designed to facilitate new friendships and contacts. Through the exchange with the already enrolled students, the prospective students get the opportunity to learn from their very personal and similar experiences on the way to their studies. At the same time, the students act as role models and can pass on their tips and advice.
The Peer to Peer project facilitates a dialogue and is intended to form a fixed and sustainable structure in the transition between study preparation and study at FH Dortmund. At the moment, the network only takes place digitally.
Montag: 09.30 bis 12.30 Uhr - Terminsprechstunde (Für diesen zeitraum müssen Sie vorher einen Termin vereinbaren)
Mittwoch: 09.30 bis 12.30 Uhr - Offene Sprechstunde (Bitte ziehen Sie eine Wartemarke im Wartebereich)
In der Zeit zwischen dem 25.04.2023 und 05.05.2023 ist das Büro nicht besetzt. Die nächste Sprechstunde findet am 10.05.2023 statt.
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