Studying in Dortmund as a refugee

As part of "NRWege ins Studium", the International Office of Fachhochschule Dortmund offers regular consultation hours for refugees who are interested in studying or are already studying at Fachhochschule Dortmund. Among other things, prospective students who have fled are explained the options for studying at the university. Refugees who are currently studying are supported during their studies and can take advantage of counseling on financing their studies and studying in Dortmund.

In order to ensure good and detailed counseling, prospective students are asked to send the following documents with a telephone number by e-mail to fhdohilftfh-dortmundde 

• from the school (school leaving certificate),
• from the university, if they have already started or completed their studies
• of the German courses and integration courses taken etc. language certificates),
• or also from work.

The documents must be submitted in the original and in English or German translation.

Attention: Please also check your spam folder after submitting a request!

Monday 9:30-12:30. An appointment must be made in advance for these consultation hours. Appointments can be made via fhdohilftfh-dortmundde.

Wednesday 9:30-12:30. You do not need to make an appointment! Please draw a waiting marker in the waiting area.

The consultation can take place in person or as a video consultation.

Please also check your spam folder after sending a request by e-mail!

Attention: Between 25.04.2023 and 05.05.2023 the office is not occupied. The next consultation will take place on 10.05.2023.

Missing language skills can be acquired as part of preparatory German courses at the university. This provides a direct insight into everyday university life from the outset as well as close support and guidance for prospective students who have fled their home country.

Fachhochschule Dortmund has been offering intensive German courses with 25 lessons per week since November 2015. The offer is aimed at refugees who would like to study in Germany and are permitted to do so based on their previous educational history.

Good German language skills are key to successful studies in Germany. For this reason, we offer certified German courses for refugees interested in studying at different levels. The preparatory German courses lead to the TELC C1 Hochschule exam, 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.

As part of the "NRWege ins Studium - Integration von Flüchtlingen an Hochschulen in Nordrhein-Westfalen" program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the International Office awards scholarships to students with refugee experience. The scholarship program is aimed at enrolled students with refugee experience who have obtained their university entrance qualification abroad and who have started, continue or wish to complete their studies at Fachhochschule Dortmund and can demonstrate good performance or progress in their studies. If your higher education entrance qualification was obtained at a Studienkolleg in Germany, the International Office will check whether you belong to the group of foreign students eligible to apply.

Financial support in the form of scholarships is intended to enable you to continue and complete your chosen course of study and ensure your academic success.

Since March 2016, Fachhochschule Dortmund has been receiving funding from the DAAD program "Welcome - Students get involved for refugees".

As part of the "Welcome - students get involved for refugees" project, student assistants at the university are committed to helping refugees. They hold regular meetings in the form of online meetings and support refugees who are preparing for and starting their studies from a student perspective.

People with refugee experience at universities can also find a lot more information about studying in Germany on the DAAD website.

"Fit for your studies" and "Fit for life" are weekly online meetings for participants of the FH German courses, which are organized and run by a student assistant. In this way, participants are supported during their time on the German course and introduced to studying at Fachhochschule Dortmund. The aim is to facilitate the path to studying at Fachhochschule Dortmund.

Since the 2020/21 winter semester, the International Office at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts has been offering a peer-to-peer network. Peer to Peer is a network for refugees who are prospective or already enrolled students at Fachhochschule Dortmund. The network aims to facilitate new, shared friendships and contacts. Through the exchange with already enrolled students, the prospective students have the opportunity to learn from their very personal and similar experiences on their way to university. At the same time, the students act as role models and can pass on their tips and advice.

The peer-to-peer project enables a dialog and is intended to form a fixed and sustainable structure in the transition between preparing for university and studying at Fachhochschule Dortmund. At the moment, the network only takes place digitally.