German Language Requirements for Nepali Students: DSH, TestDaF, IELTS and TOEFL

Whether you need German for a degree in Germany comes down to one line in the programme description: the language of instruction. If it says English, the university will usually ask for an English test and no German at all. If it says German, you need a certificate at roughly C1 level by the time you enrol, and only certain certificates count. Below: which ones, what the Kathmandu Embassy accepts for the visa, and where the gaps between those two sets of rules lie.

Do you need German to study in Germany?

Not for an English-taught degree. Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences is typical: its guide for international applicants says you need no German certificate when the programme is taught in English. But English-taught programmes are the minority: about nine in ten programmes in Germany have German as their main language, according to HRK figures for winter semester 2025/26. German becomes unavoidable in three situations:

• You choose a German-taught programme. Then you need one of the certificates in the next section.
• You take the Studienkolleg route after Class 12. German is the teaching language at most Studienkollegs, according to DAAD, so you need solid German before you start; see our Studienkolleg guide.
• You want to work while you study. No law requires it, but your German level decides which part-time jobs are open to you.

The German certificates universities accept

The rules come from the RO-DT, a framework agreed by the German Rectors' Conference and the education ministers of the states. It lists the exams that prove you can study in German and the result each one needs for unrestricted admission:

Notice what is missing: Goethe-Zertifikat C1. The framework allows universities to set extra rules, so some may accept it, but you cannot assume so. Hochschule Darmstadt, for instance, lists Goethe C2 and not C1 among the certificates it takes for enrolment.

Applying and enrolling are two different thresholds

Many universities let you apply with B2 and expect C1-level proof before enrolment. Hochschule Darmstadt sets out both levels on its German requirements page:

At h_da the higher certificate is due by 31 March or 30 September, depending on the semester. If you plan to close the gap from B2 to C1 in Germany, that date is your deadline, and your admission letter will tell you what happens if you miss it. Check the wording for every programme on your list; universities differ.

What the Kathmandu Embassy accepts for the visa

The visa check runs separately from university admission. For study visas, the Embassy recognises German certificates only from Goethe Center Kathmandu, the VHS centres in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Pokhara, or telc. Its national visa page also lists IISC Study Hub and ECL, accepts the DSH, and allows exam modules from different recognised providers to be combined. Two practical consequences follow:

• A certificate from an institute that is not on those lists may teach you German well, but it will not count at the visa counter.
• The certificate has to be in your file when you submit the application, because the Embassy does not accept it later. Schedule your exam so the result is out well before your appointment.

Our guide to the German Embassy Kathmandu visa process covers the rest of the file.

How long it takes to reach C1 from zero

Plan in courses, not months. At Goethe-Zentrum Kathmandu an intensive course lasts 9 weeks per level, and B2 and C1 are each split into two 9-week parts. Going from A1 to C1 therefore means seven courses and 63 weeks of class time, before any wait between registration rounds. Fees, schedules and how to get a seat are in our Goethe-Zentrum Kathmandu guide, and self-study and online options are covered in how to learn German before moving to Germany.

IELTS and TOEFL for English-taught programmes

Germany has no national IELTS or TOEFL minimum. Each programme sets its own score and its own list of accepted tests, and some refuse a medium-of-instruction letter from a Nepali college as a substitute. The Embassy's checklist lists an English certificate such as TOEFL or IELTS only "if necessary", and the score itself is the university's decision. Real examples are in our guide to English-taught programmes.