TestDaF vs DSH: which German certificate you need to study in Germany and Austria

To study in German in Germany or Austria you have to prove your German, and not every certificate counts everywhere. Germany has one shared framework under which TestDaF and DSH work at any university; every other exam depends on the individual university's list. The Vienna universities keep lists of their own, and Austria has no TestDaF centre at all. So settle where you are applying first and pick the exam second. That decides whether the Goethe or ÖSD certificate you already know about will do.

TestDaF and DSH under the German framework RO-DT

The language exams for study in Germany are governed by the RO-DT, a framework adopted by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and the conference of education ministers (KMK). It recognises four routes: the DSH, the TestDaF, the German part of the Studienkolleg's final assessment, and the DSD II. The DSD II is a free school exam taken by pupils at schools abroad.¹

The DSH, Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, is set by the university itself. A DSH-2 result opens every programme, although a university may set special language requirements for a particular programme. DSH-2 needs at least 67 % in both the written and the oral part. DSH-1, from 57 %, counts only where a university allows it, and an admission based on it binds no other university.¹

The TestDaF, Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache, grades four parts in levels called TDN. TDN 4 in each of the four parts admits to every programme, with the same caveat about a programme's special requirements, and TDN 5 is already above the level admission requires.¹

How TestDaF and DSH differ in practice

The TestDaF runs at about 550 test centres in 100 countries, so you can take it before you move. The digital version is sat on a computer at a test centre. In Germany it costs €210, the paper version €215, and other countries pay prices set for three country groups. Every German university recognises the TestDaF certificate.^2·3

The DSH is taken in Germany. Each university sets its own dates, retakes and fee: according to Uni Hamburg, the DSH costs between €0 and €250 depending on the university, and external candidates in Hamburg pay €150. Of the two exams, only the TestDaF can be taken outside Germany.^4·5

If you are applying to Vienna, note that Austria has no TestDaF centre at all. On 9 November 2026 the g.a.s.t. centre search returned an empty list for Austria, against 343 centres in Germany, 15 in Poland and 2 in Switzerland. For the TestDaF you travel to a neighbouring country.⁶

Certificates that replace TestDaF and DSH

Without TestDaF or DSH, you can enter any German university with the Goethe-Zertifikat C2, the ÖSD C2 or telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule. It has to be the Hochschule version: telc says it is recognised by resolutions of both HRK and KMK, while the general telc Deutsch C1 is not on this list.^1·7

Goethe C1 and ÖSD C1 are not on the general list either. The DAAD writes that some programmes also accept Goethe and ÖSD certificates at B2 and C1; that is the individual university's decision.⁴

Three universities show how far the lists drift apart. Uni Hamburg takes Goethe C1, ÖSD C1 and even the general telc C1, and accepts a TestDaF total of TDN 15 with one part at level 3. TU Munich lists only the C2 certificates from Goethe and ÖSD. Uni Mannheim accepts ÖSD from C1, but of the current Goethe certificates only C2.^5·8·9

The application service uni-assist advises checking each university separately, because the accepted level varies between universities and even between programmes.¹⁰

TestDaF, DSH-2, telc C1 Hochschule and DSD II work for Germany and for Vienna alike. Goethe C1 and ÖSD C1 work in Vienna, but in Germany only at universities that name them.

German certificates for Uni Wien, TU Wien and WU

The University of Vienna asks for German at A2 when you apply and C1 by the time you are admitted.¹¹

For C1 it accepts the ÖSD Zertifikat C1, the Goethe-Zertifikat C1, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, DSH-2, DSD II, the TestDaF with TDN 4 in all parts, the C1/2 exam of its own language centre and the ÖIF-Test C1. The certificate may be at most three years old on the day you apply. Besides these certificates, the only proofs it accepts, without time limit, are a school-leaving certificate from a German-language school, a degree of at least three years taught in German and the Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch. Applicants whose first language is German upload a signed declaration (eidesstattliche Erklärung) instead.¹¹

TU Wien has nearly the same list but wants the DSD II with C1 in every part, and its proof is valid for two years from the exam date. WU takes ÖSD C1, Goethe C1, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH-2, DSD II and TestDaF, each for three years from the exam date. The deadlines are covered in detail in how long a German certificate is valid.^12·13

The general telc Deutsch C1 is on none of the three lists. None of the three pages names Goethe C2 or ÖSD C2 either, so with one of those write to the admissions office before you apply. For other Austrian universities, ÖSD says only that its C1 is accepted at some of them and points to each university's admissions office.¹⁴

Starting in Vienna without a C1 certificate

You can apply to the University of Vienna with A2 and reach C1 in a German course of the Vorstudienlehrgang, the university preparation programme. Applicants who finished school in Bangladesh, India or Pakistan must also take the online placement test onSET when they apply.¹¹

Once admitted to the Vorstudienlehrgang, you can prove German at the University of Vienna and TU Wien only with its own exam, the Ergänzungsprüfung Deutsch. Switching to ÖSD or Goethe is not possible. TU Wien warns that quitting the course to pass German elsewhere can cost you your student visa.^11·12

If your German is already at C1 but you hold none of the listed certificates, TU Wien offers another route. You register only for the C1 exam at the Vorstudienlehrgang and pay the exam fee, without attending the course.¹²

WU gives places in the German course only to future bachelor's students of Business Law or Business, Economics and Social Sciences, for at most four semesters. It offers no such course for master's or doctoral students.¹³

Choosing between TestDaF, DSH and a C1 certificate

If you apply both in Germany and in Vienna, take an exam from the top rows of the table: TestDaF, DSH-2 or telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule. For Vienna alone, Goethe C1, ÖSD C1 and telc C1 Hochschule all work. For a single German university, its own list decides whether Goethe C1 is on it. How the three exams differ task by task is in the Goethe, ÖSD and telc comparison.

The pass marks differ. Goethe C1 passes each module from 60 of 100 points. ÖSD C1 needs 42 of 70 points in the written part and 18 of 30 in the oral part, plus minimums on single tasks. telc C1 Hochschule needs at least 128 points, with at least 99 written and 29 oral. More in how many points you need to pass a German exam, and the Goethe exam itself is described in the Goethe-Zertifikat C1 article.^7·15·16

Источники

· 16 проверены 08.11.2026

1. 1Rahmenordnung über Deutsche Sprachprüfungen für das Studium an deutschen Hochschulen (RO-DT), HRK und KMK
2. 2TestDaF: FAQ allgemein, g.a.s.t.
3. 3Verifikation von TestDaF-Zertifikaten, g.a.s.t.
4. 4Die deutsche Sprache, DAAD
5. 5Deutschkenntnisse, Universität Hamburg
6. 6TestDaF-Prüfungszentren nach Land, Österreich, g.a.s.t.
7. 7telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule: Übungstest 1, telc gGmbH
8. 8Sprachnachweise, Technische Universität München
9. 9Nachweis Deutschkenntnisse C1, Universität Mannheim
10. 10Sprach-Zertifikate, uni-assist
11. 11Deutschkenntnisse, Universität Wien, Aufnahmeverfahren
12. 12Competence in German, TU Wien
13. 13Sprachnachweise, WU Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien
14. 14ÖSD-Prüfungen, Sprachenzentrum der Universität Wien
15. 15Goethe-Zertifikat C1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, Goethe-Institut · от 01.09.2025
16. 16ÖSD Zertifikat C1: Durchführungsbestimmungen, ÖSD