telc, TestDaF or DSH?

The rows come from the regulation itself. The result column is where that document leaves you at the university's door.

DSD II is also one of the regulation's four proofs, but it is earned through schooling at schools admitted to the exam, not sat externally later.

The framework for language proof is one text: the RO-DT, issued jointly by the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and the conference of state education ministries (KMK). It was last renewed by resolutions of 4 November 2025 (HRK) and 27 November 2025 (KMK). Its preamble states its own status: a recommendation to the universities. The recognition clause, though, is plain: a DSH, a TestDaF, the Feststellungsprüfung's German section or a DSD II earned under the framework is recognised by German universities as language proof (§7).

On top of those four proofs sits an exemption list (§8): a school-leaving certificate equivalent to a German university entrance qualification, the Goethe-Zertifikat C2 (GDS), Austria's ÖSD C2, and telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule. Holders of any of these are exempt from the proof altogether. Universities may also define local exemptions for specific groups, for example graduates of German-studies degrees.

For everything outside the list the situation is this: course completion certificates, in-house level attestations and B2-band diplomas are not among the standard proofs the regulation names. The door is not fully shut either: the preamble states universities may, where justified, set lower entry thresholds than outlined here. With a B2 in hand the default answer is 'not enough'; only the programme's own page can name the exception. [1]

TestDaF runs under its own exam rules annexed to the regulation, at licensed centres inside and outside Germany. It comes in two variants, digital and paper, and the regulation declares them equal. The threshold is in the regulation too: at least TDN 4 in all four parts (reading, listening, writing, speaking) counts for unrestricted admission to all programmes. The TestDaF Institute's own page adds that universities may accept lower results per subject, giving computer science and engineering as examples where TDN 3 in writing can suffice.

telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule has a different and less-known status: the exam is named in the regulation's exemption paragraph (§8). A holder of the telc C1 Hochschule certificate normally does not need to sit the DSH or the TestDaF on top; HRK and KMK have made this recognition part of the framework since 2016. The exam tests academic German and is sat at authorised telc examination centres. The final word still sits with your university's own regulations. [1][2][4]

The DSH is not a central exam but one that universities and state-recognised Studienkollegs run themselves. The written part consists of listening, reading (including academic-language structures) and text production; an oral exam follows. Results come in three grades, DSH-1, DSH-2 and DSH-3, and the standard threshold for admission to all programmes is DSH-2.

Two details change plans. First, geography: because these institutions run the exam, the DSH route as a rule means travelling first and testing after arrival. There is an exception: the HRK keeps a separate registration list for remote DSH sittings (Fern-DSH), but those are individually registered exceptions, nothing to build a plan on. Second, portability: a university may accept DSH-1 for specific programmes, but the regulation states plainly that such an admission is not binding when you switch subjects or move to another university. A door opened with DSH-1 stays behind that door. [1][6]

One of the regulation's four proofs sits inside the Studienkolleg itself: the German section of the final Feststellungsprüfung, which is modelled on the DSH in scope and form, counts as the language proof. A Studienkolleg student therefore walks out of one exam with both the subject qualification and the language proof; booking a TestDaF on top is, in most cases, an unnecessary expense. [1]

The regulation explicitly allows universities to differentiate the language requirement by subject and field. That is why this guide names no single 'required level': two programmes at the same university can ask for two different thresholds. The one place to check before deciding is the programme's own page.

For the Türkiye leg, the Ankara embassy's info sheet gives three practical warnings: German exams can be taken at the Goethe institutes in Istanbul, Ankara and İzmir; not every German university runs language courses, some offer only advanced levels and some charge for them; and some universities demand the language proof at application time, so a plan that defers the proof does not work everywhere. [1][5]

1. [1] HRK and KMK, RO-DT: framework regulation on German language examinations (HRK 04.11.2025 / KMK 27.11.2025) · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026
2. [2] TestDaF Institute, Proof of German skills for university study · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026
3. [3] TestDaF Institute, TestDaF levels (TDN) · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026
4. [4] telc gGmbH, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule: your university entrance · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026
5. [5] German Embassy Ankara, info sheet for prospective higher-education students (updated 17.03.2025) · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026
6. [6] HRK, registration of DSH examination regulations (incl. the Fern-DSH list) · Last reviewed: 15/08/2026