Deutsches Sprachdiplom

The Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (engl.: German Language Certificate of the Education Ministers Conference) is an initiative of the German education authorities and the Foreign Office (Germany) for the improvement of the knowledge of the German language in schools worldwide. The program has run since 1973 and is accessible for high school students at accredited schools only. The program prepares the participants inter alia for a study in Germany in matters of language and cultural issues. It finishes with an exam and a certification on language competencies on level A2/B1 or B2/C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Level A2/B1 of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (DSD I) is considered by the responsible German authorities as proof that the pupil has reached a level of ability in German that is required for entry to a Studienkolleg in preparation for attending a university in Germany. Level B2/C1 of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz (DSD II) is considered proof that the graduates have reached a language level in German that is required to be able to directly start a study at a university in Germany. In order to start studying in Germany, students may need to fulfill additional requirements beyond language competencies which can be researched for each individual country in the official database ANABIN.

Currently there are about 51.000 students in over 65 countries participating in the exams each year. Most of the accredited schools for level A2/B1 are situated in Russia, Poland, the United States, China and Italy. Leading countries offering exams for level B2/C1 of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz are Russia, Poland, Romania, Croatia and Hungary. All together about 950 schools are accredited by the steering committee of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom. The steering committee 'Zentraler Ausschuss für das Deutsche Sprachdiplom' accounts for the quality of the language certificate. Its members are representatives of the German Foreign Office, the German Federal Office of Administration, the Central Agency for Schools Abroad and the States in Germany. The committee is headed by Mr. Thomas Mayer of Bavaria. The exams of the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz are prepared by the German Federal Office of Administration the Central Agency for Schools Abroad (ZfA) in Cologne which also administers a network of advisors on German around the world.

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