Important answers related to DUO

Our courses are mainly aimed towards school and university students from 18 years of age looking to study and work in Germany. They cover study-related topics as well as everyday student life in Germany.

To achieve good progress, you should study for about 8 hours a week on the DUO learning platform and be aware that online courses require good self-organisation. You complete many of the tasks independently – even when you are learning with a tutor.

All you need is a desktop or laptop and a good Internet connection.

Attention: DUO is not yet optimised for mobile devices. For more information, refer to Browser check and system requirements.

No. We also offer courses for beginners. For most courses, you do have to know a little German first. Check out the course descriptions for details on previous knowledge requirements regarding your course choice.

Yes! At the beginning, we and our tutors communicate with you in English. Courses for beginners are indicated in the course descriptions with "Previous knowledge: 0".

When starting to learn a new language, help and guidance are especially important. The tutors answer your questions, help you study and arrange individual voice chats with you so that you can practice speaking too.

Select an option from the course list. To book a course, you have to register. After registering, you can book and pay for the course.

No. You can book a course on the website www.deutsch-uni.com at any time.

But DUO might have a cooperation agreement with your university, allowing you to take the class for less or free of charge. You may have to apply with the university. Please inquire with your university.

At DUO, teachers are called "tutors". The tutors help you study by providing personalised feedback on your texts and advise you on how to achieve your goals. The tutors also moderate communication with other learners.

You decide: Do you want to learn with or without a tutor, in normal or intensive courses?

If you select a course without a tutor, you can start at any time. You can complete tasks and exercises on the learning platform, but there will be no individual feedback.

Normal and intensive classes with a tutor have fixed start dates. You learn with fellow students in your class and receive regular feedback from a German teacher. For more detailed information on the services, refer to the course descriptions.

You will find everything you need to study online on our learning platform. The class material is not available for download; you will not receive any mail from DUO and do not have to buy any additional books.

It is completely up to you when you want to study. If you are studying with a tutor, the tutor sets deadlines and organises sessions dates that are suitable for everyone in the class.

To successfully complete a course, you should be able to study about 8 hours per week.

No, our online classes do not have any defined study periods. You study when you have time. Only scheduled sessions, such as chats with tutors, take place at fixed times, which you arrange in the course.

At the end of the class, the tutor rates your progress. If you regularly and successfully participate in the course, we will send you a digital certificate approximately 4 weeks after your course ends. If you did not learn enough to qualify for a certificate, you can receive a certificate of participation.

Please note: You do not receive a certificate if you complete the class without a tutor.

No, a DUO certificate attests that you have successfully participated in the online course. To be admitted to university, you have to take a recognised language test, for example TestDaF. For more information on TestDaF, please visit www.testdaf.de

You should also inquire with the Higher Education Institution as to which requirements apply for your choice of university courses.

We do not currently offer a demo version. But you can learn more about the contents and services of the courses on our website.

Yes, our learners and tutors are located all over the world. As everything happens online, you can participate from anywhere. All you need is a stable Internet connection and a computer. Please refer to System requirements for more details.

The DUO placement test is a gap-filling test. It shows you whether or not the course you have chosen matches your current German skills. If not, you have the opportunity to switch courses before the start date.

You will find the next sessions in the course descriptions. Normally, you can book a course up to ten days before the start date.

If you have missed the registration deadline, you will no longer be able to select the course on the website.

No. Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO) offers online classes that help users learn German, in particular for studying in Germany. DUO does not award scholarships.

You can start courses without a tutor at any time. By contrast, courses with a tutor are bound by the specified course date. You will not see tasks on the learning platform until the first day of course.

All DUO courses are based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) of the Council of Europe. For this reason, we indicate any previous knowledge and course levels based on CEFR classifications. For more information, please see the overview of the abilities expected at each level.

The course list contains all course options currently offered by DUO. You can filter the results by different criteria, such as previous knowledge or class level.

If you are unsure whether you speak enough German for a course, use the level description.

After booking, you complete the DUO course placement. You can then be sure the course is the right fit for you.

You can pay for your DUO course with a credit card (Mastercard and Visa) or direct debit. 

For courses without a tutor you will not receive certificates or certificates of participation.

For courses with a tutor you can receive a certificate or a certificate of participation.

In our most comprehensive format intensive courses with tutor, you receive 3 ECTS points for your workload, indicated on your certificate successful course completion. Please contact the examination office at your university to have the ECTS points recognised. Note: Your university will decide if the ECTS points are recognised for your studies.