There are many cost-free German courses, mainly organised by volunteers. Teachers in these courses are often not professional educators, but people who would like to help the newcomers in Germany. Most of these courses are for beginners, but there are also courses for more advanced German-learners. For some of these courses, you have to register, but in others, you can just go there at the designated dates and participate. On our Local Search pages (and also on Deutschstunde.eu) you can search for a free German course nearby. If you cannot find any free German course around, ask a Migration Counselling centre or the Youth Migration Service for help. In some cities, Adult Education Centers (“Volkshochschule”) offer free German courses for refugees.
In addition, many universities offer German courses for refugees. Most of these university courses are cost-free as they are either funded by the respective university or the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Some of these courses aim to prepare the participants for studying at the respective university. In others, you may participate without any further requirement. If there is a university or college in your city, visit their website and search for 'Angeboten für Flüchtlinge' or contact the International Office, the Language Center ("Sprachenzentrum") or The Centre for Applied Linguistics and Special Languages ("Fachsprachenzentrum") in the university directly.
German courses in official language schools, such as the Goethe Institute are often quite pricey, and you usually have to pay for them personally. The language courses in Adult Education Centres ("Volkshochschule" or VHS) are another affordable alternative. Adult Education Centres are available in almost every German city. If you have a job and need to advance your knowledge of German to handle your day-to-day work better, you may ask your boss if he/she is willing to pay for your German course within the framework of further education or "Weiterbildung".
Please note: Some German foundations and universities provide scholarships for advanced German-learners. For example, the Institute for International Communication (IIK) in Düsseldorf offers several scholarships per year for their different types of summer courses (starting from B1). If you are enrolled at a university and have been living in German for less than 15 months, you are eligible to apply for a language scholarships at the German Academic Exchange Service (“Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst” or DAAD). As an academician, you can also apply for a fellowship at the Humboldt Foundation if you are planning to continue your research in Germany. Humboldt Foundation offers scholarships for intensive German courses, among other things, but their academic selection criteria are quite strict.