How much do intensive German language courses in Germany typically cost and how long do they last?

The per block price tag understates your real cost, since reaching a usable level such as B1 typically means stacking several of these blocks together rather than taking just one, so the course fee is only one line in a much larger budget.

What a 2 to 3 Week Block Actually Includes

• Standard intensive course: 75 teaching units over 3 weeks, currently priced at 1,229 euros for the summer intensive course.
• Shorter concise course: 50 teaching units over 2 weeks, priced at 739 euros.
• Daily structure: A typical Goethe-Institut intensive course runs 5 lessons a day, Monday through Friday, with each lesson lasting 45 minutes.

How Many Weeks to Reach B1 or B2

Starting from A0, expect roughly 3 to 6 weeks of intensive study to clear A1, another 4 to 6 weeks for A2, another 4 to 6 weeks for B1, and a further 4 to 6 weeks for B2, with C1 requiring several additional weeks or months beyond that. As one concrete illustration, Goethe-Institut's own materials indicate its 2 week Intensive Concise format may need two courses to complete A1 and three courses to complete A2, meaning roughly 10 weeks just to move from A1 to A2 in that particular format.

Costs Beyond the Course Fee Itself

The 739 to 1,229 euro course price does not include accommodation, food, local transport, insurance, visa related expenses, or any exam fee, all of which add substantially to your total cost of a multi week or multi month stay in Germany purely to study the language.

This Information Is Also Available On

Goethe-Institut Germany's official course prices page, which publishes current 2026 pricing and duration for its intensive and concise course formats.

My Advice

Decide your target level before you book a single course, since the total cost of reaching B1 through stacked 2 to 3 week blocks can run considerably higher than students initially expect once you add three or four separate course fees together. If your goal is university admission or an Ausbildung requiring B1 or B2, budget for the full sequence of courses and the accompanying living costs from the outset, not just the first block you sign up for.