A Comparative Study of German Language Proficiency Levels Among Students in Private and Public Universities in Ogun State

This study conducts a comparative analysis of German language proficiency levels among undergraduate students enrolled in German language programmes at selected private and public universities in Ogun State, South West Nigeria. The expansion of private university education in Nigeria has raised questions about the quality and comparability of outcomes in language degree programmes relative to their public counterparts. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study administers a standardised German language proficiency test modelled on the Goethe-Institut A2 and B1 frameworks to 200 students: 100 from two public universities and 100 from two private universities in the state. Performance data are analysed using independent samples t-tests and ANOVA to identify statistically significant differences. Supplementary data from lecturer interviews explore institutional factors that may account for observed variation. Findings indicate that private university students scored marginally higher on vocabulary and reading tasks, while public university students demonstrated stronger performance in formal grammar. The study attributes these differences to variations in class sizes, resource availability, and teaching methodology. Both institutional categories show below-expected performance on oral proficiency tasks. The study recommends benchmarking German language programme outcomes against international standards and adopting a unified national assessment framework. Keywords: German language proficiency, private universities, public universities, Ogun State, comparative study.