Study in Germany

How to apply to the university?

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11.06.2024

Studying in Germany can be attractive to many international students! However, sometimes the admission process to some universities and programs can be too complicated. It is especially important to inform yourself in advance about the possible difficulties and nuances when applying. And we will help with this!

1. Requirements and limitations

If you decided to study in Germany, your next step is to choose the right program at one of the German educational institutions. There are two important things to remember:

• For some fields of study, there are admission restrictions

• Where to apply for studying depends on the place, where you graduated from high school

There are some programs at German universities, where there are more applications as places. If you see that a program has NC (Numerus Clausus), it means that this program has limited places and your application depends on your average grade. Numerus Clausus or average grade is different from semester to semester, but you can orientate yourself to the information of the previous semester.

If you are not sure, if your program has limited places or not, you can check admission restrictions here.

Medicine, pharmaceutical science, veterinary medicine, dentistry and some other fields of studies (not all universities apply) are such popular that admissions are restricted at colleges and universities throughout Germany. For the application at these programs, you can find more information here.

Pay attention!

As a rule, degree programs with limited admission for international students who have received their previous education outside of Germany have a special separate quota. In this case, you should not pay attention to „normal“ NC, which is not relevant for you. Each university offers its own system of recognition of education from non-EU countries.

Here we collect some examples from several universities, however, you should not focus only on some well-known universities from big cities. To increase your chances, try to get into as many universities as possible.

Universität Hamburg

Universität Hamburg offers a special recognition system for students from non-EU countries. In the admission procedure for applicants from non-EU countries, the grade on your higher education entrance eligibility (HZB-Note) is converted in line with the German grading system and assigned a point value. For an HZB grade of 1.0, you receive 30 points. The lower the grade, the fewer points you receive. Furthermore, you can receive special points for your language skills or success in some subjects according to the Bonus system of the university.

University offers as well the possibility to recognize your education, if you apply for Bachelor’s degree.

Freie Universität Berlin

Freie Universität Berlin accept application only via uni-assist. It applies to both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München

International applicants (without German nationality) who wish to study at LMU will generally need to submit their application to the International Office. However, in certain cases they will need to apply to the Office of the University Registrar (Studentenkanzlei) or the Foundation for University Admission (Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung). Here you can find, where you need to apply.

There are different ways to apply for study in Germany for EU citizens and non-EU.

If you come from an EU member country (or Liechtenstein, Iceland or Norway) and your programme has a central numerus clausus, you have to apply to the Foundation for University Admissions (Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung). The same is when you come from another country, but graduated from a German school.

If you come from another country, you apply either to uni-assist or directly to the university, provided your chosen university is a member of uni-assist. You can find a list here.

If you are going to receive your Master’s degree at one of the German universities, then you should prove that you have completed your undergraduate degree, which is equivalent to a German bachelor's degree. You can check if your university is recognized in Germany here.

Pay attention, that the acceptance of your previous university degree is not the only condition for your application. You should also prove your language proficiency. If the number of bachelor programs in English is limited, then you have a huge choice of Master’s programs, which are taught in English.

Each university has its requirements on enrolment, which you can find on the website or ask directly the international office of the university. Usually, all these documents are required for your enrolment:

1. a certified document confirming your previous education

2. a transcript of records

3. a copy of your passport

4. certified copies of language certificates

Deadline for applications

There are two possible periods to apply for study in Germany: summer and winter semesters. At most higher education institutions, the application phase for the winter semester starting in September/October begins in early May and ends on 15 July. For the summer semester starting in March/April, the application period runs from early December to 15 January.

• It’s better to choose several programs at different universities and send several applications to increase your chances

• Each university has its requirements for enrollment. Sometimes not only your average grade plays an important role, but also your social engagement. If you be often involved in some social activities, then it’s better to mention this in your CV or motivation letter.

• There are two periods of time when you can apply for studying. Normally, the number of applications in the winter semester is bigger than in the summer semester. It’s better to apply in both semesters to have more possibilities.