Full-Time Studies (degree seekers)

• ---

  Checklist for undergraduate degree programmes, 1st subject-specific semester, full time

  ---

• ---

  Checklist for higher subject-specific semesters, full time

  ---

• ---

  Checklist for higher subject-specific semesters, Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy

  ---

The university entrance qualification refers to the level of general education required for enrolment at a university or other higher education institution in Germany. International applicants to undergraduate degree programmes (bachelor or state examination) at German universities must provide evidence that they have the necessary qualification for university entrance, just like German applicants. In Germany, this qualification is usually the Abitur. A secondary school-leaving certificate earned in a European Union member state is typically also accepted as a university entrance qualification in Germany.

In principle, there are three routes to university entrance in Germany, depending on the school-leaving certificate you have earned:

• Direct university entrance: International applicants whose secondary school-leaving certificate is recognised as equivalent to the German Abitur may apply directly for a degree programme in Germany. This also generally applies to applicants who have already earned an initial degree (e.g., bachelor) from an accredited higher education institution abroad.
• Direct subject-restricted university entrance: International applicants whose secondary school-leaving certificate is recognised, but only for specific subjects or vocational areas (rather than general university studies), may generally only select subjects from those areas (e.g., only humanities or only natural sciences). They may also apply directly, but only for degree programmes in the recognised subject area. The subject restriction can be lifted if the applicant passes the Delta examination at the University of Mannheim. A successful Delta examination qualifies the applicant for admission to any bachelor’s degree programme at the University of Freiburg. The Delta examination is held each May.
• Indirect university entrance: International applicants whose school-leaving certificate is not recognised as equivalent to the German Abitur may compensate for this in one of two ways:
  • In addition to a secondary school-leaving certificate, the applicant must provide evidence of having successfully attended an accredited higher education institution abroad. The required length of study depends on the type school-leaving certificate the applicant holds.
  • In addition to a secondary school-leaving certificate, the applicant must take a one-year preparatory course at a Studienkolleg (preparatory college) in Germany and pass the assessment examination (for more details, see ‘Studienkolleg’ below).
    
    Both of these routes lead to a subject-restricted university entrance qualification in Germany. The subject restriction depends on the subject the applicant studied abroad or their core course at the Studienkolleg.
    

The basis for assessing international school-leaving certificates and degrees is the database of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (anabin), which is administered by the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). International applicants can use this database to check whether their school-leaving certificate or degree earned abroad is recognised in Germany.

IB-Diploma

For information on the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB Diploma), please enter ‘International Baccalaureate’ in the ‘Länder’ (country) search field under ‘Schulabschlüsse mit Hochschulzugang’ (school-leaving certificates with higher education entrance) on anabin and read the information in the agreement carefully. The agreement that was valid at the time you entered the programme applies.

Please note that we cannot assess your school-leaving certificate or degree until you have submitted your application to the University of Freiburg along with all necessary supporting documents. It is not possible to have your educational records assessed before submitting an application.

You will need very good German language skills for a successful course of study in a bachelor’s or state examination programme. Aside from the Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the language of instruction in all undergraduate degree programmes is German.
Master’s programmes may have different language requirements; these are included in the admission regulations or selection statutes of the respective programme. Please check with the specific master’s programme for details.

To enrol in an undergraduate degree programme (bachelor or state examination) at the University of Freiburg, you must submit one of the following language certificates:

• Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang – DSH (German Language Examination for University Entrance) with a proficiency level of DSH 2 or 3. This examination is held at the University of Freiburg’s Language Teaching Centre and includes a written and an oral part.
• Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache – TestDaF (Test of German as a Foreign Language) with a proficiency level of 4 or 5 (TDN 4 or 5) on all four parts.
• Goethe Certificate C2
• Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German Language Diploma) of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) – level II (DSD II) with 4xC1 or 3xC1 and 1xB2
• telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule
• German-language secondary school-leaving certificate (e.g., Abitur, Matura, etc.)
• More exceptions are described here, on pages 5 and 6.

If you apply for admission to a degree programme with restricted admission, you must submit the following language certificates with your application:

• Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang – DSH (German Language Examination for University Entrance) with a proficiency level of DSH 2 or 3. This examination is held at the University of Freiburg’s Language Teaching Centre and includes a written and an oral part.
• Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache – TestDaF (Test of German as a Foreign Language) with a proficiency level of 4 or 5 (TDN 4 or 5) on all four parts.
• Goethe Certificate C2
• Deutsches Sprachdiplom (German Language Diploma) of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) – level II (DSD II) with 4xC1 or 3xC1 and 1xB2
• telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule
• German-language secondary school-leaving certificate (e.g., Abitur, Matura, etc.)
• More exceptions are described here, on pages 5 and 6.

If you apply for admission to a degree programme with open admission and do not yet have one of these language certificates, then you must submit one of the following certificates with your application:

• DSH 1 or
• TestDaF with a proficiency level of at least 3 on all parts or
• confirmation of participation in a C1 course or
• evidence of German language skills at the level of C1 (Common European Framework of Reference).
  

You must submit one of the C1 language certificates listed above by the time you enrol.

If you apply for a place in the subjects Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy, you must submit one of the C1 language certificates listed above along with your application for admission.

Some subjects have additional prerequisites for admission, such as evidence of language skills in other languages, a passing grade on an entrance examination, or a selection interview. An overview of subjects with additional requirements can be found on the following page:

In many degree programmes, the number of applicants is greater than the number of available places. These degree programmes have restricted admission (numerus clausus). In degree programmes with admission restrictions, places for (non-EU) international applicants are allocated according to a quota (8% in all degree programmes with admission restrictions and 5% in the subjects Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy).
To find out which subjects have admission restrictions, please consult the degree programme list in the degree programme finder.

In the case of degree programmes with admissions restrictions, you may submit a maximum of three applications each for admission to undergraduate programmes, higher subject-specific semesters, and master’s programmes. This restriction does not apply to applications for admission to degree programmes without admission restrictions (open admissions).

Please also include confirmation with your application for admission that you have participated in a student orientation procedure. A student orientation procedure is a self-test that does not have any influence on the success of your application. It provides orientation for prospective students and helps them to find the right subject.

The information sheet below provides details of the study orientation procedures recognised at the University of Freiburg.

For international applications, we recommend the Test for Academic Studies (read more below about TestAS). You can also use the University of Freiburg’s Online Study-Choice Assistants (OSA) to find the right subject for you.

• ---

  Information sheet on the study orientation procedures

  ---

Applying to the Studienkolleg

International and German applicants whose university entrance qualification is not equivalent to the German Abitur can take the ‘Examination to Assess the Aptitude of University Applicants with Foreign University Entrance Qualifications’ (‘assessment examination’ for short)), provided this is recommended by the ZAB or the Regional Council. These applicants receive the opportunity to prepare for their course of study in a one-year preparatory course at the Studienkolleg in Heidelberg. . It is not possible to register directly for admission to the Studienkolleg in Heidelberg. Please applyfor the degree ‘Assessment Examination’ on the University of Freiburg’s online application portal from 1 June to 15 July for the winter semester or from 1 December to 15 January for the summer semester. The subject ‘Studienkolleg’ and the 1st subject-specific semester will be selected automatically. In a second step, you will have to upload your language certificate, university entrance qualification, letter of motivation, and curriculum vitae as instructed. Then you must select the desired course at the Studienkolleg and specify your intended degree programme at the University of Freiburg. The courses at the Studienkolleg and the individual degree programmes at the University of Freiburg are linked on the online application portal.

Please note that it is not possible to apply for admission to a higher subject-specific semester when applying to the Studienkolleg.

Language requirements:

• DSH 1
• TestDaF 3 or 4
• Goethe Certificate C1
• Sprachdiplom (Language Diploma) of the KMK – level II (DSD II) with a score of 4xB2
• telc German B2 University (telc B2 “Beruf” is not accepted!)
• Confirmation of participation in a C1 language course

Click here for more information on the Studienkolleg:

• ---

  Information sheet on admission to the Studienkolleg

  ---

Have you already attended a Studienkolleg and taken the assessment examination?

• We accept assessment examinations from all Studienkollegs that are part of the Consortium of German Studienkollegs.
• The University of Freiburg only accepts assessment examinations from other Studienkollegs in certain individual cases.
• Assessment examinations from Studienkollegs affiliated with universities of applied sciences lead to qualification to study at a university of applied science and can therefore not be accepted by the University of Freiburg.
• Please upload both your school records and your assessment examination when you apply.

TestAS scores are only taken into account in the selection process for the degree programmes in Medicine and Dentistry. For all other subjects, TestAS scores can be uploaded with your application in place of the student orientation test but have no influence on the allocation of places.

Click here to find out when and how you can take TestAS:

Important information:

• Taking TestAS is voluntary at the University of Freiburg! You can also decide whether or not to submit your score.
• If you are only applying for a place in a degree programme at the University of Freiburg, we recommend that you do not participate in a language screening (onDaF, online placement test for German as a foreign language).
• The test does not take the place of language certificates or the university entrance qualification, which are prerequisites for admission to studies at the University of Freiburg.
• Applicants for admission to master’s programmes, short-term studies (free movers, exchange students), and doctoral programmes do not need to take TestAS.

If you have already studied at a university abroad or at another German university, you can request to have any credits you earned there transferred to the University of Freiburg. Credits can be transferred on the following conditions:

• The credits must have been earned within the context of an accredited degree programme at an accredited university abroad or at another German university.
• The credits must have been earned in the same or a related subject and must be part of the curriculum of your new degree programme at the University of Freiburg.
• The periods of study in which you earned the credits must not be a prerequisite for university entrance in Germany (see above under ‘University entrance qualification – Indirect university entrance qualification’)

Credit transfers are evaluated and approved by the department or examination office responsible for your degree programme.

Our information sheet explains what an official certification must look like to be accepted when you apply for a place in a degree programme.

• ---

  Information sheet Official certification

  ---