German applicants with foreign educational qualifications
If you
- have German citizenship, and
- have a foreign educational qualification or hold an IB Diploma,
- and would like to study at the University of Freiburg,
then you must have your foreign educational qualification or IB Diploma recognised by a certificate recognition office (Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle). There, they will check whether you are eligible for admission to a German university and which subjects you are allowed to study. In some cases, the foreign educational qualification is not directly equivalent to a German university entrance qualification, so that attendance at a Studienkolleg (preparatory college) and completion of an assessment examination or Feststellungsprüfung are required.
You must have a certificate from a certificate recognition office (Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle) in order to apply for a place at the University of Freiburg. Please note that the recognition process takes time. If you want to use your foreign educational qualification or IB Diploma to apply to a German university, please send your certificates to the recognition office as early as possible.
You can obtain certification of recognition of your foreign educational qualifications from the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs of the federal state in which you live.
If you currently reside in Baden-Württemberg or abroad, or if the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs of your federal state is not responsible or does not recognise certificates, please contact the Stuttgart Regional Council (Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart).
Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle
Ruppmannstr. 21
70565 Stuttgart
A list of the documents you need to submit for the recognition of your foreign educational qualifications can be found on the website of the Stuttgart Regional Council (Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart).
Information about the IB Diploma
For information about the recognition of the IB Diploma, please consult the website of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Please note: If you have German citizenship, hold an IB Diploma, and would like to apply for an undergraduate programme (bachelor or state examination) at the University of Freiburg, you must first have your IB diploma recognised by a certificate recognition office.
Studying without a general university entrance qualification
University entrance qualification for applicants with professional qualifications
With the title of master craftsperson or equivalent advanced training, you can apply for any degree programme with restricted admission or enrol in any degree programme without restricted admission.
Prerequisites
- Successful completion of a state-recognised vocational training programme
- Completion of a master craftsperson’s examination or equivalent advanced training in the profession or completion of technical college in accordance with Section 14 of the School Act of Baden-Württemberg (Schulgesetzt, SchG)
- Written proof of participation in a programme-specific advising session with the departmental academic advisor. The contact details can be found under the selected degree programme under “Contact”
Advanced training can be recognised as equivalent to a master craftsperson’s certificate if the training meets the following criteria:
- the training is regulated by public law
- the training is based on at least two years of vocational training
- the training is advanced vocational training
- the training comprises at least 400 teaching hours
If you are unsure whether your further education and training will be recognised as equivalent, please arrange a consultation appointment with the team Advising and Counselling or contact Dr. Alexander Prediger.
If your vocational training is relevant to your chosen degree programme, you can obtain a subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification by successfully passing an aptitude test (Eignungsprüfung). This allows you to apply for admission to this specific degree programme or enrol if the degree programme does not have restricted admission.
Prerequisites for admission to the aptitude test
- Successful completion of at least two years of vocational training;
- As a rule, at least three years of professional experience relevant to the chosen degree programme following the completion of vocational training (verified by confirmation from the employer, employment references, etc.);
- Additional requirement for applying for a university place: written proof of participation in a programme-specific advising session with the departmental academic advisor. The contact details can be found under the selected degree programme in under “Contact”.
Information on the aptitude test
The aptitude test is held once a year in May at the Studienkollegs of the Universities of Heidelberg and Karlsruhe. The participation fee is €200.00. The application along with evidence of vocational training and subsequent professional experience must be submitted to the University of Freiburg (Service Center Studium, Application and Admission) by 31 January of each year.
The aptitude test consists of a written examination in German and English, a subject-specific supervised test related to the desired degree programme, and an oral examination on general and current topics.
The subject-specific part of the examination focuses on one of the following five areas:
- Technical, mathematical and scientific degree programmes (examination in Karlsruhe)
- Medical and biological degree programmes
- Economics and behavioural science degree programmes
- Language and humanities degree programmes
- Social science degree programmes
You are advised to consult the Studienkollegs about the content, requirements, and procedure of the aptitude test. Once you have successfully passed the aptitude test, you will receive a subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification.
You may retake the aptitude test once if you fail, but not to improve your grade. If you do not attend the test without providing a reason, the test will be considered failed. A passed aptitude test is valid indefinitely and is recognised by all universities in Baden-Württemberg for the same degree programme or for degree programmes with essentially the same content. Once you have passed the aptitude test, you can apply for the corresponding degree programme.
Detailed regulations for the aptitude test for professionally qualified applicants are set out in the University of Freiburg’s statutes on the aptitude test for professionally qualified applicants.
If you have any questions about the aptitude test, please arrange a consultation appointment with the Advising and Counselling Team or contact Dr. Alexander Prediger.
The application form for admission to the aptitude test and the form for the counselling interview are available on request.
University entrance qualification via a university of applied sciences entrance qualification and the Delta examination
If you have a qualification to study at a university of applied sciences or a subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification and would like to enrol in a bachelor’s degree programme at a university in Baden-Württemberg, you can take the Delta examination (Deltaprüfung), which allows you admission to bachelor’s degree programmes. A valid university of applied sciences entrance qualification always consists of a school-based and a practical component. The respective school must provide confirmation of completion of the practical component.
The Delta examination does not grant access to degree programmes that lead to a state examination (Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Law).
The examination is held once a year in May, and you can register directly through the University of Mannheim from 1 March to 31 March each year. The participation fee of €200.00 is payable upon registration.
Only the Delta examination of the University of Mannheim (and not the Delta examination of the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW)) is accepted for study at the university.
The Delta examination is a general study aptitude test lasting 185 minutes and consisting of five multiple-choice sections:
- Matrices
- Quantitative problem solving
- Language skills
- Conclusions
- Evaluation of diagrams and tables
A passed Delta examination is valid indefinitely. You can retake the examination once if you fail, but not to improve your grade.
The admission score for applying to a restricted-admission degree programme is calculated as 70% of the average grade of the university of applied sciences entrance qualification and 30% of the Delta examination result. If you have any questions about a valid university of applied sciences entrance qualification, please contact the Application and Admission Team.