Motivation letter and declaration
Motivation letter: In 1-2 pages, please explain your personal motivation to apply and why this program is important to you. Please relate your motivation to your previous education / work experience and to your future aspirations. The motivation letter should not be longer than two pages.
Letter of declaration: A new page where you declare that you have written everything yourself without help or make the sources explicit
Example: With the signature below, I confirm that I have written the motivation letter by myself without outside help and that I marked clearly all contents taken from other sources.
Place, date: Signature:
Language certificate
Please upload a valid and appropriate proof of your English language skills according to the entry requirements. The certificate must be handed in until the deadline of the application.
This is a list of all accepted Language certificates.
Native speakers are exempted from the proof requirement -> Official language in home country = native language
English language in your Bachelor degree: A confirmation that the medium of instruction for your Bachelor was English is not sufficient (unless it has been from an English-speaking country).
Note for Germans – Abitur: For the English majos, the German Abitur is only valid if it explicitly states level C1 (B2/C1 means ‘language level B2 and partially C1’ and cannot be considered.
Bachelor documents
Transcript of records: Please upload the most recent overview of your achievements with your average grade and grading scale from your bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor Certificate: If you already have it, please upload the original certificate or a certified copy.
If you have not yet completed your bachelor’s degree: Please upload all your previous academic achievements, including grades and registration for your bachelor’s thesis (if applicable). It must be clear that you will have completed your degree by the winter semester and are ready to begin your master’s degree.
If you have already completed a Master’s degree: Please upload your transcript of records and your degree certificate. Your grade will not be taken into account (your Bachelor’s degree grade is what counts here), but the courses will be reviewed to verify that you meet the academic requirements.
Proof of academic requirements
In order to proof if you meet the academic requirements, please upload a summary with your achieved knowledge for each category. This can be in form of a list or a highlighted transcript or a table with the modules with ECTS points for each category. See the examples below:

Proof of specific knowledge (only for Forest Ecology Research)
For the Forest Ecology Research major, you are required to provide specific evidence of your knowledge of flora and fauna species and population ecology. Please upload the relevant certificate or highlight it accordingly in the performance overview.
Documents we accept:
- Additional certificates
- Confirmation of course attendance (e.g. in your Bachelor-degree)
- Compilation of relevant modules
- Written declaration of intensive self-study including details of the literature/software used
APS Certificate (China, India, Vietnam)
If you are from China, India or Vietnam you need to upload your APS certificate with the application or latest by the application deadline.
Optional: Work experience or stay abroad
If you have work/practical experience and can provide a proof (e.g. letter from employer, certificates), you can improve your ranking in the selection process. Starting and finishing dates must be clearly specified in the proof in order to be valid.
Please note: that a CV is not sufficient for proving your experience. It must be an official document from the company or organisation.
Work/practical experience (min. 3 months): Fulltime employment or internship (paid or unpaid) related to your Bachelor degree or to the wider area of Forest Sciences. Voluntary work cannot be considered.
Proof of a stay abroad, career related (min. 6 months): A semester abroad as an exchange student (e.g. Erasmus – 4 months is sufficient here), an internship abroad or professional experience abroad (if you have indicated this in the ‘Professional experience’ section, this is sufficient as proof).
Completed professional training (German Berufsausbildung): This is only valid for German applicants, please leave empty when you are not German. For Germans: Please submit Certificate if the training is related to the Master program. (Optional – only if you have one)




