Restricted admission (NC) and entrance exam

Study places are allocated in conformity with the Higher Education Admission Act (HVVO):

1. Under the so-called pre-admission provision, first come applicants who completed voluntary service and already were granted admission in one of the two preceding admission periods.
2. Afterwards some specific applicants are given preference, under the following quotas:
   • 5% for hardship cases
   • 2% for second degree applicants
   • 1% for selections based on certain public interest categories of applicants tied to the study location
   • 8-10% for international applicants
     (Any foreign students applying for a place at university, whose qualifications do not equal those of German applicants will only be considered within the framework of the quota for foreign students. Places will be awarded depending on the applicant’s average grade achieved in the final examinations that would qualify the individual for university entrance, and any special educational criteria.)
3. The remaining study places are allocated in the following manner:
   • 90% through the university’s own selection processs (higher education admissions process)
   • 10% based on waiting time

The HAV process applies to Germans, EU citizens and (regardless of nationality) all persons with the German qualification for higher education (foreign nationals with German degrees). Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway in some cases have the same standing as EU citizens. If you have questions in this regard, please contact the Admissions Office for Foreigners and EU Citizens. 

The university’s own selection process considers criteria such as:

• Average grade on the final high school transcript
• Weighted individual grades on the final high school transcript (also grades that are relevant to each study program).
• Results of a subject-specific study aptitude test
• Results of a selection interview
• Prior education through vocational training, work experience, or practical activities.

Please refer to the website selection criteria and admission statutes for Bachelor's programs to find out, which criteria your chosen study program considers.

For restricted-entry study programs (NC), you can improve your chances of being admitted, provided you put in a request for hardship waiver [de] and you meet the following requirements:

• You can furnish an official determination of severely disabled status under Social Security Code (SGB) IX. Please enclose a certified copy of your severe disability ID or a relevant letter of recognition.
• Your sole residence or primary residence with spouse and/or children is in a district assigned to the place of studies. Please enclose the confirmation by the relevant residency registration office.
• You can show that admission to a different university would entail substantial hardships for you. In this regard, your own health, family, or econmic situation carries particular weight. Please enclose the relevant documentation and be aware that strict criteria will be applied.

• Waiting time is accrued from the time of high school graduation (Abitur) until starting studies at a German university.
• Study places provided under the waiting time quota of 10% are always allocated in order of waiting time, with the applicant that has waited the longest getting the first study place, and so on.
• The waiting time of the applicant allocated the last available place constitutes the threshold. In case of tied rankings, the Abitur grade is the second decision criterion, previous voluntary service is the third, followed by a lottery.

• Admission is tied to getting a minimum score. Anyone not meeting the minimum requirement will not be processed for admission; this also applies to subjects that do not restrict entry.
• The entrance examination is not always a classical type of test. It is more like a selection process that may be configured differently for different subjects. These configurations range from submitting written documents (for example, dealing with special achievements, qualifications, or work experience) to administering study aptitude tests and selection interviews. You can find out from the specific selection criteria and admission statutes of your chosen study program how it selects and which process it follows.
• As a rule, the application deadline for the entrance exam is contemporaneous with the 15 July study program application deadline, but there are exceptions. Please be sure to check your chosen study program's website in a timely manner.

• All applicants regardless of nationality or the country where their grade transcript originated.
• Individuals changing study programs.