How to Apply to Universities in Germany: Requirements, Deadlines and Portals

Pick the right application route

Where you apply depends on your subject and your school qualification. Subjects with a Numerus Clausus set nationally, such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, run through the central portal hochschulstart.de . Most other bachelor and master programs take applications directly on the university's own portal.

If your school leaving certificate comes from outside Germany, many universities ask you to submit it through uni-assist first. Uni-assist checks whether your certificate matches German entry requirements and forwards a verified application to the university, so you submit your documents once even if you apply to several of its member universities.

Check that your diploma is recognized

Before you apply, look up your school certificate in the anabin database , run by the Central Office for Foreign Education. It shows whether your qualification gives direct access to German universities or whether you need a Studienkolleg, a one year preparatory course that ends in an entrance exam (Feststellungsprüfung).

Most EU school leaving certificates that grant direct university access in their home country also grant direct access in Germany. If your certificate only grants access to specific subjects or restricted institutions at home, the same restriction usually applies in Germany too.

Deadlines

For the winter semester, most universities and hochschulstart.de close applications around 15 July, according to Freie Universität Berlin . For the summer semester, the typical deadline is 15 January. Individual universities and master's programs set their own dates around these, sometimes earlier, so check the exact date on the program page as soon as you shortlist it.

Portals for the following winter semester usually open in spring, weeks before the July deadline. Apply early. Popular programs and uni-assist both take weeks to process documents, and a late submission pushes your start date back a full year.

Documents and language proof

You need a certified copy of your school certificate, translated into German or English if it is in another language, your passport, and proof of language ability. For German-taught programs, universities accept DSH, TestDaF, telc, or a Goethe-Institut certificate at the required level. For English-taught programs, they ask for IELTS or TOEFL, unless you already studied in English. Use a certified or sworn translator for any document not already in German or English, since universities often reject informal translations.

Master's applications usually add a CV, a motivation letter, and sometimes reference letters or a portfolio, depending on the subject.

Application fees

Direct university applications stay free at most public universities. If your certificate goes through uni-assist, you pay 75 EUR for your first chosen program and 30 EUR for each additional program in the same semester. The fee is non refundable, even if a university rejects your application.

EU versus non-EU applicants

As an EU or EEA citizen, you apply through the same portals and pay the same fees as German applicants. You need no student visa, and outside Baden-Württemberg you pay no tuition fee. Non-EU applicants need a student visa before arrival, must show a blocked account with enough funds for the year, and in Baden-Württemberg pay an added tuition fee alongside everyone's semester contribution.

What happens if your first choice says no

Universities working through the Dialogorientiertes Serviceverfahren (DoSV) at hochschulstart.de run automatic waiting list rounds, called Nachrückverfahren, once accepted students confirm their place or a spot opens up. Rank your program choices carefully in the portal, since the system offers you the highest ranked option you still qualify for as spots become available. Direct university applications outside the DoSV often run their own separate waiting list, so ask the admissions office how it works before you count yourself out. Keep checking your applicant portal regularly during this period, since some universities give you only a few days to confirm once they offer you a waiting list place.

Before you apply: a quick checklist

• Confirm your school certificate's equivalence status in the anabin database

• Book a language test early if you still need DSH, TestDaF or IELTS

• Check whether your target program uses hochschulstart.de, uni-assist, or its own portal

• Note the exact deadline on the program page instead of the general 15 July or 15 January rule

• Gather certified copies and translations of your documents before the portal opens

After you receive an offer

An admission letter is not the end of the process. You still need to enroll (Immatrikulation) at the university within a set window, usually a few weeks before the semester starts. Enrollment asks for proof of health insurance, your passport, your admission letter, and payment of the semester contribution. Non-EU students also submit their visa or residence permit at this stage.

Once enrolled, you get a student ID card, a university email address, and access to the semester ticket for local transport where the university includes one in the semester contribution.