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How to apply > full-time international students

All facts at a glance
The application procedure depends primarily on the country where you acquired your university entrance qualification (secondary school leaving qualification, university aptitude test, university entrance exam, proof of successfully completed studies) or your first university degree (Bachelor).
Click here for the application deadlines for our courses. Also check additional information on the respective website of the study programme you apply for.
International applicants for our Bachelor study programmes can apply in advance of the standard application dates.
Since language courses or a preparatory college often have to be attended first, we recommend you apply as early as possible.
Applications currently need to be submitted only online. Nevertheless, we reserve the right to ask for physical/ additional documents also during the ongoing application procedure.
In certain cirumustances we might request you to hand in your original application documents when you enrol.
Applicants with University entrance qualification/degree from Germany
or a successfully completed university aptitude test at a German preparatory college ("Studienkolleg") apply directly through the application portal HISinOne of Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences. Relevant proof must be provided in support of your application.
Applicants with University entrance qualification/degree from another country
must apply through uni-assist,an external service organisation where your application will be reviewed by experts who are trained to evaluate international academic degrees.
A decision on the equivalence of your educational qualification is taken on the basis of the assessment proposals of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK).
For further information on the classification or equivalence of foreign qualifications into the German education system, applicants can use the anabin database for orientation (only available in German).
- Minimum documents required for Bachelor's programme application:
- Duly completed online application on uni-assist portal
- university entrance qualification (school leaving certificate, university entrance exam in the home country)
- If applicable, university aptitude test certificate or proof of attendance at a preparatory college ("Studienkolleg")
- If applicable, Translations of the above mentioned documents (in case they are not in German, English or French)
- APS certificate (only for graduates of schools/universities in China, Vietnam or India)
- Official certificates of proficiency in the language of instruction
• German-taught programmes: DSH 2, Test DaF 4x4 points, telc C1 Hochschule, Major or Minor German Language Certificate (GDS or KDS) or Central Advanced Language Test (ZOP) of the Goethe Institute
• English-taught programmes: TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.0 or Bachelor's Medium of Instruction = English
⇒ certificates from private institutes or other than the above mentioned cannot be accepted! - If your desired semester start date has not been activated yet on uni-assist, simply select an earlier semester start date. This can still be changed after admission.
- Minimum documents required for Master's programme application:
- Duly completed online application on uni-assist portal
- university entrance qualification (school leaving certificate, university entrance exam in the home country or, if applicable, in Germany)
- Complete Bachelor's degree certificate and Transcript of Records (Proof of completed Bachelor's studies)
- If applicable, Translations of the above mentioned documents (in case they are not in German, English or French)
- APS certificate (only for graduates from universities in China, Vietnam or India)
- Official certificates of proficiency in the language of instruction
• German-taught programmes: DSH 2, Test DaF 4x4 points, telc C1 Hochschule, Major or Minor German Language Certificate (GDS or KDS) or Central Advanced Language Test (ZOP) of the Goethe Institute
• English-taught programmes: TOEFL iBT 79, IELTS 6.0 or Bachelor's Medium of Instruction = English
⇒ certificates from private institutes or other than the above mentioned cannot be accepted!
We accept fully online applications where you only need to upload simple copies.
All above mentioned application documents can only be submitted during the application period online via the Uni-Assist portal.
Note: Application documents which were directly sent to us through E-Mail or submitted after the deadline cannot/will not be accepted in any case!
Important: apply as early as possible, so in case a document is faulty or missing, you have the chance to replace or upload additional documents.
The processing fee of Uni-Assist (75 Euros for the first, 30 Euros for every additional application) which can be paid by Credit Card or bank transfer (check uni-assist website for further details)
If your application is complete and was succesfully checked by Uni-Assist, they will be forwarded to Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences, where a final decision will be taken on admission:
- Your qualification is deemed equivalent to the German qualification and proof of satisfactory knowledge of the language of instruction has been provided and the programme you applied for is not admission restricted,
→ you will get admission for the study programme - The study programme you applied for is admission restricted
→ your application will have to participate in an admission selection/ ranking process - You applied for a German-taught Bachelor Programmes and have at least B1 language proficiency in German
→ acceptance for the course under the condition that you are able to provide C1 language proficiency before commencing your studies ("conditional admission")
For a fee, applicants can take a language course at the Lernstudio Nordhausen or other institutes. Prospective students may also take the DSH exam as externals at the State Preparatory College in Nordhausen. - You applied for a Bachelor's programme and your university entrance qualification is not fully equivalent to the German qualification
→ acceptance under the condition that you take a standardised foreign applicants’ aptitude test for academic study in the Federal Republic of Germany ("Feststellungsprüfung" or "FSP") before commencing your studies.
Preparation for the aptitude test is normally carried out in a one-year course at the State Preparatory College ("Studienkolleg") in Nordhausen (limited number of seats!).
You also have the possiblity to participate in our university entrance exam.
Application FAQs
Q: What are the admission requirements, application periods and possible semester intakes?
A: Please check the details on the website of the respective study programme ►"All facts at a glance". Note, that the minimum requirements for admission are mentioned. Fulfilling these does not necessarily mean that you can secure admission.
Q: Is my degree in xx with grade xx eligible for admission? What are my chances of admission?
A: Due to many unforeseeable factors (application numbers, study seat capacity, qualification of the applicants etc.), any reliable statement about the success of your application is not possible. Check if you fulfill the minimum entry requirements and decide if you would like to apply or not. If the number of proper and eligible applications is higher than the capacity (number of availalbe study seats) of study seats, all applications will be ranked according to Culmulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). Applicants with highest ranking will receive admission first until the capacity is exhausted. All others are on a "waiting list", should seats not be accepted or withdrawn, the next applicant on the waiting list will receive admission and informed the university.
Q: Is it possible to apply with transcripts only and submit the degree certificate afterwards?
A: According to the admission regulations, a completed Bachelor degree with final grading is prerequisite for admission to all of our Master’s degree programmes. You must provide proof that you succesfully completed your Bachelor degree already during the application period! Otherwise an assessment of your eligibility by Uni-Assist is not possible.
Q: Can I submit remaining / missing or additional documents which should be considered for admission after the deadline?
A: All required documents must be submitted during the application period and latest before the deadline. Please apply as early as possible so you have the chance to upload additional / remaining documents. Neither Uni-Assist nor our university will accept submission of required documents/ certificates after the deadline.
Q: What is the equivalence of my degree (180 or 210 ECTS)? / Do I need to attend the qualification semester?
A: In general, credits obtained in non-European universities are often not directly equivalent to ECTS credits obtained in European universities. Your application will first be assessed by Uni-Assist according to the guidelines of the HRK and assigned to the appropriate term by us. You might check the anabin-database to find out about the equivalence of your degree in the German system.
Q: Can I defer my admission due to visa delay / personal reasons etc.?
A: It is not possible to defer admissions. A reconsideration of your application for the admission slection process of a later term is possible and free of charge. Please notify us beforehand.
Q: Can the university support / expedite my student visa application because the processing times are very long? No.
A: All students are responsible and advised to check the visa regulations, required visa application documents, the processing and appointment waiting times at their responsible German visa office beforehand. Please take appropriate measures (e.g. early booking of appointment) and proper preperation of your documents in order to ensure that you are able to obtain your visa before the start of your studies. We are not able to issue any support letters etc. or influence the visa process in any way!
Q: How can I convert my grade into German grading system?
A: You can use the “modified Bavarian formula”. Please search the web for further details.
Q: What kind of English certificates will be accepted?
A: Our university accepts IELTS / TOEFL and official “Bachelor’s Medium of Instruction is English” certificates. Other certificates, especially from private language institutes cannot be considered. Please note that visa offices in some cases reject “Medium of Instruction is English” certificates.
Q: Uni-Assist has forwarded my application to the university for further consideration. When can I expect to receive my admission result?
A: Our university has to further considerate your application in the admission selection process, which can only start after closure of application (deadline) and after all proper applications have been forwarded by Uni-Assist to us. This can take 1-2 more months. We are kindly asking for your patience and refraining from status inquiries, you will be informed about your admission result by E-mail, which you have provided to Uni-Assist, as soon as possible (approx. mid June each year).
Q: What is the status of my application?
A: If Uni-Assist has successfully completed screening your application (no faulty or missing documents) and forwarded your documents to our university, the admission selection process has to take place. It can only start after application has closed and all proper applications have been forwarded by Uni-Assist to us. The selection process will be completed approx. mid June 2023 each year. All applicants will be informed by e-mail, which they have provided at the time of application, about the admission results. Please refrain from repeated status inquires, as these will inflict further delays.
Q: Does the time of application decide about my admission chances/ rank?
A: Regardless when you apply, all applications will equally take part in the selection process, which can only start after the deadline (application closure). We will rank applicants only according to their qualification mentioned in the admission requirements (mainly grade according to German grading system).