Advice

If you are an international student with a foreign university entrance qualification and have questions about a degree program, financing your studies or scholarships, please contact the KU International Office  or send an e-mail to welcome@ku.de. 

Application documents for international students with foreign university entrance qualification

In addition to the required application documents and any additional documents that might be required for specific degree programs, we need the following documents from you so that we can process your application:

• Translation of your educational certificates into German or English by a court-certified translator, including proof of the respective evaluation/grading systems with the required minimum passing grade as well as the highest possible grade,
• APS certificate for applicants from China, India, and Vietnam,
• Proof of your German language skills (e.g. German language examination with at least level 2 or the TestDaF examination of the Goethe Institute with at least levels 4-4-4-4. The examination must be submitted at the latest upon enrollment at the beginning of the semester),
• Proof of German language proficiency on level A1/A2, provided that you want to participate in our preparatory intensive German course prior to your studies (participation is not possible for Master's degree programs with restricted admission). 

Special requirements in the procedure for admission-restricted degree programs for international students with foreign university entrance qualification

There may be other special requirements in the admission procedure, in particular a fixed required percentage of international students for study places.

Only foreign or stateless applicants who are not citizens of a member state of the European Union and who have not obtained their higher education entrance qualification in the Federal Republic of Germany or at a German school abroad are considered in the required percentage of internationals. EU citizens are treated the same as Germans under admission law. Five per cent of study places are reserved for admission under the required percentage of internationals. If more international students have applied to a university than there are study places available within the quota of 5%, the applicants are selected according to their qualifications (usually the average grade of the higher education entrance qualification). Applications for recognition of a case of hardship cannot be submitted. 

Please note: International students must generally take a specific German test for enrollment, for example either the German language examination with at least level 2 or the TestDaF examination of the Goethe Institute with at least levels 4-4-4-4. Any deviations are specified in the respective examination regulations. 

For more detailed information on the requirements for the degree programs, please refer to the information on our study offer website or ask our KUala bot.

Higher education entrance qualification: Information for international students without a German university entrance qualification (Bildungsausländer)

In order to be able to directly take up an undergraduate study program at the KU (at our University, this can be a Bachelor’s degree program, teacher training program with State Examination or the Magister in Catholic Theology), your international degree must be equivalent to a German university entrance qualification.

If you are not sure whether your previous academic education is suitable for your chosen degree program at our University, you can carry out an initial check yourself at the anabin database . 

The DAAD admissions database is also a helpful source of information for undergraduate degrees, which are usually a prerequisite for a Master's degree.

A review of your previous educational history may, e.g. have revealed the following results:

Direct university admission: General higher education entrance qualification from abroad

International prospective students whose secondary school-leaving certificate is equivalent to the German Abitur can apply for university studies in Germany. In most cases, direct university access to an undergraduate degree program is also possible if a student already holds a degree (e.g. Bachelor’s degree) from a recognized university abroad. If this applies to you, tick “general university entrance qualification obtained abroad” in the online portal under the section “university entrance qualification”.

Direct subject-specific university admission: Subject-specific university entrance qualification from abroad

If your secondary school-leaving certificate is not equivalent to a German Abitur, you may have a direct subject-specific university entrance qualification: This means that international prospective students whose secondary school-leaving certificate is recognized in principle, but does not provide entrance qualification for general education but for a subject-specific field or certain vocational field, can generally only choose subjects from the relevant field (e.g. only humanities or only natural sciences). For some countries, successful periods of study at a recognized higher education institution must also be proven in addition to the school-leaving certificate. The required duration of the study periods may vary depending on the country and school-leaving qualification. In this case, you can also apply directly for a corresponding university degree program at the KU, but only for the subject that you have previously studied or for closely related degree programs. If this applies to you, tick “Subject-specific university entrance qualification obtained abroad” in the online portal under the section “university entrance qualification”.

Indirect university access: Subject-specific university entrance qualification from abroad plus preparatory college (Studienkolleg)

International prospective students whose educational certificates do not provide direct access to higher education may have the opportunity to compensate for this by attending a preparatory college (Studienkolleg). The preparatory college must be attended for one year in addition to the school leaving certificate and must be successfully completed with the assessment test. The subject orientation results from the course specialization chosen at the preparatory college. If this applies to you, for technical reasons, please tick “Subject-specific university entrance qualification obtained abroad” in the online portal under the section “university entrance qualification” although this is not formally correct.

Preparatory college (Studienkolleg): Information for international students without a German university entrance qualification (Bildungsausländer)

It may be necessary for you to complete a preparatory course before starting your studies.

If the review of your application documents shows that you can be assigned to a preparatory college, you will have to prove German language skills at level B2 already at the time of application. 

It is not possible for prospective students to apply directly to a Studienkolleg. Assignment to the Bavarian preparatory colleges is made by the Bavarian universities (to the Studienkolleg Munich) or by the Bavarian universities of applied sciences (to the Studienkolleg Coburg). 

In order for you to be assigned to a preparatory college, the KU Student Office will need your complete application documents for international students with foreign university entrance qualification. 

If you have to attend a preparatory college before starting your studies at the KU, please proceed as follows: Apply for the degree program that you would like to study at the KU after successfully passing the assessment test. You can submit a corresponding application during the application process. Prospective students are allocated according to the degree program applied for.  

Language requirements

As a rule, you must have at least a basic knowledge of German. You have the possibility of attending an intensive course .

In general, you needed proof of having successfully passed the German language examination for university entrance at level 2 (DSH 2) for all KU Bachelor’s degree programs. Alternatively, the University also accepts the TestDaF exam level 4-4-4-4 or the examination Telc C1 Hochschule.

There are exceptions to this. Please refer to the pages on our study offer or ask our KUala bot.

Please note: If the German language examination for university entrance (DSH) level 1 or 2 is required, applicants must have and provide proof of knowledge of at least level B2/C1 at the time of application. Proof of the required DSH level or comparable test must then be submitted at the latest upon enrollment.

Applicants who have been admitted to a specialized study program at the KU can take the DSH test at our Language Center before enrolling at the KU by completing a German intensive course with us.

German intensive course

At the KU, our intensive German course to prepare for the DSH only starts in the winter semester. Participation is only possible with admission to a German-language degree program at the KU. Please apply for the degree program that you would like to study at the KU after successfully passing the German test. During the application process, you can indicate that you would like to attend the intensive course. 

For the German intensive course, you must provide proof of German language proficiency at level A1/A2 at the time of application.