How to apply

Knowledge of German as an admission requirement for Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences

In order to be admitted to Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, you must have a good command of German, which will enable you to follow lectures and work independently. Certificates which Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences recognizes as sufficient can be found here.

There are general admission requirements that the university expects all applicants with foreign documents to fulfill:

• Your secondary school diploma or university degree must be recognized as entitling you for admission to a Bachelor or Master program. Make sure that you meet the requirements for recognition. To do so, you can make use of information provided by the German Academic Exchange Service or the Anabin database of the Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen).
• Proof of German language proficiency

Also, certain degree programs have further specific admission requirements:

• Practical professional experience before commencing studies (vocational placement)
• Three-year vocational training program before commencing studies (e.g. for degree programs in the care/health sector)
• Artistic aptitude (for artistic/creative degree programs such as design, music pedagogy, or theater pedagogy)
• Knowledge of English

Please ensure that you are informed about the conditions for your chosen degree program. You can access the degree program that interests you from the list of all the Bachelor degree and Master degree programs offered by Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences.

Due to the great demand for study places at Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, all degree programs generally have an admission restriction. 5% of the available Bachelor places are reserved for applicants from non-EU states. These places are awarded by grade point average. Applicants from UE states are evaluated along with German applicants, also on the basis of their grade point averages.

Here we would like to give you a few tips about what you can do if your application does not meet the admission requirements of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences:

• If your secondary school diploma is not recognized as a university entrance qualification, you can attend the preparatory college (Studienkolleg) for a year in order to gain the required qualification (the assessment test - Feststellungsprüfung). The nearest preparatory colleges in the Osnabrück area are Comenius College in Mettingen and the Niedersächsisches Studienkolleg.
  Please note that we do not have our own preparatory college in Osnabrück. You apply directly to the Studienkolleg in Mettingen. For the Niedersächsische Studienkolleg Hannover, registration for the entrance exam is conducted by a university (e.g., Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences, provided the applicant has a minimum B1 level of German proficiency or higher). Please contact us at international@hs-osnabrueck.de if you wish to register for the entrance exam at the STK Hannover.

• If you are lacking the required vocational placement, you must independently apply for an internship. The vocational placement can also be completed in your home country. Not every degree program requires vocational placement. However, if an internship is an admission requirement, please take note of the exact requirements with respect to duration, content, and certification type. For this information, please consult the description of the admission requirements for your chosen degree program.

•  If your knowledge of German is insufficient, you must improve your German skills and obtain one of the required German certificates before applying to Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. The better your language skills are, the better are your chances to complete your studies successfully and the easier it will be to establish contacts with fellow German-speaking students or roommates and to orient yourself outside the university. If you have already achieved the required level but are missing the certificate, you can register for a telc C1 Hochschule examination at our telc examination center. Please note that the deadline for submission of German language certificates for the summer semester is February 28, while those for the winter semester must be received by August 31. Please be aware that achieving C1 proficiency requires a significant investment of time and that your language skills will have a direct impact on your academic success. Our study preparation courses are designed to help you reach the appropriate level. You will also find general information on the subject of German for university studies here.

• Some degree programs require the completion of a vocational training program as an admission requirement. Vocational training programs are a special feature of the German education system. In this system, a profession is learned via a combination of practical training in a company and theoretical training in a special school, the vocational school. Vocational training generally takes 2.5 to 3.5 years, and trainees generally spend 3 days a week in the company and 2 days at the school. If you are interested in a degree program with this admission requirement, you should speak with the office of the degree program to find out whether there are other options for you to satisfy this requirement. If you are interested in participating in a vocational training program in Germany, please contact the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit).

• If the degree program requires an artistic aptitude test, you must, depending on the degree program, submit a portfolio with work samples and/or come to Osnabrück for an aptitude test. The following degree programs require an aptitude test and provide detailed information about this test: Music Education, Theater Pedagogy, Industrial Design, and Media & Interaction Design.

• The easiest way to certify your knowledge of English is with an internationally recognized test such as TOEFL, IELTS, or TOEIC.