Entry requirements: Necessary certificates and qualifications

Check well in advance as to whether you meet the most important admission requirements for Bavarian universities:

School-leaving certificate

You will need an advanced-level or upper secondary certificate (US: high school diploma) equivalent to the German school-leaving certificate. To enter a higher education course at a Bavarian university, you can apply to the university directly with your certificate.

For studying at a Bavarian university of applied sciences, you should first contact the institution which is responsible for evaluating certificates obtained outside of Germany: Zeugnisanerkennungsstelle, P.O. Box 402040, 80720 Munich (house address: Pündterplatz 5, 80803 Munich; phone: +49(0)89/383849-0) or via Internet at www.stmuk.bayern.de/zast .

Language skills

Check whether you can provide proof of adequate competence in the German language. You should acquire sufficient proficiency in German to cope with your social life and study programme in Bavaria before you leave your home country. Courses in German are offered by many universities in your country as well as by the Goethe Institut abroad. Most higher education institutions in Bavaria will require you to take a German language proficiency test before admitting you to a full degree course. Recognised tests are the TestDaF �Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache� ("German as a foreign language") or the �Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang� (DSH). TestDaF is a standardized test held all over the world and recognised by all Bavarian universities. At www.testdaf.de/teilnehmer/tn-pruefung_testzentren.php you will find a test centre near you. DSH is held at many universities in Germany � a list of institutions offering the test is available at www.hrk.de/de/download/dateien/DSH_Registr.pdf .

Aptitude tests

For entry to degree programmes involving artistic, athletic or foreign-language skills, applicants may have to provide proof of their abilities in these fields in an aptitude test.

To find out which programmes are subject to such specific admission requirements, contact the International Office of the university concerned.

Application

Your application for admission must be sent to the university at which you wish to commence your studies. For certain degree programmes (Biology, Psychology, Medicine, Pharmacy, Veterinary Science and Dentistry), prospective students from member-states of the EU and non-German nationals with a German university-entrance qualification must apply for admission via the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung in Dortmund. This institution is responsible for allocating places in higher education. Detailed information on this process can be found at www.hochschulstart.de . The address to send your application: Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung, 44128 Dortmund, Germany.

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