Bachelor's degree programmes

Application deadline for all bachelor's degree programmes is:

• 15 July for the winter semester (see below for exceptions)
• 15 January for the summer semester

Exception for applicants with a citizenship outside the EU and stateless applicants for the degree programmes:

• International Business Management (IBM): 15 June for the winter semester
• International Business Information Systems (IBS): 15 June for the winter semester / 10 December of the previous year for the summer semester

Exception: Midwifery Science degree programme: application deadline 1 July

These deadlines are cut-off dates. Applications received by Furtwangen University after these deadlines will not be considered in the admission procedure. There are no special regulations for students who have already completed their university entrance exams.

Master's degree programmes

These application deadlines apply to master's degree programmes:  
For the winter semester

• 15 May for Biomedical Engineering, International Management for non-EU applicants, Precision Medicine Diagnostics for non-EU applicants, Smart Systems   
• 1 June for International Business Management for non-EU applicants
• 15 July regular application deadline for all master's degree programmes that start in the winter semester and are not listed above with other dates

For the summer semester

• 15 October for Business Consulting   
• 15 January regular application deadline for all master's degree programmes that start in the summer semester and are not listed above with other dates

When can I apply?

The online application for the bachelor's degree programmes is made via a central application platform, which is linked via the pages of the respective degree programme:

• for the winter semester, application is possible from the end of April
• for the summer semester from mid-October of the previous year

For master's degree programmes, application is always made via our External link opens in a new window:application portal. Detailed instructions on how to apply can be found on the respective degree programme pages.

I do not yet have my school-leaving certificate for the academic and practical part of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences, can I still apply?

If you have completed the upper secondary school with the school-based part of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences and can provide proof of the practical part of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences by the end of the enrolment period at Furtwangen University, you can apply.

Please present the certificate of completion of the school and practical part of the entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences when you enrol.

I do not yet have my university entrance qualification certificate, can I still apply?

If you have completed all examinations, you can apply with a provisional certificate. You will receive this from your school.
Admission on the basis of a provisional certificate is possible. The university entrance qualification must be available by the time of enrolment at the latest.

Special requirements for foreign nationals

Foreign nationals with a German university entrance qualification are admitted in the same way as German nationals.

German nationals with foreign certificates cannot apply until the certificate has been recognised as a higher education entrance qualification by:

Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart
Abteilung 7 Schule und Bildung
Postfach 10 36 42
70031 Stuttgart
Telephone +49 711 904-17170
www.rp-stuttgart.de

Foreign applicants with foreign certificates and stateless applicants must first submit a study application to:

HTWG Konstanz
Studienkolleg Konstanz
Alfred-Wachtel-Straße 8
78462 Konstanz
Germany

www.htwg-konstanz.de/en/academics/center-for-international-students-konstanz

The Center for International Students of the Universities of Applied Sciences in Baden-Württemberg (Studienkolleg) will decide whether an assessment test or a German language proficiency test (DSH) must be taken or whether a direct university entrance qualification can be issued.

Please allow processing time for the certificate recognition.

After certificate recognition, please also apply via the central application platform www.hochschulstart.de

What you need to consider when entering Germany

If you want to study in Germany, you usually have to apply for a student visa at the relevant German diplomatic mission before entering Germany (this does not apply to citizens of EU and EEA countries).

To apply for a visa, you must generally submit the following documents:

• Valid passport
• Letter of acceptance from the German university
• Proof of sufficient financial means
• Health insurance

Details of the required documents can be found on the website of the relevant German diplomatic mission in your home country. The German diplomatic mission abroad cannot issue the visa for entry until the immigration authority in Germany responsible has given its approval.

Citizens of the following countries can also obtain the required residence permit for study purposes after entering Germany (the Foreigner Registration Authorities (Ausländeramt) of the place where you will take up residence in Germany is responsible):

• Australia
• Israel
• Japan
• Canada
• New Zealand
• South Korea
• United States of America
• Andorra
• Brazil, Brazil
• El Salvador
• Honduras
• Monaco
• San Marino

Please note:

The visa must be issued for the purpose of your studies. A tourist visa or a so-called "Schengen visa" is not sufficient. It is not possible to change the type of visa once you have entered the country.

Residence permit

After entering Germany, you must register at the Residence Registration Office ("Einwohnermeldamt"). This could also be in the local Citizens Registration Office ("Bürgerbüro" or "Bürgeramt"). As a rule, you should register with the following documents within the first week of your arrival:

• Identity card or passport (with visa if required)
• Landlord's confirmation ("Wohnungsgeberbestätigung")
• Completed registration form

Once you have registered, you will receive a registration certificate ("Meldebescheinigung"). You will need this document, for example, to open a bank account or apply for a residence permit ("Aufenthaltserlaubnis").

Entry with a visa: The visa is only valid as an entry permit. Register at the Residence Registration authorities in your place of residence within one week of arriving in Germany. This will enable you to apply for an electronic residency permit (eAT) from the relevant immigration authority, which will replace the entry visa with a long-term residency permit.

Entry without a visa: Even if you do not need a visa to enter Germany, you must register at your place of residence in Germany after entering the country. If you are staying in Germany for longer than three months, you must usually apply for a residence permit. This does not apply to citizens of the European Union, EEA states and Switzerland.

Residence Registration authorities:
The following are the local government authorities responsible in your place of residence:

1. Furtwangen (= Villingen-Schwenningen region)
   Residence Registration Authorities (Ausländeramt)
   Schwarzwald-Baarkreis County Offices (Landratsamt)
   Am Hoptbühl 2
   78048 VS-Villingen
2. Schwenningen (= part of city of Villingen-Schwenningen)
   Residence Registration Authorities (Ausländeramt)
   Municipal Offices (Stadtverwaltung) Villingen-Schwenningen
   Marktplatz 1
   78054 VS-Schwenningen
3. Tuttlingen (city)
   Residence Registration Department (Ausländerwesen)
   Municipal Offices (Stadtverwaltung) Tuttlingen
   Rathausstr. 1
   78532 Tuttlingen
4. Tuttlingen (region)
   Residence Registration Authorities (Ausländeramt)
   County Offices (Landratsamt) Tuttlingen
   Bahnhofstr. 100
   78532 Tuttlingen

Personal consultations are only possible with an appointment.

Health insurance

You must have valid health insurance to study in Germany. You are required to have statutory health insurance until you have completed your 14th semester or are 30 years old. Please find out before you apply whether your home health insurance offers you cover in Germany or not. You cannot enrol without valid health insurance.

Students from EU countries: If you are in possession of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you only need to present it when you enrol.

Students from non-EU countries: If you do not have a European Health Insurance Card, you must take out insurance with a German health insurance company. As long as you are under 30, you can insure yourself with a German statutory health insurance company (e.g. TK, AOK) at a favourable student rate.

You can choose between statutory and private health insurance. Usually, if you are under 30 and do not have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you will opt for statutory health insurance. Please contact the insurance company. You will receive a confirmation that you can use as proof of German health insurance for your visa application.

• Techniker Krankenkasse - TK (partner of HFU; statutory health insurance). Contact person: Tobias Hauser, www.tk.de/vt/Tobias.Hauser
• AOK (statutory health insurance): https://www.aok.de/pk/bw/

Here you can find information about the statutory health insurance system in Germany.

Private health insurance from your home country can only be recognised if it offers sufficient insurance cover during your studies in Germany. The insurance is checked by a German statutory health insurance company. If you have sufficient insurance cover, you can be exempted from the statutory health insurance obligation. You will then receive a corresponding certificate of exemption from the German statutory health insurance fund which enables you to enrol. It is then no longer possible to switch to statutory health insurance throughout your studies. 

Visa: You can already take out German statutory health insurance from abroad. Please contact the insurance company. You will receive a confirmation that you can use as proof of German health insurance for your visa application.

Scholarship holders, e.g. DAAD scholarship holders, are usually covered by group health insurance during their stay in Germany. This must be noted in the scholarship documents. Please bring a corresponding certificate with you when you enrol. More information on this can be found at www.daad.de/de/der-daad/was-wir-tun/versicherung/.

Students over the age of 30 can generally no longer take advantage of the favourable student rate of the statutory health insurance and must take out private insurance.

From your arrival in Germany until the start of the semester: we strongly recommend that you take out private health insurance for this period (e.g. travel insurance).

Liability insurance

In Germany, you are legally responsible for any damage you cause to others. Private liability insurance is therefore very important, as you may incur high costs if you cause damage to your landlord's house, for example.

We strongly recommend that you take out personal liability insurance.

For activities that are causally related to your studies and take place on university premises, you are covered by liability insurance via the student services fee. The insurance cover also applies during participation in practical semesters which are part of your degree programme.

Accident insurance

As a student at a university in Baden-Württemberg, you are legally insured for accidents that occur on the university campus or on the direct route to or from the university.

For accidents that occur in your free time outside the university, you are insured via your student services fee. This cover also extends to vacation trips, internships and activities in connection with your thesis at foreign universities and research institutions.

Further information can be found at www.swfr.de/beratung-soziales/versicherungen/.

Anyone wishing to study at Furtwangen University must prove that he or she has:

• a university entrance qualification, usually a school leaving certificate (more details below)
• certain language skills (in some degree programmes)
• completed a pre-study internship (in the following degree programmes)
  • Business Administration and Engineering - Marketing & Sales (MVB)
  • Business Administration and Engineering - Product Engineering (PEB)
• The pre-study internship in the Business Administration and Engineering MVB and PEB degree programmes can be made up until the beginning of the lecture period of the third semester. It can be divided into a maximum of two sections.

University entrance qualification

The basic requirement for admission to a bachelor's degree programme at Furtwangen University is one of the following:

• general university entrance qualification (Abitur)
• Subject-specific university entrance qualification
• Entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences
• Previous qualification recognised as equivalent

The general university entrance qualification is achieved, among other things, through the Abitur at:

• General grammar schools (Gymnasien) and comprehensive schools (Gesamtschulen)
• Vocational grammar schools and specialised grammar schools (Gymnasien/Fachgymnasien)
• Vocational upper secondary schools (Berufsoberschulen)
• Colleges as full-time schools (Kollegien als Vollzeitschule)
• Evening grammar schools (Abendgymnasien)
• Independent Waldorf schools

The subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification is obtained through the school-leaving examination at:

• Technical high schools (Fachgymnasien)
• Vocational colleges (Berufsoberschulen)

The entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences is acquired through the school-leaving examination at:

• Gymnasien/Fachgymnasien/Gesamtschulen/freie Waldorfschulen after the 12th grade (academic part), a vocational part must also be proven
• Technical colleges
• Vocational colleges and vocational schools
• Evening grammar schools

For special requirements for foreign nationals, see above on this page.

Studying with vocational qualifications

If you have completed vocational training and have at least three years of professional experience, you can qualify for a degree programme by taking an aptitude test. Further information is available from the Admissions Office:

HFU Admissions Office
Robert-Gerwig-Platz 1
78120 Furtwangen

Tel: 07723 920-1232
Fax: 07723 920-1239
zulassungsamt(at)hs-furtwangen.de

If you have completed a master craftsman's examination or are an IHK Business Administrator, you can apply directly via www.hochschulstart.de . An advisory interview with the Dean of Studies is also required.

You can apply for a place at Furtwangen University without a high school diploma (Abitur).

What requirements do I have to fulfill?

There are two admission routes for studying without a high school diploma:

1. Professionals with advanced training
2. Those with vocational training and professional experience

According to the State Higher Education Act (LHG § 58 para. 2 no. 5 and 6 in the version of 1 April 2014) and the Professional University Admission Ordinance (BerufsHZVO of 1 April 2014), those who have completed recognised advanced training courses, e.g. master craftsmen or business administrators, are eligible for general university admission, i.e. they are entitled to study all subjects at all universities.

Professionally qualified persons with at least two years of vocational training and, as a rule, three years of professional experience can acquire an entrance qualification for a course of study corresponding to their previous professional training by passing an aptitude test .

For both admission routes, an additional advisory interview takes place at the university.

1. Requirements for professionals with advanced training

• Successful completion of a publicly regulated advanced training course, in particular in accordance with the Vocational Training Act, the Crafts Code or § 14 of the Education Act, based on at least two years of vocational training. Recognised advanced training courses are, for example:
  • Master craftsman examinations
  • Other publicly regulated advanced vocational training courses including: IHK business administrator, commercial business administrator, banking business administrator, insurance business administrator, industrial business administrator, specialist business administrator
    • Completion of a technical college within the meaning of § 14 of the Education Act including: state-certified technician, state-certified business economist
    • Certain qualifications from an administration and business academy (VWA)
• Qualification for higher professional competence and function
• Preparatory course with at least 400 teaching hours
• Advisory interview at a university

Application

When applying, it is important to contact our Admissions Office well before the application deadline so that we can check the advanced training qualification before the application and have time to schedule an advisory interview with the Dean of Studies if this has not yet taken place.

The following documents are required during the online application process:

• Curriculum vitae in tabular form
• Certificates of vocational training and further education
• Documents for the selection procedure, if applicable
• Certificate of employment, if applicable
• Download file:Proof of the advisory interview at a university

The average grade of the higher education entrance qualification (HZB) that is decisive for the university's admission procedure in admission-restricted degree programmes is the average grade of the advanced vocational training.

2. Requirements for subject-specific university admission via an aptitude test

• At least two years of completed vocational training corresponding to the desired course of study
• Professional experience of generally three years in a field relevant to the intended course of study following the vocational training
• An advisory interview in accordance with § 2 Para. 2 LHG on admission to a university for professionals
• Passing of aptitude test at the Constance University of Applied Sciences (HTWG Konstanz)

The aptitude test

The aptitude test is taken at the the HTWG Konstanz. You can register for the exam at Furtwangen University. The costs of the aptitude test can be passed on to the applicant on a pro rata basis.

The examination consists of a written and an oral examination: The written examination consists of three parts: German, English and a subject-specific supervisory paper related to the chosen degree programme (e.g. mathematics/economics; mathematics/technology). The oral examination covers the applicant's general knowledge of cultural, political, social and economic topics. It also offers the opportunity to check the written grades.

Further information can be found under: External link opens in a new window:Hochschule Konstanz.

Application

Application deadlines

The application for admission for the following winter semester must be submitted to the Admissions Office at Furtwangen University by 1 February of the year. Admission to the summer semester is generally possible, but the aptitude test is only offered once a year in Constance. It is possible to register for the examination at the HTGW Konstanz until the end of March.

Application documents

The following documents must be enclosed with the application:

• Application for admission to the aptitude test
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form
• Officially certified copies of certificates of vocational training and professional experience
• Documents for the selection procedure, if applicable
• Certificate of employment, if applicable
• Proof of the advisory interview

Professional equivalence

The Dean of Studies at Furtwangen University will decide whether the vocational training and professional experience correspond to the chosen degree programme.

Mutual recognition

The aptitude test passed by universities within the meaning of § 1 LHG in other federal states or by other state authorities will be recognised if it is the same course of study or a related course of study with essentially the same content. An advisory interview from another university will also be recognised.

After passing the aptitude test, an online application for the desired degree programme is possible within the application deadlines.

Downloads

Download file:Statutes of Furtwangen University on aptitude test for vocational students

Download file:Application for admission to the aptitude test

Download file:Advisory interview for subject-specific university admission with aptitude test

Download file:FAQ on university admission for professionally qualified students