Essential aspects of the admission procedure for international students are:

a) the equivalence of the academic qualifications related to the requirements in Germany; for undergraduate admission the equivalence of the secondary school leaving certificate and for graduate admission the equivalence of the first academic degree.

b) the language skills for studying

c) the quality of the application. Aspects for the quality on undergraduate level are: the average grade of the secondary school leaving certificate (weighted by relevant subjects and converted into the German grading system) and in all fields of Design the artistic aptitude test. For graduate admission some quality aspects are: average grade (or GPA) of the respective first degree, interview, and sometimes also work experience, score in relevant admission tests (Graduate Admission Tests like GRE, GMAT). 

Please consider the special admission procedures at the Design School. For information contact gestaltung.studicenter(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de. 

In undergraduate programs a certain quota of the capacity is reserved for international students. In all graduate programs the admision of international students is not limited; admission is based on the quality of the application only.
 

Admission process

All applications will have to meet the respective deadlines for admission. Depending on the level (undergraduate or graduate) and the home country international applicants should apply according to the different application procedures.

First, all applications are checked on completeness and readability. Second, the application is checked for formal criteria meeting the general entry requirements; these are the equivalence of the school/academic qualification to the requirements in Germany and the language requirements for studying the respective program.

Formally qualified applications will proceed to the evaluation of the quality of the application. Qualitative indicators are average grades or grades in relevant subjects, work experience etc (past perfomance), interview (present performance) and admission tests (predicted performance). The evaluation of an application is normally on the authority of the respective School/ Faculty/ Department. In case a candidate is selected, International Programs will issue and send a "letter of acceptance" (Zulassungsbescheid) to the home address of the applicant. The letter of acceptance will be issued in German and English and is quite often an essential part for the student visa application process. Most international students from outside the EU may need a visa via the German Embassies or consulates in the home country. The visa and the letter of acceptance are relevant for the immatriculation at the university. For the immatriculation international students will have to prove in addition: adequate health insurance, payment of tuition and student fees. 

The procedure for admission and immatriculation may last several weeks. Please expect about 2-4 weeks for the admission procedure (that is reviewing and evaluating the application). Posting your application and sending out the acceptance letter may also take about two weeks. For getting the visa please expect about 4-12 weeks (depending on the location). A total of about 16 weeks is an realistic estimation for the duration of the admission process.

Admission to Bachelor's degree programs

International students from EU countries will have to apply via the following instructions.

International students from all other countries and stateless students can apply for the recognition of their university entrance qualification via the International Programs Office of Pforzheim University. In order to apply for the winter semester please submit the application form plus the additional documents via e-mail to the International Programs Office latest until May 31st. The deadline for the summer semester is November 30th.

Contact: degree-seeking@hs-pforzheim.de

If you are applying for one of the following degree programs, please note that you must schedule an interview appointment at the same time you submit your application for recognition.

Please contact the degree program directly.

• Digital Business Management (B.Sc.) - dbm(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de
• International Business (B.Sc.) - ib(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de
• International Marketing (B.Sc.) - bim(at)hs-pforzheim(dot)de

When submitting documents for recognition to the International Office, please also Cc the appropriate program (see above).

You may also apply at the Center for International Students in Konstanz. The Center for International Students administers these applications for all Universities of Applied Sciences of the land/state Baden-Wuerttemberg. All information regarding the deadlines and requirements are also available on the website of the Center for International Students in Konstanz. The deadlines here are May 1st for the winter semester and November 1st for summer semester. The postal address is: 

Center for International Students Konstanz
Brauneggerstr. 55
78462 Konstanz, Germany
 

Admission to Master's degree programs

The application procedure for Master Programs is organized according to each program. Please visit the overview of master programs and select the required program in order to find detailed information about the requirements and to follow the application procedure.
 

Further information

For international applicants the German Academic Exchange Service DAAD provides further relevant information about studying in Germany. These more general information materials are a good starting point for a future study period in Germany.