Frequently Asked Questions

Below you will find answers to the most frequently asked questions about applying and registering for university.

Have more questions? Feel free to call our hotline or visit the Student Service Center for quick information:
Tel: +49 (0)761 203-4246

study@uni-freiburg.de
Office hours: Mo – Thu 9am – 4:30pm, Fr 9am – 12pm

The modalities for applying and registering for a master’s degree program are organized by each individual department. Please ask your departmental student advisor. For more information about available master’s degree programs, visit this list for courses of study.

Application: When, how, where, what?

Where do I apply for which field of study?

For most fields of study at the University of Freiburg, you can apply directly online. There you will be directed to the proper course of action, depending on the type of degree you wish to pursue and your personal situation (first semester application, advanced semester, German high school diploma or non-German high school diploma, etc).

Exceptions include the departments of human medicine, pharmaceutics and dentistry. For these courses of study, you must apply at www.hochschulstart.de.

For degree programs in economics (public and non-profit management) B.Sc., Biology B.Sc. and psychology, you must first register here. Thereafter you must apply using the University of Freiburg online portal.

What are the general application deadlines at the University of Freiburg?

A list of all relevant application deadlines and dates

Is there a special deadline for old high school graduates?

The "old” school-graduates deadline only applies to applications via hochschulstart.de and only concerns the subjects of human medicine, pharmacy and dentistry. You can find the current deadlines here.

Can I hand in documents after the deadline has passed?

No. The application deadline for those fields with entrance restrictions has a distinct cut-off period. That means any documents provided after the application deadline cannot be considered. Only a timely application for admittance into an advanced semester allows for course credits and grades to be provided during the semester (for the winter semester it is until September 20; for the summer semester it is March 20 at the latest).

What does my status message in HISinOne mean?

Application Status HISinOne Explanations

Does it make sense to apply even though I can only start studying at a later date after I have completed a period of service?

Due to pre-admission regulations, the question would be „yes“.

How do I apply for a Master programme?

The application and enrolment modalities for a Master's programme are regulated by the individual departments. Please contact the respective departmental advisors if you have any questions. Further information on the Master's programmes offered can be found in the programme list.

An exception is the Master of Education. In this case, the Student Service Center is responsible for the application. Further information on the application procedure and admission requirements can be found at the School of Education FACE.

How does the application and enrolment for the Master's programme work if I am already enrolled in an undergraduate degree programme at the University of Freiburg?

Applications are made via the student account in HISinOne. The application and admission modalities for a Master's degree programme are regulated by the individual departments. If you have any questions, please contact the relevant departmental student advisory service. You can find more information on the Master's degree programmes offered in the list of degree programmes. Even if the application phase has not yet been completed, you can re-register for the undergraduate degree programme during the re-registration period. You can re-register by bank transfer, direct debit mandate or in person with your Giro Card. If the final examination for the undergraduate degree programme has already been entered in HISinOne, there will be no re-registration. The fees will then be saved in your account.

After the end of the official re-registration period, all students who have not re-registered will be ex officio de-registered. If this happens during the application phase for the Master's programme, the de-registration will be cancelled after admission.

As soon as you have received your letter of admission for the Master's programme, you can apply for a change of subject/programme to the Master's programme - please submit this to the Registrar's Office / IAS. The deadline on the letter of admission is decisive. You do not have to and should not de-register in order to change from an undergraduate degree programme to a Master's degree programme. As long as you have not yet been admitted to the Master's programme and therefore cannot apply for a change of subject/programme, you may not be re-registered for the following semester. You will only be re-registered for the next semester when you transfer and your subject/programme will change. Your matriculation number and student account will remain the same. If you have any problems with re-registration/re-enrolment, please contact the Student Service Centre.

Application or simply register: What applies to which subjects?

What kinds of degrees do you offer and what particulars do I need to know regarding my choice of study for matriculation?

For the description and structure of various degree programs that you can do at the University of Freiburg, please go to the degree programs page.

The particulars for your application can be found below.

Polyvalent 2-major field Bachelor with the option for the teacher’s certificate at the „Gymnasium“ (university-bound high school)
For this course of study you are required to register for two major fields. Any combination of fields is acceptable. The type of academic degree (B.A. or B.Sc.) depends on the field in which you choose to write your bachelor’s thesis. For the polyvalent two-field bachelor’s degree you have the opportunity to either complete a bachelor’s program oriented toward the teacher’s certification for the Gymnasium or to combine two fields and design your studies with a particular emphasis (option for a self-designed program).
Note for applicants who wish to be accepted into the Baden-Württemberg teacher’s training program or later into the public school system:
For the field of Catholic theology you must include your denominational affiliation and a combination of philosophy and ethics is not allowed.

State examination (not teacher’s certificate)
You are required to register in your major field.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
You are required to register for one major field and one minor field. Please note which field combinations are possible as well as the particular requirements for individual field combinations.

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)
You are required to register in one major field.
Exception:
In order to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Sciences and Forest Sciences and the Environment you must register for one major field and one minor field (please refer to the information in the overview of study fields).

Magister Theologiae – ecclesiastical examination
You are required to register in Catholic theology as a major field.

Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences
You are only required to register for Liberal Arts and Sciences as your major field.

Master’s degree
The modalities for applying and registering for a master’s degree program are organized by each individual department. Please ask your departmental student advisor. For more information about available master’s degree programs, visit this list for courses of study.

Please note that enrollment can only occur with a complete combination in your course of study.

Which entrance restrictions are there?

As a rule, restrictions are customarily determined right before the application process begins. You will soon find an overview of the current entrance-restricted subjects in this information sheet for first-year students as well as for entering advanced semester right here.

Do I also have to apply for fields without restrictive admissions?

For a degree programme without special admission requirements (free admission), you must submit your documents via the application portal of the University of Freiburg and also submit an online application for enrolment there.

EU citizens and citizens from EEA countries without a German university entrance qualification must apply for an open-admission degree programme via the application portal of the University of Freiburg and will receive an admission notice there, which they can use to enrol.

You can find the current deadlines here.

What happens when I hand in multiple admissions applications at the university?

You can submit a maximum of three applications each for undergraduate degree programmes, the higher semesters and Master's degree programmes with admission restrictions. Applications for degree programmes without admission restrictions (free admission) are not subject to this limit.

How do I apply for the lottery procedure?

Applicants that are non-EU or EEA citizens and/or do not have a German higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) cannot participate in the lottery.

The lottery takes place for those courses of study that are entrance-restricted and in which not all spaces have been taken for a particular course of study. If, after the last waiting list has been covered, there are still spaces available, they will be given to students via the lottery.

Registering for lottery participation is online and tailored to each desired course of study. Application deadlines for the winter semester is September 1-30 and for the summer semester March 1-31. Applications beyond these deadlines will not be considered.

The online application portal for the lottery is only live during the above-mentioned deadlines. Lottery applications are only accepted online.

Next to the general university entrance qualification (Abitur) are there other admission requirements for studying at the University of Freiburg for a bachelor’s degree program?

You may study at a technical college with an advanced technical college certificate (Fachhochschulreife), but not at a university in Baden-Württemberg.

Field-specific higher education entrance qualification (with proof of foreign language competency) allows you to pursue certain courses of study at a college or university (as named in your certificate/report card).

Note about delta examination
According to the Higher Education Act in Baden-Württemberg from April 1, 2014 (§58 Abs. 2 Nr. 4) an education qualification recognized in Baden-Württemberg (advanced technical college certificate or field-specific higher education entrance qualification) and an additional examination (delta examination) is required in order to pursue a bachelor’s degree on all colleges and universities. Those who have a field-specific higher education entrance qualification or an advanced technical college certificate and who are interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree, but do not yet have the correct entrance qualification, will be admitted to the delta examination. Please refer to this site for more information about taking the delta examination [de].

Those will professional experience but no university entrance qualification (Abitur) may be admitted to university under certain conditions. Please contact the Central Academic Advising Office (study@uni-freiburg.de).

How does the waiting list work?

In your online application you are allowed to create one main application and up to two secondary choice applications. The main application has priority. An application for entrance-free fields is not required because you can enroll for them as late as one week before the semester begins.

Admission for an entrance-restricted field within a secondary choice application can only occur when all other main application applicants have been admitted and there are still spaces available.

After the application deadline on July 15, the registration office undergoes a so-called first-round decision process during which time they only make decisions about the main applications. For additional available spaces a waiting list is collected for which all secondary choice applications are considered. So if you are not admitted during the first-round decision process, your main application will be considered again from the 1. waiting list. If this is not possible, your secondary choice applications for the course of study you mentioned there will be considered. If you are admitted here, you will not be considered for any further waiting lists. That means if you only wish to participate in the waiting list procedure for the course of study you applied for in your main application, do not make any secondary choice applications.

Note: In the admission procedure for the subjects of human medicine, pharmacy and dentistry, waiting semesters will no longer be taken into account as of 2022. The options for improving your chances of admission beyond your higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) grade can be found at hochschulstart.de under Support/Downloads.

After the application: When and how can it start?

When will I receive my letter of admission or rejection?

Admission and rejection letters for the winter semester are issued from mid-August at the earliest and by the end of October/November (this refers in particular to rejection letters). The enrolment period will be communicated in the letter of admission.

Do I have to appear in person in order to register?

No, you can also register in written form.
Information and documents for registration

If you are unable to matriculate yourself, e.g. due to absence, you can authorise a person of your choice (e.g. parents, siblings) in writing to carry out the matriculation. The power of attorney as well as a copy of the identity card of the person(s) authorized must be enclosed with the matriculation documents.
Notes and documents for matriculation

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the hotline or the info desk of the Student Service Center.

How does the move-up procedure work?

When applying online, you can submit one main application and up to two auxiliary applications. The main claim has priority.
It is not necessary to apply for admission-free subjects, since you can register for admission-free subjects up to one week before the start of the lecture.
An admission for a restricted subject in the auxiliary application can only be granted if all applicants who have chosen this subject in the main application have been admitted and there are still places available.

After the application deadline (15.7.), the Registrar's Office first carries out a so-called main application procedure. In the main procedure, only the main applications submitted by all applicants are decided upon. Any places still available will be allocated in the succession procedure. The auxiliary applications of all applicants are also considered. Thus, if you were not admitted in the main procedure, the 1st succession procedure will again examine whether you can be admitted to the degree programme named in the first place (main application). If this is again not possible, it will be checked whether admission is possible for the degree programmes mentioned in the auxiliary requests. If you are admitted to one of these programs, you will not take part in the subsequent succession procedures.
This means: If you only want to participate in all the succession procedures with the program of your main application, you may not submit any auxiliary requests.

When does the course of study begin and is there orientation beforehand?

The course of study begins in October and April respectively; the exact start of the lecture period can be found here.
The introductory courses generally begin one week before the official start of lectures.

You can organize your introduction week with the help of the app "myUFR". Further information is available at www.studienstart.uni-freiburg.de

I have gotten a spot at university, but I need to complete my voluntary service first. What should I do?

If you wish to study at the University of Freiburg after completing your voluntary service, you must re-apply within the application period and apply for pre-admission (so-called Vorwegauswahl).

Pre-admission means:
Applicants who have performed the following duties:

Voluntary military service
Bundesfreiwilligendienst (federal volunteer service in Germany) for at least six months
Jugendfreiwilligendienst (voluntary service for young people in Germany and abroad): Freiwilliges soziales Jahr (voluntary civil service), Freiwilliges ökologisches Jahr (voluntary ecological year) or Freiwilliges kulturelles Jahr (voluntary cultural year) for at least six months
The EU-funded European Voluntary Service for at least six months
Another voluntary service as part of a pilot project funded by the German government: "Weltwärts“ (an international development project) or "Kulturweit” (an international cultural project) for at least six months
Development assistance work for at least two years
Caring for a biological or adopted child under 18 or a relative requiring nursing care (up to three years).

These individuals will receive pre-admission status for the course of study for which they originally applied if they were admitted to it by the University of Freiburg or hochschulstart.de or the ZVS at the University of Freiburg during or after their service or care began and were not able to accept for the reasons mentioned above. You will need to include proof of your period of service and a copy of the original admission slip.

I only received an acceptance for a major or a minor field in a multiple-field course of study. Can I enroll anyway?

No, because enrollment is dependent on a complete combination of fields. If you wish to enroll, you must select an additional entrance-free major or minor field.