Application and enrollment for international applicants (2024)

Applications for a German course or the pre-entry program (Studienkolleg) should be filed online only.

Applications for the degree programs Artificial Intelligence (BSc), Autonomy Technologies (BSc) and Clean Energy Processes (BSc) should be filed online. Please note that the signed form for your application for admission must be sent in by post without any further documents. We will not process any applications that are sent by email.

For all other applications, after completing your online application, you must print and sign the completed application form (from the campo application portal) and send it by post to our Admissions Office (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, Zulassungsstelle, Schlossplatz 4, 91054 Erlangen) with all the following documents:

• CV (without photo)
• School leaving certificate (complete certificate)
• German language certificates (regular copy, if qualifications were gained in Germany)

Further documents may be necessary depending on the desired degree program, your country of origin and your previous education.

• If applicable: pre-university year certificate (e.g. applicants from Iran)
• If applicable: university entrance examination certificate from your home country
• If applicable: assessment examination (Feststellungsprüfung) for the degree program in question (certified copy)
• If you have completed previous periods of study: complete academic report/transcript of records
• If you have completed a previous degree: degree certificate (e.g. Bachelor’s degree, Diplom)
• Applicants who have completed previous periods of study in China, India or (from summer semester 2023) Vietnam: APS certificate (original)
• Applicants from DSDI/DSDII schools in China: confirmation of identity from the German embassy (original)
• Applicants for Food Chemistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, or Dentistry must submit proof of passing the Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang ausländischer Studienbewerber (DSH 2) or an equivalent examination.

• Certified copies of foreign certificates that are not issued in German, English or French must be submitted with a certified translation. If your documents do not fulfill the requirements or if important certificates are missing, your application will not be processed. More information on document certification and translation is available here.
• Completeness: Please note that for applications to be processed all necessary documents have to be enclosed. This means that applications must not be submitted without certificates and supporting documents.
• Studienkolleg: Please ensure you find out whether you can apply directly for the degree program you have chosen or whether you must first complete the ‘Studienkolleg’ or pass the assessment examination (Feststellungsprüfung). More information is available on our page about the Evaluation of international qualifications and ‘Studienkolleg’.
• Start of degree program: The majority of undergraduate subjects can only be started in the winter semester; that means that enrollment for the summer semester is only possible for higher semesters. However, this is dependent on whether any previous course and examination achievements have been accredited.

From winter semester 2023/24 onward, applicants with qualifications from India will require an APS certificate to start a degree program (Bachelor’s degree, State Examination and Master’s degree) in Germany, if the applicant has obtained a secondary education certificate or course achievements from India.

If you are granted admission for summer semester 2024, you must present the APS certificate on enrollment at the latest. Students applying for Master’s degree programs with admission restrictions in psychology and psychology with a focus in clinical psychology and psychotherapy must upload the APS certificate when applying for the program.

Please note the following exceptions:

An APS certificate is not required for application or enrollment if one of the following conditions is met:

• The applicant is already resident in Germany and has proof of residence (Meldebescheinigung) that is not older than three months
• The highest educational qualification originates from a country other than India, China or Vietnam. The first degree is relevant for the application for a Master’s degree program. If applicants gained their Bachelor’s degree in India and a Master’s degree in another country, an APS certificate is still required. In this case, the university degree relevant for the application is the Bachelor’s degree and the Master’s degree is secondary.
• The applicant has passed an assessment examination (Feststellungsprüfung) in Germany,
• The applicant is located in India and is studying a distance learning degree program at a German university,
• The applicant has been awarded a scholarship from Germany or the EU.

For more information, please visit the APS India website: aps-india.de

In addition to submitting your application via campo, please note that for some Bachelor’s degree programs you will also have to apply via the dialog-oriented service procedure (DoSV) managed by the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung. This concerns:

• Foreign students who have attended a school in Germany and therefore all foreign applicants and stateless persons who have attained a German university entrance qualification or have completed a degree in Germany that qualifies them to apply for the degree program.
• Citizens from an EU member state
• Spouses of German citizens
• Citizens from contracting states for the Agreement on the European Economic Area that are not members of the EU (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).
• Other family members of citizens of another EU member state or of a contracting state of the Agreement on the European Economic Area who live in Germany, provided these citizens are employed in Germany. The term “other family members” includes spouses.

This is expected to apply to the following degree programs for winter semester 2024/25:

• International Business Studies (BSc; taught in English)
• International Economic Studies (BSc; taught in English)
• Food Chemistry (State Examination)
• Molecular Medicine (BSc)
• Psychology (BSc; full time and part time)

Further information about the dialog-oriented service procedure (DoSV) is available at hochschulstart.de. A checklist on DoSV can also be found in the “Downloads” section on that website.

For degree programs in Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy, please apply to the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung (Foundation for University Admissions (SfH)) if you are:

• an applicant from a European Union (EU) state
• an applicant from an EEA country not in the EU (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway)
• a ‘BildungsinländerIn’ (foreign students at German universities who have attended a school in Germany)
• an international applicant living in Germany with relatives who are EU/EEA citizens and work in Germany (e.g. husband, wife, parents).

Graduates of German schools abroad who want to start a degree program at FAU receive particular support. The application procedure is based on the school-leaving qualification obtained.

• Application procedure with a German ‘Abitur’ If you have obtained the German general university entrance qualification Abitur at a ‘Gymnasium’ secondary school or a German secondary education certificate at a German school abroad, you are entitled to start a degree program at any German university, irrespective of your nationality. This means you are a ‘Bildungsinländer/-in’. You can therefore apply to and enroll at FAU just like any German prospective student. Detailed information: Application and enrollment
• Application procedure with the school-leaving qualification obtained in your home country If you have obtained a non-German school-leaving qualification at a German school or partner school in your home country or if you have obtained the International Baccalaureate and the Deutsches Sprachdiplom DSD II you can apply for a degree program at FAU via the application procedure for international students.

Advice and support for applications from graduates of German schools abroad

FAU is part of the Bavarian support initiative for German schools abroad and partner schools abroad (Bayerische Betreuungsinitiative Deutsche Auslands- und Partnerschulen – BayBIDS). As part of this initiative, we visit German schools abroad to introduce pupils there to the university. We also organize and support visits to FAU for pupils of German schools abroad.

Contact

School leavers who apply for a degree program at FAU can also apply for a one-year scholarship amounting to 400 euros per month. More information on these support programs is available on the BayBiDS (Bayerische Betreuungsinitiative Deutsche Auslands- und Partnerschulen) website: www.baybids.de

Applicants who are at an international school and will gain the IB in the current year will usually not have their final certificate in time for the application deadline for degree programs with admission restrictions. You must therefore ensure that you have the relevant proof in good time so that your application can still be considered. The process depends on the degree program you choose and your nationality:

• For applications for degree programs with admission restrictions made directly to FAU
• For applications made via hochschulstart.de (only if you fall under the ‘special group of applicants’ category for medicine, medicine in Erlangen-Nuremberg/Bayreuth, dentistry, and pharmacy, see above)