How to apply as a degree-seeking student
If you have selected one or more study programs at TH Köln you want to apply for, we strongly recommend informing yourself about the right way of applying. The correct way for you to apply is determined by your citizenship, your desired program and your previous academic qualifications.
How to apply
University entrance qualification (“Hochschulzugangsberechtigung”)
A certificate that entitles the holder to study at a university. This can be a school-leaving certificate or a combination of school-leaving certificate and periods of study from the home country.
Please check how to apply for your desired study program.
If you would like to apply for more than one study program, it is possible that the application paths are different. Therefore, please check each individual study request.
Please tick the boxes that apply to you.
What is restricted admission?
Bachelor programs without restricted admission (without numerus clausus) are programs in which there is no maximum number of study places and, as a rule, every applicant receives a study place if the basic requirements are met (school-leaving certificate or degree entitling the holder to study in Germany). In the case of Bachelor programs with an aptitude test, only persons who both fulfill the basic requirements and have passed the test are admitted.
Bachelor programs with restricted admission (with numerus clausus) are programs in which only a certain number of places are available in the respective program. A ranking system will allocate the places to applicants, using the allocation procedure.
For non-EU-/EEA-applicants, 7% of the places in each Bachelor with restricted admission are reserved.
For programs with restricted admission, it is always advisable to apply to several universities in parallel, as there is no guarantee that you will get a place.
It is also not possible to make definite forecasts for a semester, as it always depends on how many applicants there are in a semester.
The NC is not a fixed value. It is not possible to say in advance that only people with a grade of, for example, 2.0 will get a place.
To get an idea of how many places a program has and how many applicants there were in previous semesters, it is interesting to take a look at the so-called procedure results of the last semesters.
Master programs can also be with or without restricted admission. In the case of admission-restricted Master programs, there are again only a certain number of places. In this procedure, places are allocated according to best grade. For non-EU-/EEA-citizens, 7% of the places are again reserved.
In the case of admission-free Master's programs, theoretically all applicants who meet the basic requirements can be admitted.
However, the examination board of the program usually looks at all formally correct applications and then decides on the basis of its criteria (letter of motivation, etc.)
who will be admitted to the program. Care is taken to ensure that a good group of students is selected and that the ratio of teachers to students is balanced to ensure the quality of the program.
This means that there may be rejections even though all formal requirements have been met.
Applicants with Feststellungsprüfung
The Feststellungsprüfung (e.g. as a degree from a Studienkolleg in Germany) is only valid in conjunction with your foreign secondary school certificate and therefore counts as a foreign higher education entrance qualification, i.e. not as a German certificate. Please follow the instructions in the table above.
What are the application deadlines?
The application deadlines for all Bachelor's and Master's programs can be found on the individual program pages. Please click on the course of studies and then on "How to apply". Please read carefully what application deadlines apply to you!
Should you have any questions about the application or the admission, please contact the Team International Degree-Seeking Students.
