Bachelor’s programmes

Applicants with university entrance qualification outside Germany

If you have earned your university entrance qualification outside Germany you cannot apply directly via the university's application portal. All international applicants without a university entrance qualification earned in Germany must apply through uni-assist. Applications submitted by other means will not be accepted in any circumstance. How to apply through uni-assist.

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Science welcomes and encourages applications from prospective students from all over the world. Please note that as admissions requirements to German universities vary, sometimes dramatically, by country, we are unable to provide a comprehensive list of application requirements for all prospective applicants.

Many applicants can find more information on the DAAD’s website. You can also find official information on the recognition of non-German academic qualifications at Anabin. Note that the Anabin database is only available in German.

Selection procedure for restricted-admission degree programmes (N.C.), entrance qualification outside Germany

You can apply until 15 July for up to three programmes with restricted admission. If we receive more applications for an N.C. programme than there are spots available, a selection procedure will be initiated. This process is formally regulated by law (refer to: Verordnung über die Vergabe von Studienplätzen in Nordrhein-Westfalen).

Please note that spots in the following restricted-admission degree programmes are allocated by hochschulstart.de in what’s called a “Dialogue-Oriented Service Procedure (DoSV)”:

• Bioengineering, B.Sc.
• Infotronic Systems Engineering, B.Sc.
• International Business Administration, B.A.
• International Business and Management, B.A.
• International Relations, B.A.
• Kindheitspädagogik, B.A.
• Psychologie (Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie), B.Sc.

To apply for one of these degree programmes, you must first register at hochschulstart.de. After registration you will get an application ID (BID) and an authentication number (BAN). These numbers are needed in order to apply for the these degree programmes through uni-assist (for applicants with non-German university entrance qualifications). Applicants with German university entrance qualifications must apply instead through the HSRW application portal.

Applicants with a citizenship from EU countries (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) are handled the same as German applicants, i.e. as if having a German university entrance qualification, or German citizenship in the selection procedure for available spots.

A pre-determined portion of available spots (7%) is reserved for all other international applicants in each selection procedure. The spots in this initial quota are awarded to applicants according to GPA. This selection procedure is regulated by law by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Required application documents for your uni-assist application, entrance qualification outside Germany

1) Documents establishing your university entrance qualification:

Please submit all diplomas or certificates qualifying you for admission to higher education in your home country (secondary school diploma, high school diploma or general certificate of education [ordinary and advanced levels]). Please include all corresponding transcripts. Where possible, please submit all transcripts and corresponding certificates from any other previous periods of study at other higher education institutions, as they may be relevant to your eligibility for admission.

Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences does not require you to submit hard copies of your application documents to uni-assist. Electronic copies are sufficient. Note that if your documents are not in German or English, you must submit an official, notarised translation with your originals.

2) Language requirements:

If applying to a degree programme in English, you must submit a valid B2 English language certificate (not older than two year). Accepted certificates can be found here. For more information have a look to our FAQs.

German language certificates are not required to enrol in a degree programme taught in English.

If applying to a degree programme taught in German please submit a valid German language certificate equivalent to CEF level B2. For more information have a look to our FAQs.

3.) Internship requirement:

All students at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences must complete an 8-week internship before the end of the third semester. It is often easier for international applicants – particularly those who speak little to no German – to complete this mandatory requirement in their home country before applying. For more details and additional requirements, please see the examination regulations of the programme you are applying for.

Once you have completed this requirement, you can request an official recognition form from your faculty. Important: If your internship is not recognised by the end of the third semester, you will automatically be deregistered as a student.

Application status

Due to the large amount of applications we receive from abroad, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences co-operates with the Berlin-based uni-assist, which is responsible for evaluating international applicants’ academic qualifications. Uni-assist checks whether qualifications earned abroad (i.e. not in Germany) meet the state-mandated requirements for study at a university in Germany, in accordance with the evaluation guidelines provided by the German Central Office for Foreign Education (Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen – ZaB).

Once uni-assist has determined that an applicant is eligible to study in Germany, the application is then forwarded to us. Rhine-Waal University is ultimately responsible for accepting or rejecting an application––thus, all applicants will receive a letter of admission or rejection directly from Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.

This process may take a little while. So we request that you please have patience and allow us sufficient time for adequate processing of your application.

Once you receive your letter of admission, you can begin the visa application process with German authorities in your home country.

If you have applied to a programme with restricted admission, you will receive your reply only after the selection procedure has concluded.

Open-admission programmes, entrance qualification earned in Germany

If you have obtained or completed the German Abitur, Fachhochschulreife or Feststellungsprüfung eines Studienkollegs, you are considered to have “German qualifications”.

After submitting your online application through the HSRW online application portal, you will receive your letter of admission by email as soon as possible if you meet the minimum admission requirements. Please read the letter of admission carefully, as it contains important enrolment information!

Please note that student status is conferred only after successful enrolment!

You’re not required to substantiate your English proficiency during the application process. As part of the enrolment process, however, you will have to present appropriate proof that you meet the minimum language requirements for your degree programme.

Restricted-admission programmes (N.C.), entrance qualification earned in Germany

You can apply until 15 July for up to three programmes with restricted admission. If we receive more applications for an N.C. programme than there are spots available, a selection procedure will be initiated. This process is formally regulated by law (refer to: Verordnung über die Vergabe von Studienplätzen in Nordrhein-Westfalen).

After the selection procedure concludes, you will receive a letter of admission or a letter of rejection. If you receive a letter of admission, you must enrol at HSRW within the given enrolment deadline. Student status is conferred only after successful enrolment.

Applications submitted before 15 July: Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences will send all letters of admission by email after the selection procedure has concluded in August. In order to reserve your spot, you must enrol within the deadline given in your letter of admission.

If you do not receive a letter of admission in August, it is still possible to obtain a spot during the second selection round. If an applicant who was admitted in the first selection round declines the admission offer, his or her spot will become available for a second selection round. You will automatically take part in this second selection round if you submitted a full and complete application during the official application window.

Applications submitted after the deadline: These applications will not be considered in the first or second rounds of selection. However, should any places remain after both rounds, late applications will be included in a final, randomized selection.

You can find further information about programmes with restricted admission on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia.

We wish you much success with your application and hope to welcome you soon at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences.