Applications from non-EU citizens

Application for an undergraduate degree

Applicants from countries outside the EU who wish to apply for an undergraduate degree (blachelor's, first law examination / state examination) usually have to apply for preliminary review documentation (VPD) with uni-assist, the office for international student applications. The VPD is a certificate issued by uni-assist, which you can use to apply directly to the University of Bremen for preparatory studies or for undergraduate programs (bachelor's degrees and state exams). The VPD contains all important information for the application, including a list of the documents you submit to uni-assist, the possibilities for university entrance that are available to you in Germany and how grades are classified in the German grading system. The VPD is valid for one year.

Step 1: Apply to uni-assist for Preliminary Review Documentation (VPD)

The online portal for applying for the VPD can be found at www.uni-assist.de/online

Information on the fees due to uni-assist for processing your documents can be found at www.uni-assist.de/bewerben/kosten-zahlen/bearbeitungskosten

We recommend that you to stick to the following deadlines when applying for a VPD with uni-assist: It takes uni-assist  at least 4 weeks to process your documents. It is therefore essential that you allow sufficient time. So that you can apply to the University of Bremen in time, we recommend that you apply for a VPD.

• up to June 6^th when applying for admission in a winter semester,
• up to December 1^st when applying for admission in a summer semester.

You must submit the following documents to uni-assist when applying for the VPD:

• an officially certified copy of your university entrance qualification (Abitur) or an officially certified copy of another type of university entrance examination
• officially certified copies of any university certificates you may have earned elsewhere
• officially certified translations of all the certificates you submit, if they are not available in German or English.

Step 2: Apply at the University of Bremen for a preparatory course of study or a undergraduate degree program

You have to apply with the VPD via the application portal of the University of Bremen. The portal can be reached at moin.uni-bremen.de   
Application and processing of your documents at the University of Bremen is free of charge.

Application deadlines for a normal study program:

Winter semester 2022/23: Closing date July 15th
Summer semester 2023: Closing date January 15th        

Many prospective students from abroad who would like to begin their studies with a bachelor's or law degree do not yet have sufficient knowledge of German to be able to study at the University of Bremen. In order for you to be able to prepare for the language examination at a language school of your choice in Bremen, the University of Bremen offers a so-called preparation study program. During the preparation studies, students can stay in Germany on a student visa. For preparation studies, you may apply at any time.

Prerequisite for admission to preparation studies is proof of enrollment in a language course of at least 20 hours per week. Your preparation studies must not exceed four semesters. There is no application deadline for enrollment in preparatory studies. Detailed information about preparatory studies.

Translations: Documents that are not issued in German or English must be translated for enrollment by a sworn translator for courts and notaries in Germany and submitted in addition to the documents in the national language. Only translations into German can be accepted.

• Information on the assessment of foreign educational qualifications: www.anabin.de
• Information on studying: www.uni-bremen.de/studium
• Any questions? Contact us.

Applications for Master's programs

For master's degree programs, international students have to apply directly to the University of Bremen. Information on applications and deadlines, prerequisites and the application process can be found on the master application pages.

'Studienkolleg', Abitur from a German school abroad, already recognized certificates

Foreign students who can present the following documents do not need any preliminary review documentation (Vorprüfungsdokumentation VPD):

• Graduates of a 'Studienkolleg' (preparatory course) in Germany with a corresponding certificate of the 'Feststellungsprüfung' (assessment test), which includes the grade of the Feststellungsprüfung
   
• Persons who already have a recognition certificate from a German authority with information on the type of university entrance qualification and, if applicable, the subject affiliation.

    The University of Bremen accepts the following recognition endorsements:

• Recognition endorsements from certificate recognition offices of the federal states
• Recognition endorsements from other German universities
   

If you belong to one of the above groups, you can apply directly via the online application portal.

Student Visa

Foreign students must apply for a visa for their studies at the University of Bremen at the German embassy or consulate in their home country before they have been granted admission. The respective diplomatic missions can be found at https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/about-us/auslandsvertretungen.

In most countries, the visa must be applied for before entry. Since the issuing of the visa often takes several months, it is important to take care of it early on. At many embassies you can also be put on a waiting list for the visa application. Take advantage of this possibility - especially in countries where the embassies are only allowed to be visited to a very limited extent due to the corona epidemic.

A fee of 60 Euro is charged for issuing the visa. In addition to the presentation of documents (usually passport, confirmation of application and health insurance) you have to prove the secured financing for one year stay in Germany (from 2020: 10.236 Euro). The exact amount to be proven can change constantly. Please and check the information under the following link and contact your embassy for any further questions: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/sperrkonto/388600