Transition From Bachelor's to Master's Program

Transfer from Another University

If you would like to transfer from another university to the University of Bremen for a master's program, you should submit the documents required for enrollment to the Student Office (SfS) at the University of Bremen about a month before the start of the new semester. You have time until the end of the second week of lectures of your first master's semester to do this, but you will only receive your study documents (student ID, semester ticket etc.) once you have been enrolled.

It is not possible toprovisionally enroll at the University of Bremen. You will only be enrolled once all the required documents for enrollment in the master's program have been submitted to the SfS and the semester fee has been paid and booked. After enrollment, you will receive a university email account. The university email account is used for all electronic services at the University of Bremen, including registering for courses on the Stud.IP learning platform. A university account is essential for a good start to your master's program at the University of Bremen.

Step 1: Selection of a suitable master's program
 

Step 2: Planning the financing of your stay.
Calculate travel expenses, living expenses, costs for housing and insurance, semester fee and compare possible sources of financing through parents, scholarships, work in Germany, etc. The semester fee is due twice a year, there are no other tuition fees. The regulations for working during your studies for international students as well as information on living expenses, financial aid and scholarships can be found on the website of the International Office.
In order to obtain a visa for study, the amount for one year of living expenses must be proved in a blocked account. For more information, please visit the homepage of the Federal Foreign Office.

Step 3: University degree recognized?
If you obtained your university degree outside of Germany, you can check at anabin.de whether your college/university is accredited and whether your university degree generally entitles you to take up the desired master’s program.
 

Step 4: Translation of educational certificates.
If your educational certificates (diploma of the school leaving certificate leading to the university entrance qualification, certificate of achievement/transcript of records, bachelor’s degree certificate, if already available) are not in German or English, you must arrange for your documents to be translated by a sworn interpreter/translator in Germany.

Step 5:  Online application for a study place via the MOIN portal.
For more information on the application process, visit our website with general information on the application process. If you are admitted to a study place, you will receive a letter of acceptance, which you can use to apply for a visa.
 

Step 6: Application for a visa.
An entry visa for a study stay in Germany can only be applied for at the responsible German diplomatic mission in your home country. Applicants from countries in which an Academic Evaluation Center (APS) has been set up at the German embassy must also submit the original certificate from the evaluation center (APS certificate) or, if available, the digitally signed APS certificate. There are currently APS test centers in the People's Republic of China, Vietnam and India. Students from the EU, EEA and some other countries can enter Germany without a visa. The German embassy or the responsible consulate will provide up-to-date information. For which countries a visa is required, please visit the respective homepage of the Federal Foreign Office.

Step 7: Information about the health insurance regulations.
Electronic confirmation from a German statutory health insurance company is required for enrollment - even if you are not insured with one. Up to the age of 30, you can be insured there at a reduced student rate. It is also possible to register with a statutory health insurance company from abroad; proof of insurance must be submitted digitally. Travel health insurance is a good option for your entry into Germany until the start of your first semester. You can find more information on the website of the DAAD.

Step 8: Search for accommodation.
As soon as you have received a letter of admission, it is advisable to apply for a place in a student dormitory at the Studierendenwerk, sometimes even earlier, as the waiting times for a place in a student dormitory are sometimes very long. As a rule, the apartments arranged by the Studierendenwerk are the cheapest, for further information you can visit our website on living in Bremen.

Step 9: Enrollment.
The requirements for enrollment can be found in the letter of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) / confirmation of enrollment (Einschreibbestätigung). If you have applied for a Master's degree program with restricted admission, you must have transferred the semester fee within 14 days of the date of the letter of admission. Applicants who have applied for a Master's degree program without admission restrictions will receive a confirmation of enrollment and have time until 15 September  to transfer the semester fee.

Submit the proof required in the notification (for example: Proof of health insurance, your translated educational certificates and any course-specific requirements such as language certificates) by post within the deadline set in the letter of admission / confirmation of enrolment.

You will not be enrolled until the Student Office has received the semester fee and all required documents and verifications in full! Ideally, you should have submitted all supporting documents about one month before the start of the semester in order to receive your enrollment documents in time (winter semester: by the beginning of September, summer semester: by the beginning of March).

Step 10: Learn German.
Even if you want to apply for an English-language master’s program, knowledge of German is always useful to be able to cope well with everyday life and is very important for finding a job in Germany. The Language Center also offers German courses for students.
 

Step 11: Entry after lectures have started.
Should you only be able to enter Germany after the start of lectures (for example due to visa problems), please ask the faculty of the respective master’s program directly whether this is possible. Search for your master program and find the right contact persons to apply for a certificate for a later start of studies.The Student Office can only confirm your enrollment if you have already submitted all documents in due time.
Please note that even if you start your studies at a later date, the documents required for enrollment must be submitted correctly and on time. Starting your studies later does not entitle you to submit your documents after the deadline.

Step 1: Register your residence.
Continue looking for an apartment if a lease has not yet been signed. (If you don't yet have a permanent address, you can find cheap short-term accommodation here.)
If possible, anyone moving into an apartment must register with the registration office ("Einwohnermeldeamt") in their place of residence within two weeks after moving in. For Bremen, you can find the relevant registration offices on the homepage of Bremen's Citizen Office. 

Step 2: Contact your health insurance.
For enrollment, confirmation from one of the German statutory health insurance companies is required – even if you are not insured with one. Until the age of 30, you can be insured there at a reduced student rate. Three statutory health insurance companies have an office on the university campus.
 

Step 3: As soon as enrollment is completed: notify the university of your address in Germany via the MOIN portal.
The semester documents including the semester ticket will only be sent to an address within Germany, so it is very important that you request a change of address via the MOIN portal in order to receive them. You will then receive the documents by mail within the next week. A certificate of enrollment and the link for the Germany semester ticket are provided digitally via the MOIN portal.

Step 4: Apply for a resident permit.
After your arrival in Germany you have to apply for your resident permit within 90 days at the responsible foreigners authority of your place of residence. If you can prove on the basis of your resident permit that your residence will continue for at least 12 months after you have registered your apartment and you have newly registered your primary residence in the federal state of Bremen, you can apply for a welcome money in the amount of 150 €. The Migration Office in Bremen has an office directly on campus with the bremen_service universität (bsu), where you can apply for the resident permit and welcome money.

Step 5: Set up a checking account.
The normal bank account used to process payments at the bank is called a checking account (“Girokonto”). Before choosing a financial institution, check which bank is right for you. Compare account maintenance fees and accessibility. Ask if the bank offers a student account (fee-free under certain conditions). To open a checking account, you will usually need your passport and student ID, and possibly your proof of residency.
 

Step 6: Check your schedule during the orientation week or with the academic advisor.
If you are starting for the winter semester, visit the orientation week in the second week of October, there you will be given all the necessary information for your schedule and a good start to your studies. If there is no offer for your master’s program during the orientation week or if you start your studies in the summer semester, you should contact the academic advisor of your master's program.
 

Step 7: If necessary, register for German courses at the Language Center.
Evenif you have applied for an English-language master’s program, knowledge of German is always helpful for coping well with everyday life and is very important for finding a job in Germany. The Languages Centre of the Universities in the Land of Bremen (SZHB) offers German courses for students in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut.
 

Step 8: Making contacts.
International students will find a wide network of support services at the University of Bremen: The International Office is the first point of contact for foreign students who want to complete their studies at the University of Bremen.