Admission Requirements
In order to study at Osnabrück University, you must fulfill general or course-specific access requirements.
Undergraduate Studies: Bachelor's Degree and First State Examination in Law
The term "undergraduate" refers to a course of study that leads to a first professionally qualifying university degree, e.g. the academic degree "Bachelor" or "First State Examination in Law". In order to be able to take up such a course of study, you need a corresponding higher education entrance qualification. In principle, proof of this can be provided by both school and vocational qualifications:
- The general higher education entrance qualification (" Abitur") entitles the holder to study in all undergraduate and thus in all first professionally qualifying degree courses at universities in the Federal Republic of Germany. In Lower Saxony, the Abitur can be obtained at grammar schools, including technical or vocational grammar schools and comprehensive schools, colleges and evening grammar schools or at vocational colleges (but only with proof of appropriate knowledge of a second foreign language).
- If you have a corresponding school or vocational qualification, it is also possible to study without a general higher education entrance qualification. You can find more information about studying without an Abitur here.
In addition to the relevant higher education entrance qualification, some degree courses require proof of further course-specific requirements such as language skills or a successful entrance test. Detailed information on the specific requirements can be found in the admission regulations for the desired degree program. These regulations are linked at Degrees and Regulations under the respective degree.
Admission Restrictions
The number of study spots is limited for some degree programs, so admission is restricted.
Non-degree program: Master's degree
An access requirement for admission to a Master's degree course is a relevant and professionally qualifying university degree - usually a Bachelor's degree. In addition, some Master's degree courses require proof that specific requirements have been met.
The specific requirements can be found in the admission regulations for the desired degree program. These regulations are linked under Degrees and Regulations under the respective degree.
Important to know: It is also possible to apply for a Master's degree course if the degree has not yet been obtained at the time of application, but it is expected that the degree will be obtained in the first Master's semester and 150 credit points must be proven. In this case, special deadlines must be observed and particularly careful planning is required. For teacher education programs, it should also be noted that proof of admission to the Bachelor's thesis must be submitted by the beginning of the semester at the latest (by September 30 for applications for the winter semester, by March 31 for applications for the summer semester). Please note the following information on the preliminary Master's program.
Information on preliminary enrollment in a Master's program if you have not yet completed your Bachelor's degree
A first professionally qualifying (Bachelor's) degree is generally required for admission to a Master's degree program.
However, it is also possible to apply for a study spot on a Master's degree program if
- you have successfully completed all coursework from the Bachelor's degree program, but the Bachelor's certificate cannot yet be presented or
- you have completed at least 150 credit points at the time of application and, based on your previous course of study, it is to be expected that you will obtain your Bachelor's degree by the end of the first semester of the Master's program at the latest. Important: For the confirmation of this expectation, the examination achievements to date are taken into account as well as - depending on the Master's degree program - the admission to the Bachelor's thesis (especially for Master's degree programs in teacher education)1. As a result, this means that - depending on the Master's degree program - you must submit the admission to the Bachelor's thesis in addition to a transcript of records. Even if you meet all other admission requirements, you cannot be enrolled before this.
In these above-mentioned cases - provided that you meet any other admission requirements for the Master's degree program2 - you can be preliminary admitted to the Master's degree program while continuing to be enrolled on the Bachelor's degree program.
Please note that the Bachelor's degree program that qualifies you for the Master's degree program must be successfully completed by the end of the first Master's semester at the latest. This means that all outstanding credits must be completed, assessed and entered in HISinOne by March 31 of the following year (for enrollment in the winter semester) or by September 30 of the current year (for enrollment in the summer semester). You should contact the examination office responsible for you in good time.
The Bachelor's certificate must then be
- by April 15 of the following year at the latest for enrollment in the winter semester
- by October 15 of the current year at the latest for enrollment in the summer semester
at the Registrar's Office. You will be informed of the relevant deadlines again in your letter of admission.
It is therefore advisable to consider the following in advance:
- You may only submit an application for a study spot on a Master's degree program if you are certain to complete your Bachelor's degree within the first Master's semester.
- You should actually be in the final phase of your Bachelor's degree at the time of application. It would be wisley to have already submitted your Bachelor's thesis at the time of applying for the Master's degree program or at least to have planned to have submitted it by the end of the semester before starting the Master's degree program.
- You should observe and plan for the correction deadlines stipulated for examiners in the examination regulations. For example, the General Examination Regulations (APO) of Osnabrück University stipulate 6 weeks for the correction of Bachelor's theses and 4 weeks for course-related examinations.
- You should contact your examination office to find out how long you need to allow for the preparation of your degree certificate. Please note that the final documents for the respective degree program can be issued at the earliest when the final overall grade appears in HisinOne.
We would like to point out that
- in the event of a new application for the Master's degree program, unless otherwise stated in the transitional regulations, the examination regulations in force at that time, which may have been amended compared to the previous year, will apply,
- you participate in the regular admission procedure in the event of an existing (also new) admission restriction in the semester of application,
- the preliminary enrollment cannot be extended beyond one semester. This means that re-registration for a second preliminary Master's semester is not possible.
Unable to obtain the Bachelor's degree or the Bachelor's certificate on time - what now?
If you do not obtain your Bachelor's degree by March 31 of the following year (if enrolling for the winter semester) or by September 30 of the current year (if enrolling for the summer semester), you will generally be automatically de-registered from the Master's degree program at the end of the first Master's semester (i.e. March 31 or September 30). At this point, we would like to point out that if you are enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program at Osnabrück University in addition to the Master's degree program, the de-registration from the Master's degree program does not affect your Bachelor's enrollment.
If you obtain your Bachelor's degree on time but are unable to submit your certificate by the deadline of April 15 of the following year (for enrollment in the winter semester) or October 15 of the current year (for enrollment in the summer semester), please contact the staff at the Registrar's Office in good time. The Registrar's Office may then ask you to submit further evidence (for example from your responsible examination office) and, if necessary, grant you an extension of the deadline for submitting the certificate.
It may be advisable to reapply for the Master's degree program (please also consider reapplying for the extension subjects in the teaching degree program). You should also discuss this individually with the staff at the Registrar's Office. Please take into account the application deadlines and the fact that not all Master's degree programs start in the summer semester. If you have any questions or uncertainties, we will be happy to advise you.
You can also contact the relevant academic advisors and the Central Student Advisory Service (ZSB) for advice on outstanding examinations for your Bachelor's degree.
Your team at the Registrar's Office
Status April 2025
1 It is therefore essential that you consult the individual regulations that apply to your degree program, which you can find in the admission regulations for your desired Master's degree program.
2 Please also refer to the individual regulations in the admission regulations for your desired Master's degree program.