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Study

Studying in Hannover

The six universities in Hannover are spread throughout the entire city and offer courses of study in all different fields. With more than 25,000 students and about 90 different study programs, the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz University Hannover is second only to Georg-August-University Göttingen as the largest university in Lower Saxony. Internationalization is top priority at the Leibniz University Hannover: they engage in cooperative projects in research and teaching as well as in student exchange programs with other institutes of higher learning around the world. Approximately 3,000 of the some 25,000 students come from abroad. Visiting scientists from other countries enrich the fields of research and teaching.

ISK language students can already get to know the broad spectrum of academic activities and everyday life at a German university while they are taking their language courses. They can take advantage of the richly diverse academic infrastructure (libraries, International Office) and live in an interculturally open, tolerant environment. Compared with other big cities, the cost of living tends to be lower, but the offer of free-time activities is wide and varied.

The study programs offered at German universities are either with or without restricted admission. You do not need to provide the grade average on your school-leaving certificate to apply for acceptance to a study program without restricted admission. An application, however, must be submitted for all study programs. For study programs with restricted admission, a specific grade average (numerus clausus: NC) is required; this can vary year by year and depending on the study program. Other factors besides the NC are also taken into consideration when the application is reviewed. It is possible to obtain extra credit for internships, job training, apprenticeships, social and voluntary work and military service to improve the grade average.

For a number of study programs with restricted admission, such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and veterinary medicine, which are subject to restricted admission all over Germany, applications are approved by the central office www.hochschulstart.de.

You can use the University Compass to view all the study programs offered by German colleges/universities. At the current time, there are approximately 18,000 study programs listed there. More detailed information for international applicants on prerequisites for admission and how to apply is available on the websites of the corresponding colleges/universities.

A deciding factor for a direct admission to studies is the country you come from and where you earned your university entrance qualification. Other important factors include your school-leaving certificate and any studies completed or apprenticeships/job training done in your home country or in any other country.

In many cases, a school-leaving certificate entitles you to apply directly to a German college/university. Certain certificates and grades might be required depending on your country of origin. For some countries, a school-leaving certificate is not recognized as a university entrance qualification and it will be necessary for you to attend a “Studienkolleg” before you can be admitted to a study program in Germany.

If you want to find out whether or not your school-leaving certificate or previous education will be recognized by a German college/university, we recommend that you check the online database Anabin, where you will find country-specific, more detailed information on the recognition of foreign educational qualifications. It explains which school-leaving certificates or previous education will entitle you to apply for a study program directly and in which cases you will need to attend a “Studienkolleg” first.

If you do not yet have a university entrance qualification for Germany, you will have to provide proof of your language proficiency before you are admitted to study in Germany. You can do this by taking a language examination. As a rule, you will be expected to have successfully reached a level of C1 in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Proof of language proficiency in German includes the TestDaF, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule or the German Language Test for University Entrance (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang – DSH). Knowledge of German at the B1 or B2 level is also often required to enroll in your desired study program or for study programs in English. Please contact the corresponding university to find out more about their specific prerequisites for admission.

We recommend that you take an examination course or a preparatory course for university at the ISK. Our examination courses for the TestDaF and the telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule test along with the preparatory courses for admission to a Studienkolleg or the DSH include intensive exam training and a mock exam.

During examination training, we will prepare you specifically for the examination format and the test requirements. In our Service Package, we accompany you from your first course to your exam course and right on up to the exam itself.

The application process varies from one university to another. There are special prerequisites for admission, different documents may be required and the application deadlines differ. Some universities accept applications from prospective students from abroad directly. As a rule, there is a limited number of places reserved for international students at German universities. That’s why we recommend that you take care of all the formalities and find out everything you need to know about the application process as early as possible. Information on the application process and on the deadlines can be found on the website of the respective universities. Some universities require an application that has been previously checked by uni-assist. Uni-assist helps you to find out whether or not your school-leaving certificate from your home country/another country entitles you to study in Germany. The universities stipulate the application deadlines for applications submitted via uni-assist. Uni-assist recommends a lead time of six weeks so that applicants can be notified in due time if any documents are missing.

As a rule, the following documents will be required for admission to a German university: school-leaving certificates, official academic reports or transcripts, an academic certificate or another document that indicates your grade average, a diploma that indicates an academic title earned, e.g. a “Bachelor’s” degree, a diploma appendix, certificates for previously completed training courses, such as apprenticeships, continuing education courses and proof of voluntary work and job experience, if applicable. International students must also provide proof of language proficiency as well as residence permits. The application is often initially submitted using an online form. If not, prospective students must send their applications to the “Akademische Auslandsamt” (International Office) or apply via uni-assist, which is subject to a fee. The application deadline at German universities is set at six months before the study program is due to begin. Please be sure to adhere to these deadlines as any documents submitted afterwards will not be accepted.