Your grade transcript, the type of school you attended, or training program you completed successfully are the basic elements that can make you eligible for university studies.
There are different types of entrance qualifications for studying at the University of Stuttgart. They are differentiated by nationality and the qualification type, as follows:
Germans and foreign nationals with a German university entrance qualification
- Certificate of general university entry qualification (Abitur): Eligible for all courses of study.
- Vocational university entry qualification or equivalent: Eligible solely for the degree programs explicitly stated in the certificate (or as decided by the University in case of doubt)
- Successfully completed undergraduate studies: Eligible for all courses of study. (Upon application, the responsible examination committee will decide what credits will be eligible for transfer.)
- Admission to the university without formal qualification may in select cases also be possible.
- If you need to take an advanced placement test, you can sit for the Delta Exam.
- German citizens (including naturalized persons and those with a second nationality, so-called dual nationals) who hold a foreign university entrance qualification may apply for admission to universities in the German Federal Republic provided that the foreign qualification is recognized as being equivalent to a German university entrance qualification. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, this responsibility is vested in the Department of Evaluation and Recognition for Certificates of Education of the Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart.
- Recognition granted for a qualification by the responsible education authority is valid for all states of the German Federal Republic, unless explicitly restricted.
- A foreign university entry qualification that only entitles to studies in a certain specialized field in most cases will be valid in Germany only for studies in the same field.
- The mode of application will be guided by the rules for German university applicants, even if an applicant possesses German as well as another citizenship.
Please be sure to submit your foreign university entry qualification early to the responsible office, so that it has been recognized by the time the application deadline rolls around (July 15 of every year) so you can apply to a German university in time.
The following offices decide whether to recognize a foreign university degree:
- What credit for foreign study and examination results will be transferred is decided by the respective examination committee once an application has been made.
- Recognition of the equivalency of foreign university degrees for admission to doctoral studies is the responsibility of the dean’s office in the relevant University of Stuttgart faculty.
- Credit for professional activity is given by the relevant professional association.
Foreign applicants
For foreign applicants who obtained their school-leaving qualifications outside Germany, we recommend that you look at the admissions database of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). This provides an initial indication of whether your previous educational qualifications entitle you to study in Germany:
Alternatively, you can use the anabin database from the Central Office for Foreign Education:
Depending on which country group you come from, further information about university entrance qualifications is listed below:
- EU citizens enjoy the same standing as German citizens but must proof their good knowledge of German.
- In evaluating qualifications submitted by applicants from EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, the University will be guided by the recommendations of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB), published on the database anabin.
To be admitted, you must at a minimum meet the same requirements as for entry to an academic university degree program in your home country. To the extent that the respective home country requires a university entrance examination, this must also be presented when applying to the University of Stuttgart.
- Germany has agreed with a number of other states – the so-called convention countries – to mutually recognize the equivalency of school leaving certificates.
- Nationals from convention countries apply according to the rules of the Central Office for Foreign Education (see the anabin database linked above). So please use the anabin database to find out whether you meet the requirements for university admission in Germany. The application takes place online using our application portal C@MPUS, as is also the case for all other applicants.
- At present, the convention countries comprise Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Island, Israel, Croatia, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Norway, Russian Federation, San Marino, Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey (only applies to twelve-year secondary school; Turkish citizens with an eleven-year certificate must complete an additional year in a continuing education school), and Ukraine.
Admission regulations for applicants from other countries and stateless persons vary widely. Firstly, we particularly recommend the anabin database linked above as the best place to research necessary qualifications. And secondly, please note the following information:
- As a general rule, we are unfortunately unable to assess your chances of being admitted to a study program prior to your application. Documents or qualifications can only be evaluated during the application process.
- Fundamental for being admitted is a secondary school leaving certificate (such as a high school diploma, A-level, or bachillerato) that qualifies you – possibly in combination with a university entrance examination – for studies in your home country. In addition, your school leaving certificate must correspond to the German university entrance qualification (Abitur) or be recognized as being equivalent.
- Prospective foreign students whose degree does not directly entitle them to study at a German university can, under certain circumstances, apply for the Preparatory College (Studienkolleg) in Heidelberg or Karlsruhe via the University of Stuttgart. The Preparatory College offers a two-semester course that prepares you for the entrance examination (Feststellungsprüfung), with which you can reapply to the University of Stuttgart.
In addition to the university entrance qualification, there are also other aspects that foreign applicants need to consider. Please visit the websites for prospective international students for more information about these.
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