1. fundamentals
For admission to German universities, a foreign secondary school leaving certificate is required (higher education entrance qualification), which corresponds to a German higher education entrance qualification. Please check the anabin database(Opens in a new tab) of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany (Kultusministerkonferenz Zentralstelle für ausländisches Bildungswesen) to see whether you have direct access to higher education in Germany with your certificate documents.
Applicants whose secondary school leaving certificate does not directly entitle them to study must attend a preparatory college for two semesters. Care must be taken to ensure that the focus course chosen for the preparatory college (e.g. Technology, Business Studies, Social Studies, Medicine or Design) corresponds to the desired course of study. The preparatory college visit ends with the successful completion of the assessment test (test to determine the aptitude of foreign applicants to study at universities in the Federal Republic of Germany).
This examination proves that you meet both the language and subject requirements and are suitable to study at a German university. Special feature: Some universities still require an additional language test; this does not apply to Fachhochschule Dortmund.
2. proof of a German language certificate
Proof of a language examination recognized by us must be submitted at the time of enrolment.
Language examinations recognized by us are e.g:
- DSH 2 or 3 (taken at a university, not at a private language school),
- telc C1 Hochschule,
- TestDaF with a minimum score of 16 in all four parts of the exam (level 3 may have been achieved twice if this can be compensated for by achieving level 5 twice).
- The Goethe Certificate C1 is only recognized for applications for the study programs of the Faculty of Design.
Upon request, the enrolment deadline can be extended until the end of March or September (depending on the semester) due to a missing German language test. Enrolment without proof of a language examination recognized by us is not possible.
Further information on proof of German language skills can be found under this link .
If you are unsure about recognition, please contact: International-Officefh-dortmundde
3. proof of professional activities/internship
For the following Bachelor's degree programs, an internship is required at the beginning of the degree program:
- Social Work (400 hours total, 200 hours at enrollment), not older than 10 years (based on intended start date),
- in all Bachelor's degree programs in the Faculty of Design (12 weeks in total, 6 weeks upon enrollment; exception Film & Sound: 6 months, 3 months upon enrollment)
The certificate of suitable professional work (relevant internship) in a company/ in a company/ in retail is only required at the time of enrollment (approx. February/March or August/September, not at the time of application). Upon request, the enrollment deadline can be extended until the end of March or the end of September due to a missing internship certificate. Internships from abroad as well as from Germany are recognized.
Internships cannot be arranged.
It is not possible to enrol on one of the above-mentioned study programs without proof of practical experience.
Further information on the respective study programs can be found on the website linked below, which gives you an overview of our Bachelor's degree programs .
4. new study program Serious Games & Digital Knowledge - Prerequisites
For applicants who have obtained the qualification for the degree program through the certificate of a Fachhochschulreife from a Fachoberschule für Gestaltung, the practical activity (internship) is considered as proven.
Applicants who have acquired the qualification for the degree program in another way must complete a relevant practical activity of 6 weeks duration in a field close to the design sector of Serious Games & Digital Knowledge, e.g. in professional fields of digital education and training, game design, as well as related fields such as eSports and virtual/augmented reality applications, in editorial offices, publishing houses and educational institutions.
The relevant practical activity is deemed to have been completed through a completed apprenticeship (artistic-creative or in the IT sector or in the games industry) or through a six-month relevant internship or a one-year guided internship completed in the artistic-creative or IT sector or in the games industry.
At least half of the internship must be proven at the time of enrollment. The missing part of the internship should be completed at the earliest possible date. Proof of the entire internship is a prerequisite for admission to the Bachelor's thesis.
Admission to the assessment procedure for the course-related artistic and creative aptitude requires registration. This application must be made online on the website of the Department of Design. The relevant dates and deadlines are communicated on the department's homepage.
Linguistic focus
The Bachelor's degree program in Serious Games & Digital Knowledge is offered with the language focus "predominantly German-language focus" and "predominantly English-language focus". Applicants must decide on a language focus when applying and provide evidence of the following language levels in accordance with the desired language focus of the degree program:
a) predominantly German language focus:
Proof for applicants who have not obtained their university entrance qualification or their university degree at a German-speaking institution is provided via the language examinations (C1) regulated in § 4 of the Regulations on the Admission of Foreign and Stateless Applicants to the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
b) predominantly English-language focus:
Proof of proficiency in English will be determined ex officio if the applicant can provide evidence of one of the following qualifications:
(ba) certificate with FH entrance qualification and an assessment or grade in English of at least "sufficient" (4.0) according to level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) or
bb) Cambridge B2 First Certificate or
bc) TOEFL ITP with at least 543 points or 72 points in the TOEFL-iBT or
bd) IELTS, Academic level with at least 5.5 average points or
be) TOEIC, Listening & Reading with at least 785 points and Speaking & Writing with at least 310 points.
In cases of doubt, the examination board will decide.
5. changes for the winter semester 2023/24
From the winter semester 2023/24, proof of internship is no longer required for the following Bachelor's degree programs in the Faculties of Mechanical Engineering and Business Studies:
- Vehicle Development
- Mechanical Engineering
- Business Administration
- Business Logistics
(also new: this study program is free of admission from winter semester 2023/24) - Finance, Accounting, Controlling and Taxes - FACT
- International Business
- International Business Management
6. additional information regarding an internship from Germany for the BA Social Work
The work must always be carried out under the guidance/supervision of
- state-recognized educators
- State-recognized curative education nurses
- State-recognized social workers/social education workers (Bachelor or Diplom)
- Pedagogues (diploma) or
- state-recognized childhood educators
can be provided. For internships from Germany, please use our standard form (Opens in a new tab) of the Faculty of Applied Social Studies to have it filled out by the employer; you can find it under the "Documents" section.
Please note that the practical activities must not date back more than 10 years from the intended start of your studies.
7. additional information regarding an internship abroad for the BA Social Work
There is no standard form for social internships from abroad. A certificate from the employer providing the internship must contain the following information
- Period (e.g. 01.06. - 31.07.2022),
- the number of hours,
- which activities you carried out or in which area/department you were employed (the activities must have been relevant to social work/social education or education)
- who supervised you (name and professional qualification, e.g. social worker, youth worker or comparable professional groups with social workers, social pedagogues, educators, etc.)
The activities must not date back more than 10 years from the intended start of studies.
The Faculty of Applied Social Studies decides on the recognition of the internship. For this reason, please send your internship certificate in your home language as well as a scanned German or English translation by e-mail to praxisbuero-fb8fh-dortmundde You will also be informed of the decision by e-mail. If you are finally enrolled in the degree program, please enclose the e-mail from the internship office with your enrollment documents.
8. proof of aptitude for the BA Architecture
Applicants for the Bachelor's degree course in Architecture require a course-related aptitude assessment; the aptitude procedure takes place exclusively in digital form. The dates and information on the aptitude assessment procedure can be found under this link(Opens in a new tab) .
If you can provide proof and recognition of 30 ECTS/credits at a state-recognized German or foreign university and from a study program with suitable content, you can be exempted from the aptitude test. If you would like to check whether you can be exempted, please send your academic achievements and any degree certificate (home language and German or English translation) in a PDF file by email to international-officefh-dortmundde.
Please note that you must apply online twice:
- For eligibility at the faculty and
- for the study program at the employment and service office uni-assist (by 15 June; further information on the application procedure can be found at this link(Opens in a new tab) .
9. proof of aptitude for the BA in the Faculty of Design
Applicants for the Bachelor's degree programs in the Faculty of Design must take part in the program-related aptitude procedure to determine their artistic and creative aptitude. You can find information on this procedure as well as on portfolio and course guidance under this link(Opens in a new tab) .
If you can provide proof and recognition of 30 ECTS/credits at a state-recognized university and from a course of study with a suitable content, you can be exempted from the examination for the Communication Design and Photography study programs (this is not possible for the Film & Sound study program). If you would like to check whether you can be exempted, please send your academic achievements and any degree certificate (home language and German or English translation) in a PDF file by e-mail to international-officefh-dortmundde.
Please note that you must apply online twice:
- For the aptitude at the Faculty (with different application deadlines for the respective study programs of Design) and
- for the Bachelor's study program at the employment and service office uni-assist (until June 15; further information on the application procedure can be found under this link(Opens in a new tab) .
10. prerequisite for the Computer Science Dual degree program
A further formal requirement for studying Computer Science Dual at Dortmund UAS is proof of a completed training contract. This is an apprenticeship as an IT specialist in the field of
- application development,
- Digital networking or
- system integration or
- a comparable apprenticeship. A committee elected by the Faculty Council of the Department of Computer Science decides on the relevance of comparable training. This committee consists of two full-time lecturers and one academic member of staff.
The training company must have concluded a framework agreement on dual university training (cooperation agreement) with Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
11 Prerequisite for the dual degree program in Medical Informatics
A further formal requirement for studying Medical Informatics dual at Fachhochschule Dortmund is proof of a training contract with one of the partner companies with which Fachhochschule Dortmund has concluded a cooperation agreement. This must be a training contract for an IT specialist in application development or a comparable training program.
Alternatively, a corresponding employment contract with a partner company and proof of completed vocational training as an IT specialist in application development or comparable completed vocational training is a formal requirement. The relevance of training to that of an IT specialist in application development is decided by a committee elected by the faculty council of the Department of Computer Science.
Computer Science, consisting of two full-time lecturers and one academic member of staff.
12. requirements for the dual degree program in Social Work
A further formal requirement for studying Social Work with a focus on migration and integration at Fachhochschule Dortmund is proof of a concluded employment contract with an employment agency in the field of social work with which Fachhochschule Dortmund has concluded a framework agreement on dual university education (cooperation agreement). A 50% part-time position (19 - 20 hours per week) is required.
This means that applicants must
- either already have a 50% part-time position (19 - 20 hours per week) with a social work organization or
- have found an organization that will employ them for the duration of their studies with a 50% part-time position (19 - 20 hours per week). The provider must then conclude the framework agreement with Fachhochschule Dortmund.
The sponsor must conclude a so-called framework agreement with Fachhochschule Dortmund before applying for a study place, without which the course cannot be taken up. This framework agreement is only valid in its current version. Furthermore, prior to concluding the framework agreement, it is always necessary for the course coordinator and student advisory service to advise the sponsor and check the intended position(s).
For each year, the cooperating institutions and Fachhochschule Dortmund make agreements on capacity and requirements. Only if this has been done on time can practical placements for the dual study program in Social Work with a focus on Migration and Integration be set up at the relevant providers.
In order to ensure this, close consultation between already cooperating and interested providers and the University of Applied Sciences is necessary. Students can only be accepted onto the study program if the provider and the university of applied sciences have previously agreed on the number of students per provider and study cohort (see § 1 of the framework agreement). The process of demand and capacity agreements will be transparent and reliable, but will also offer participation opportunities for new providers in addition to existing cooperating providers.
Important: these capacity agreements between providers and the university start on November 1st, the specific procedures and deadlines can be found here(Opens in a new tab) .
and must be observed.
A minimum salary of EUR 1,050 is required throughout the entire course of study (gross salary per month). It is also necessary to be supervised by a social pedagogue, social worker (Diplom or Bachelor) or a Diplom or Bachelor pedagogue.
We will be happy to help you find an employer. Please arrange an appointment with the program advisor(Opens in a new tab) in good time.
13. requirements for the dual study program in insurance economics
Further formal requirements for studying insurance at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts are proof of
a completed training contract as a business management assistant for insurance and financial investments
as well as a sponsorship agreement with a company in the insurance industry with which Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts has concluded a framework agreement on dual university education (cooperation agreement) and
a training contract with the Berufsbildungswerk der Versicherungswirtschaft (BWV) e.V. on the components of inter-company training.
Once the training contract for insurance and financial investment clerks has been concluded with a cooperating company, two additional contracts are concluded with the training company and the Berufsbildungswerk der Versicherungswirtschaft (BWV) e.V. respectively. The sponsorship agreement with the training company regulates, among other things, the release of the dual student for lectures at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the assumption of costs for BWV training measures. In the first five semesters, BWV e.V. takes over the tasks of the vocational school and supports students in semesters 6 and 7 with the teaching of key qualifications. A contract is therefore concluded with the BWV. e.V. regarding the type and scope of the inter-company training.
The latter two contracts are an automatic consequence if the company intends the trainee for the dual study program. The future dual student does not have to apply for this separately.
It is advisable to apply for a training place or for a dual study program at the listed cooperation companies one year before the start of training.
14. knowledge of English for the BA International Business
For the Bachelor's study programs International Business and International Business Management, in addition to the required knowledge of German, you must also provide proof of English language proficiency at B2 level. This English language proficiency can be proven by the
- Abitur certificate,
- academic achievements in English or
- an examination at a language institute.
For counseling, please contact the e-mail address: international-officefh-dortmundde
Due to the mandatory semester(s) abroad, an application for the International Business Bachelor study programs is usually only advisable for citizens of the European Union (due to possible visa problems for non-EU applicants).
Adelina Kastrati
Consultation hours:
Monday: 09.30 to 12.30 - appointment consultation*
Wednesday: 09.30 to 12.30 - open consultation hours (with waiting mark)
* An appointment must be made in advance by telephone or e-mail, stating the matter to be dealt with.
I do not work on Fridays.