Department of Psychology

To get a good overview of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology, we recommend that you read through the programme information page. For further information, you can visit the website of the German Psychological Society (DGPs) to find out about the subjects covered in a psychology degree.

The Department of Psychology at Bielefeld University is a large department comprising 20 research units.

These research units (chairs/professorships) specialize in the various sub-disciplines of psychology, deliver teaching and offer topics for the thesis.

With a view to your academic future, we would like to draw your attention here to our three master courses in psychology:

• Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
• Applied Psychology: Diagnostics, Counselling and Training
• Psychology - Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience

Is studying psychology the right choice for me?

Students are particularly disappointed when their expectations of the course do not match reality.

To avoid such disappointment, you should first consider what your expectations of the degree programme are and then compare these with the actual circumstances. You can do this, for example, using the online self-assessment (OSA-Psych).

To get an overview of the content covered in the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology at Bielefeld University, you can familiarize yourself with the module handbook.

If you are generally interested in studying but are not yet sure which subject you would like to study, please feel free to seek advice from the Central Student Counselling Service.

In addition to the course content, your own motivation, skills and knowledge are important factors in your decision.

What skills should I have?

When choosing a degree subject, it is important to compare the skills required with your own.

In the field of psychology, the following skills are helpful for successfully completing your degree:

• Ability to think logically and critically
• A sound knowledge of English (academic literature is usually written in English)
• Ability to write your own (academic) texts
• Knowledge of basic mathematics

The University offers a wide range of support services to help with any problems or difficulties that may arise. For example, you can improve your English language skills at the Fachsprachenzentrum [Language Centre], get advice on writing (academic) texts from SKILLS, take part in various workshops and much more. Furthermore, the Department of Psychology offers specialized support services for statistics (e.g. tutorials, methodological advice, etc.).

The Psychology degree programme at Bielefeld University is designed as a full-time course with a standard duration of six semesters. Classes take place from 8 am to 8 pm, Monday to Friday. You do, of course, have the option of adapting your studies to some extent to suit your needs and commitments. This may result in your degree programme taking longer.

Despite the flexibility in organizing your studies, you should check in advance whether a degree programme is manageable for you in terms of time and finances.

Time

A degree course takes time!

Not only the time spent attending classes, but also the time needed for preparation and follow-up work, revising for exams, writing seminar papers, etc.

You should therefore consider whether you can integrate or make time for a degree course within your lifestyle.

A semester (approx. 6 months) is divided into the teaching period, during which courses take place and are attended, and the non-teaching period, during which exams usually take place.

The standard duration of study for a Bachelor’s degree programme is 3 years (6 semesters) and for master courses 2 years (4 semesters).

Finances

Studying costs money!

Whilst studying, you will generally still have general living costs (e.g. accommodation, food, etc.) and financial commitments (e.g. children, hobbies, etc.). On top of this come costs arising from your studies. These include, for example, the social fee payable once a term/twice a year (known as the semester fee), costs for specialist literature, etc.

A possible reduction in working hours (to accommodate the time demands of your studies) may lead to a reduction in income.

You should therefore get a clear overview of your income and expenditure, and any changes resulting from your studies.

There are various ways to improve or stabilize your financial situation: BAföG, student loans, scholarships, mini-jobs, part-time work, etc.

Bielefeld University has a comprehensive website on the subject of funding your studies, where you can find further information.

The aim of the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology is to equip graduates with a fundamental understanding of psychological concepts and a solid grounding in academic research.

The Bachelor’s programme thus lays the foundation for a master course that builds on and deepens this knowledge.

A master course is generally required in the job market.

Employment based on a Bachelor’s degree is rare, but may be possible.

On our dedicated career guidance webpage, you will find further suggestions regarding various career fields.

Career goal: Psychotherapist

Many first-year students at the course start of the Bachelor’s programme in Psychology are interested in a career as a psychotherapist. This career path has a number of distinctive features:

In 2020, there was a change to the regulations governing the licensing of psychotherapists, which altered the training pathway to this profession. The new licensing regulations require a degree in psychotherapy (both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees). Graduates then sit the licensing examination to become a psychotherapist. This is followed by further training (5 years, full-time), culminating in the acquisition of specialist qualifications (e.g. in behavioural therapy, depth psychology-based psychotherapy, analytical psychotherapy, systemic psychotherapy and clinical neuropsychology). The path to becoming a psychotherapist is therefore a long one and should be carefully considered. You can find further information on this career path on the PsyFaKo website.

Prospective students with the A-Levels should apply for the first subject related semester as described on the programme information page for the Bachelor’s degree programme.

From the 2025/26 winter semester onwards, the results of the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test will also be taken into account when deciding on admission to the programme. You can register for the test at https://www.studieneignungstest-psychologie.de/ . The allocation of study places is set out in the admissions regulations. Taking the test is voluntary and is not a prerequisite for admission. However, all prospective students are advised to take the test in order to improve their chances of securing a study place. A good test result can improve your chances of admission even if your A-level grades are not as strong. Even with very good A-level grades, a good test result can be crucial for admission. You cannot perform worse in the test; a poor test result will not reduce your chances of securing a place.

Free study materials are available on the Study Aptitude Test (BaPsy - DGPs) website.

You do not have the Abitur (general university entrance qualification), but would like to study psychology at Bielefeld University?

That is possible!

Before starting the official application procedure, you should get a good overview of the points mentioned above (choice of degree programme, time and financial considerations, and career goals) and check whether studying is a viable option for you.

Once you have decided to study psychology, you can begin the official application procedure. To find out which guidelines and regulations apply to your specific situation (depending on your educational background, technical college entrance qualification, work experience or master craftsman’s certificate), please first contact the relevant member of staff at the Student Registry, Doris Mahlke.

In some cases, an access examination is required. Upon submission of your application and all supporting documents, the Student Registry will make a final and binding determination as to which category you fall into as an applicant – i.e. whether you are required to sit an access examination. Information on the access examination (e.g. sample exam questions, the examination procedure, etc.) is available from the Psychology Examination Office. If you are required to sit the access examination, you may also take the BaPsy-DGPs study aptitude test. You can register for the test at https://www.studieneignungstest-psychologie.de/ . Details of how study places are allocated can be found in the admission regulations. Taking the test is voluntary and is not a prerequisite for admission. However, it is recommended that all prospective students (those with professional qualifications who are required to sit an access examination) take part in the test procedure in order to improve their chances of securing a study place. A good test result can improve your chances of admission even if you have achieved a lower grade in the access examination. Furthermore, even if you have achieved a very good mark in the access examination, a good test result can still be crucial for admission.

Information on the procedure and the application process can be found here.

Before you apply for lateral entry, here are some general points to note:

• What is lateral entry? A lateral entry is the opportunity to join a degree programme at a higher subject related semester (e.g. Psychology as a single subject, Psychology as a minor, master courses in Psychology). To do so, you must demonstrate equivalent academic achievement in line with the academic standards of a higher subject related semester. As a rule, 80 percent of the academic standard required by our degree programmes is expected, although this is always assessed as an overall evaluation of content, skills and learning objectives.
• It is not possible to carry out a preliminary assessment of credit transfer! Your application for credit transfer will only be assessed once you have submitted it to the examination office. To complete the credit transfer application, it is best to compare the module handbook for our degree programmes with that of your own degree programme. You can find the module handbooks on the relevant programme information pages.
• In the vast majority of cases, not all credits you have already earned can be recognised, which means you will be placed in a lower subject related semester. For this reason, it is likely that transferring into the programme will result in a longer duration of study.
• Transferring into the programme is not a guaranteed way of securing a place on the psychology degree programme. Your chances are around 0–7 percent, which means that only a fraction of all applicants are offered a place. This is due to the low drop-out rate in the Psychology programme; places are only allocated to lateral entrants when they become available in higher semesters.
• You can always apply for the first subject related semester at the same time and have your previous academic achievements recognised retrospectively should you be offered a place.
• You can apply for lateral entry in both the winter and summer semesters.
• You may apply for lateral entry on multiple occasions. You may use the placement decision you have received for this purpose more than once. If you have achieved new academic results in the meantime, it may be advisable to submit a new application for credit transfer in order to obtain a new placement decision.
• It is not possible to undertake a double degree in Psychology. If you already hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (180 ECTS, standard duration of study: 6 semesters, in Germany), you can no longer enrol on the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology (B.Sc. Psychology) at Bielefeld University. This applies to degrees from both universities and (private) Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany. This rule also applies to those who have completed a Bachelor’s degree programme that does not meet the requirements for medical registration. A credit transfer and placement assessment will therefore not be carried out in these cases. If you hold a degree in a subject closely related to psychology that is not considered equivalent, you may apply for lateral entry (e.g. psychology as a minor).
• For applications for lateral entry and classification: Please check the decision (table entries) immediately and note the deadline set out in the instruction on your legal right to appeal (one month from receipt of the notification) for any complaints or enquiries. Unfortunately, enquiries made at a later date cannot be taken into account.

For applications for credit transfer: Please check your transcript for accuracy and completeness of the credited modules immediately after being notified by the examination office that the credit transfer has been granted. Here too, you must submit any complaints or enquiries within one month. Unfortunately, enquiries received after this deadline cannot be considered. Should new credits become available, a new application must always be submitted. Previously credited modules do not need to be listed again.

Application and Application Procedure

1. If you have a certificate of achievement (e.g. in the form of a Transcript of Records) and a copy of the module handbook for your degree programme, you can begin the application procedure.
2. The procedure at Bielefeld University is standardised. Please first use the online application guide to generate the application for recognition and the recognition table, and send these, together with your module handbook and certificate of achievement (transcript of records), to the Psychology Examination Office at Bielefeld University (in electronic form). Should a paper copy be required, you will be asked to provide one. Without the module handbook or the certificate of achievement, your application cannot be processed. The complete application (please do not forget to date and sign it) must be submitted by 15 February/15 August (summer term/winter term) by email (pruefungsamt-psychologie@uni-bielefeld.de) to the Psychology Examination Office. Please note that earlier deadlines apply to international students (see point 6).
3. : Please complete the application carefully and in full. List all your course results (including those you have failed). Otherwise, your application cannot be processed!
3. The Dean of Studies or a member of staff from the Service Office will review the content of your application. A decision will then be made as to which subject related semester you can be placed in. Unfortunately, credits obtained at a later date which have not yet been recorded on your transcript at the time of application cannot be taken into account. It is therefore not possible to submit documents after the application deadlines of 15 February or 15 August. If you have been admitted to a study place in a subject related semester, you may subsequently submit a further application for the recognition of credits, so that credits you have earned after submitting your application can be recognised if they are deemed equivalent.
4. Once the Dean of Studies or a member of staff at the Service Office has completed the assessment, you will receive a written notification by post from the Psychology Examination Office stating the subject related semester into which you can be placed (placement notification). Using this notification, you must apply to the Student Registry at Bielefeld University within the specified deadline for admission to a higher subject related semester. You may apply for lateral entry on multiple occasions, i.e. in several semesters. You may use the placement notification you have received for this purpose on multiple occasions.
5. The deadline for submitting an application to the Student Registry is currently 15 March for the summer semester and 15 September for the winter semester.
   • Please note that earlier deadlines apply to international students. If you fall into this category, please contact the Student Registry in good time.
   • Please also note that the credit transfer process can take up to four weeks. You should therefore submit your credit transfer application as early as possible; ideally, it should be received by the Psychology Examination Office by 5 February or 5 August.
6. Once the first application round has closed, the available study places will be allocated. Information on lateral entry/applying for a subject related semester and on the allocation procedure can be found here.

If you already hold a university degree, you must apply via the quota for second degrees.

Please note:

It is not possible to undertake a second degree in Psychology. If you already hold a Bachelor of Science in Psychology (180 ECTS, standard duration of study: 6 semesters), you can no longer enrol on the Bachelor’s degree programme in Psychology (B.Sc. Psychology) at Bielefeld University. This applies to degrees from both universities and (private) Universities of Applied Sciences. This rule also applies to those who have completed a Bachelor’s degree programme that does not meet the requirements for a professional license. In such cases, therefore, no credit transfer or placement assessment will be carried out.