Universität Bielefeld
Enrolment
You will generally enrol (matriculate) for a degree programme covering one or more subjects. You can find out which combinations of subjects are possible by referring to the specific examination regulations or the corresponding study regulations
➥ General information
➥ Guides for applicants
➥ Info on the enrolment documents
➥ Enrol now
➥ Requirements
➥ FAQs
➥ After enrolment
International?
If you don't have a German university entrance qualification please visit our ➥ Website on enrolment for internationals
Enrol now
Enrolment procedure
How to enrol at Bielefeld University
A successful application is always required before enrolment. However, in the case of applications that are completely exempt from admission, the request for enrolment can subsequently be submitted directly online.
At Bielefeld University, enrolment takes place completely digitally by means of "online enrolment".
The online enrolment and the upload of the corresponding documents must be fully completed within the enrolment deadline.
In principle, you can only enrol / matriculate as a full-time ‘regular’ student [Haupthörer*in]; if you wish to enrol as an occasional student (Gasthörer*in) at the University or as a visiting student (Zweithörer*in), special regulations apply.
Furthermore, there are special requirements for applicants with educational certificates from abroad or in a foreign language.
Enrolment deadlines
for admission free study programmes
Please note that an application within the deadlines is always required even for Master's degree programmes with open admission.
for programmes with admission restriction
For degree programmes with restricted admission, you will be informed of the respective enrolment deadline in the Notice of admission (inbox of your application account). If you fail to enrol by the deadline stated, then your notice of admission will no longer be valid.
Guide to enrolment at Bielefeld University
What is the procedure for enrolment?
You can find instructions on the enrolment process and information on clearing (where applicants are offered unfilled places) under the following links according to the outcome of your application.
➥ Combined Bachelor's degree/ Combined Bachelor's degree with teaching option
➥ 1-subject Bachelor's degree and 1st law examination
➥ Master's degree/ Master's degree with teaching option
➥ Rejection/ clearing procedure
➥ Information on changing degree programme or the transition to a Master's programme
Enrolment documents
Which documents do you have to submit?
You will be shown which documents you need to upload in the online enrolment process. More detailed information on these documents is available online on the enrolment procedure info page.
Requirements
- Enrolment requirements
- Admission requirements
In addition to the university entrance qualification (usually the Abitur in Germany), some degree programmes require applicants to fulfil prerequisites related to the subject in order to study them. Admission requirements may be on the basis of qualitative selection, for example the applicants needs to have passed an aptitude test in order to study on the degree programme. You can find more information on the aptitude tests/ specific admission requirements page.
- Selection requirements
Selection requirements are those requirements that have to be fulfilled in order to be selected for a place in degree programmes in which only a limited number of places are available, for example programmes with local admission restrictions (Numerus Clausus). Typical admission or selection criteria include the average grade of the school leaving certificate, the waiting period (time accrued between completing the school leaving certificate and application) or results of relevant tests or selection interviews.
You can find out which special requirements might be relevant for you or which documents you have to submit in detail for enrolment in the following drop-down menus.
Please note that for applicants with qualifications obtained outside Germany there are specific instructions and application documents should be sent either to Uni-Assist (Bachelor's degree) or directly to Bielefeld University (Master's degree/doctorate).
- International
Furthermore, there are special requirements for applicants with educational certificates from abroad or in a foreign language.
- Subject-specific evidence
For certain degree courses, proof of proficiency in the subject must be submitted in addition to the general documents required when enrolling. These include, among others, evidence of language skills, musical or artistic aptitude tests, medical attestations or certified assessments. More about (subject-) specific admission requirements / aptitude tests
FAQs on enrolment
- In which cases can I enrol directly without applying?
- What happens if I miss the enrolment deadline?
- How do I withdraw my enrolment?
If you have submitted your enrolment application but have not yet paid your semester fees and do not wish to take up your studies, please send a short message via the contact form to the student office. After inputting some personal details you can indicate that you are withdrawing your enrolment in the message box. It is not possible to withdraw your enrolment application by telephone.
Here you can find further information on the theme of exmatriculation.
- If I withdraw my enrolment, can I also get back the fees I have already paid?
If you initially re-enrol, but then exmatriculate by 15 May at the latest in the summer semester or by 15 November at the latest in the winter semester then the social contribution can be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis if the following conditions are met:
- If you can show that the Unicard has not been validated for the semester in question
- You have confirmation from your faculty that you have not completed further coursework or examinations in the semester in question or that you have been accepted by another higher education institution (notice of admission).
The money for the NRW-Ticket will be proportionally reimbursed by the AStA from 1 April and 1 October respectively; therefore, please contact the AStA directly.
You can also find this information on the application form for exmatriculation, which you can download from the forms section of the Student Office.
If you have submitted your enrolment application but have not yet paid your semester fees and do not wish to take up your studies, please send a short message via the contact form to the Student Office. After inputting some personal details you can indicate that you are withdrawing your enrolment in the message box. It is not possible to withdraw your enrolment application by telephone.
- Can I submit the majority of the documents in advance and submit some additional documents later, for example if I am waiting for a certificate?
- For enrolment into the Bachelor’s Degree/ first-time enrolments:
No. All enrolment documents must be submitted on time and in full. Enrolments with incomplete document uploads will not be processed.
- For enrolment into the Master’s programme, the following applies:
Please note the guidance on the documents to be submitted included in your notification of admission.
If the Bachelor's degree certificate is not yet available at the time of enrolment/transfer to the Master's programme, proof of passing the Bachelor's degree from the examination office (4.0 certificate, provisional proof of passing, etc.) is sufficient. In this case, the Bachelor's certificate (certified copy) must be submitted later in the current semester.
After you have enrolled
Those who have enrolled online via the application and status portal will – after the application has been processed in the Student Office – be provided with a new first page in the check sheet for online enrolment as a PDF document which states the semester fee to be paid, the bank details for payment of the semester fees, as well as the (future) matriculation number and an initial password. As soon as the semester fee has been booked, you will no longer have access via the application account. You can then register with your new matriculation number and password (on the portal, however, please use the link “Log in as an enrolled student”).
Students who have enrolled by other means will receive the relevant information by post.
If you have not saved or lost your matriculation number and initial password, you will receive this information again as a newly enrolled student by email to the email address registered in the portal, with the subject First Steps in Campus Management.
