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Frequently Asked Questions - Master's Program

Application


Yes, some programs may have extended application deadlines or special requirements regarding documents to be submitted, etc. Detailed information can be found here.

This depends on the number of credit points (CP) you have already earned.

At the time of application, you must have completed at least 80% of the required CP, i.e. usually at least 144 CP (out of 180 CP). Proof of CP must be provided in the form of a transcript of records issued by the Examinations Office showing the average grade.

If recently earned CP have not yet been accounted for, please also submit a letter from the Examinations Office confirming that you have completed the work but that it has not yet been accounted for.

The original or a certified copy of the undergraduate transcript must be submitted by mail to the Master's Programs and International Admissions office no later than the first semester, otherwise you will lose your eligibility for admission.

Yes, you can apply for up to three master's programs at the same time. Please pay attention to the specified application procedure (via the central online application portal for master's programs or directly via the faculty). You can find an overview and more information on the master's programs overview page.

Please make sure you have answered all of the questions in the "Basic Questions" section (after you have entered your basic information, click on the "CONTINUE" button at the bottom right of the screen, and you will be asked additional questions that will help us assign you to the appropriate applicant group).

If you are going to or have completed your undergraduate degree at a German university and are using the upload function, an online application via uni-assist e.V. is sufficient.

If you earned your degree abroad, you must also send certified copies of your documents (and translations, if necessary) by mail before the application deadline.

No, the application does not need to be mailed or uploaded. Feel free to print or save it for your records.

All transcripts and language certificates must be submitted in the original language with an official translation into English or German. (Provisional) certificates, transcripts and translations must be officially authenticated.

Official certification can be provided by any public authority that has an official seal.

In Germany, this includes government agencies, notaries, local courts, and registry offices. Certifications from associations or health insurance companies are not recognized.

In foreign countries, official certifications are issued by German missions or notaries, or by the university where you received your degree.

The official certification must contain at least the following information:

  1. Note stating that the copy/transcript is a true copy of the original
  2. Signature of the certifier
  3. Impression of the official seal

For an example, click here.

No, please inquire about the correct way to apply (central application portal for master's programs or via the faculty) and apply accordingly. It is not necessary or sufficient to apply for a change of subject.

The Transcript of Records (ToR) is an overview of your studies and is usually issued by the examination office. It documents your academic achievements to date, stating the courses and modules attended, the ECTS credits (CP) and the grades. Furthermore, the total number of CP achieved so far and a preliminary average grade should be shown on it. If this information is missing, please submit an additional confirmation from the responsible examination office.

Please note that the online applications for the individual master's programs will only be opened at uni-assist on the respective application deadlines - an earlier submission is not possible. The application deadlines can be found on the information pages of the individual master's programs.

Please refer to the respective information pages of the master's degree programs and "Documents to be submitted." Follow the steps of the application platform uni-assist, in which you have to upload your documents, to complete the application process.

If your bachelor's degree is not in a specific field, a decision will be made on a case-by-case basis based on the courses you took for your bachelor's degree. Please submit your Transcript of Records. If necessary, you can also contact the student advising service in advance. Contact information can be found on each program's information page.

For master's programs with German as the language of instruction, the DSH-2 certificate (or equivalent, such as TestDaF 4444) must be submitted by the application deadline.

It is not possible to enroll without the DSH-2 certificate, even if you have been admitted to the master's program.

You can apply for the DSH preparation course at the Goethe University Frankfurt starting at level B1. For more details on the German language requirements, please click here.

For English-only master's programs, German language skills are not required, but basic knowledge is strongly recommended.

Admission and enrollment

Your documents will be formally checked by uni-assist e.V. and delivered to the university if they are complete. You will be informed by uni-assist e.V. by e-mail about the delivery. The applications are then viewed and evaluated by the faculty's selection committee. The evaluation results in a ranking list according to which admission is granted.

For programs with limited admission, the notification of admission is usually sent by mail approximately four to eight weeks after the application deadline and can also be accessed via the university portal.

If you are not admitted in the main application procedure, you have the opportunity to be admitted in a possible secondary application procedure (Nachrückverfahren). You will automatically be admitted to the later procedure if it takes place and you have not been admitted to the main procedure.

Rejection notices will not be sent out until the entire process has been completed (usually late September/early October or late March/early April).

No. It is important that you regularly check the e-mails (including the spam folder) of the address you used for your application and that you regularly empty the mailbox of the address you used for your application. It is also important that you authorize someone to carry out the further steps (such as online registration, payment of the semester fee, submission of documents) within the deadline specified in the notification of admission.


No, the deadline stated on the notification of admission is binding and usually cannot be extended. If this deadline expires, the notification of admission becomes invalid according to § 19 para. 2 of the Hessian Regulation on the Allocation of Study Places (Studienplatzvergabeverordnung Hessen) and you lose your right to a study place.

You can, however, withdraw your application if necessary. To do so, please fill out the appropriate application form and send it to us together with the required documents (copy of the semester fee payment, master data sheet/certificates of enrollment and (unvalidated) Goethe Card). Further information and the application form can be found on the website of the Registrar's Office.

No, the first step is to register online. You will then be asked to submit additional documents and pay the semester fee.

You are welcome to submit your documents by mail, a personal enrollment is not required.

Only the Goethe Card (student ID) must be picked up in person - with a valid photo ID and, if applicable, a current certificate of enrollment. Otherwise, you may authorize a person that you trust to do so.

Notification of admission to a program is sent out at the same time. If you have not yet received one, you have probably not been admitted to the main procedure.

If there are still places available at the end of the admission period, a secondary procedure (Nachrückverfahren) will take place, in which you will automatically be included with your application. Rejection notices will be sent only after the entire admissions process, including any secondary procedures, has been completed.

Once you have uploaded your passport photo (or, if applicable, the application for the Goethe Card) and submitted all other enrollment documents, your card will be produced and will be available for pickup at the Studien-Service-Point. You will be notified by mail that you can pick up your card. You will also receive your login details for your student account.

If you are unable to pick up your card in person, you can designate someone you trust to pick it up for you. You will need to provide a letter of authorization and, if possible, a copy of your ID card (front and back), and the authorized person must also be able to identify themselves.

No, this is not possible.

If there are still places available after the end of the main procedure, there will be a secondary procedure (Nachrückverfahren) in which all applicants who have applied by the deadline will automatically participate.

If you did not apply by the deadline, your application will not be considered. However, you may be able to participate in the lottery process, for which you need to register separately.

Whether or not there will be a lottery for a program can only be determined after the application process has been completed. If there are still places available at the end of the process, a lottery will be held. You will need to register separately for this.

Please note the following: If you are awarded a place in a master's program through the lottery procedure, you will need to be recognized by the relevant faculty as fulfilling the admission requirements according to the applicable master's regulations in order to enroll. We therefore recommend that you contact the relevant faculty in advance or in parallel to your application via the lottery procedure to have your admission qualifications recognized! Otherwise, you will not be able to enroll.

More information and the link to the application form can be found here.

You have until the end of the first month of the respective semester (summer semester April 30, winter semester October 31) to withdraw. If you withdraw within these deadlines, you will be considered not enrolled.

To withdraw, you must submit the following documents:

  • completed withdrawal request form ("Antrag auf Rücktritt von der Einschreibung")
  • proof of tuition payment (bank statement)
  • complete semester documents (master data sheet, transcripts)
  • Goethe Card; please note that this does not need to be validated if you withdraw after the start of the semester. Please do not validate your Goethe Card until you are sure that you will remain at Goethe University!

In addition, an administrative fee of €30 will be charged for the withdrawal, and the administrative fee included in the semester fee will also be retained. This means that the semester fee to be refunded to you will be reduced by a total of €80.

For more information and the application form, please click here.

No, if you are currently enrolled at Goethe University, you will keep your current Goethe Card. The matriculation number will also remain the same. Once you have been accepted to the program (online enrollment and submission of the signed enrollment form), you will be enrolled or transferred to the master's program.


If you have a re-registration block, you must pay your semester fees on time or you will be charged a late fee. Your re-registration block will be lifted once you have submitted your bachelor's degree certificate, for example, or once you have proven that you have fulfilled the study requirements.

If you have been provisionally admitted, you must submit your bachelor's degree certificate to the Studien-Service Center ("Master-Zulassung und International Admissions" group) within the first semester, at the latest by March 31 for the winter semester or September 30 for the summer semester. You can either send a certified copy by mail or present the original certificate in person.

In an N.C. (numerus clausus) procedure, the grade threshold (N.C.) is not set in advance, but is an outcome of the procedure. This means that there are no predetermined minimum scores. Only the number of places to be awarded is fixed. The N.C. depends on the number of applications received and the grades of the applicants.

For undergraduate programs, the results of previous application procedures are published as a rough estimate. However, since almost all master's programs use other criteria in addition to grades to rank applicants, we are unable to provide an N.C. grade point average.

The current admission numbers can be found in the bylaws for determining admission figures.

Questions?

Still have unanswered questions?

You can find answers here on our FAQ page or in our master program advising service.

Further central advising centers:

Study Service Point

Hotline

Student Advisory Service