FAQs about applying and enrolling

A university entrance qualification, sometimes abbreviated as 'UEQ' in our systems, is the qualification that allows you to start studying at university. The German term is 'Hochschulzugangsberechtigung' (often shortened to 'HZB'). In most cases this will be your secondary school-leaving certificate. Examples of university entrance qualifications are: Abitur; (Advanced) Highers; Baccalauréat; European Baccalaureate; GCE A Levels; High School Diploma; International Baccalaureate; Leaving Certificate; Matura; Maturità; Maturitńa Skúška; Senior Certificate; Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (please note that this list is not exhaustive).

Broadly speaking, there are three types of UEQ in Germany:

• The Allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur) is the general university entrance qualification for all types of higher education institution and all subjects. Students with this qualification can apply for sign up for any undergraduate degree programme in Germany.
• Another type of German UEQ in is the so-called fachgebundene Hochschulreife. This subject-specific (or subject-restricted) entrance qualification also gives access to degree programmes at all higher education institutions but limits their choice of degree subject to a certain family of academic disciplines (e.g. business/economics, mathematics and computer science or humanities subjects). Despite this limitation, this qualification also allows its holder to study at any type of higher education institution.
• A third type of UEQ is the Fachhochschulreife, which sounds a bit similar to the above fachgebundene Hochschulreife but is an entirely different qualification: A Fachhochschulreife is an entrance qualification for German universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), but not for Universitäten. As the University of Passau is an Universität, you cannot apply on the basis of a Fachhochschulreife.

Applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification can apply for a place at the University of Passau if their school leaving certificate is recognised as equivalent to the allgemeineHochschulreife or fachgebundene Hochschulreife. You can use the anabin portal of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK) or the Check:university admission page of uni-assist to find out more.

We have compiled a list for you of the degree programmes/teaching subjects with the subject-restricted university entrance qualification as a minimum entrance requirement at the University of Passau. From the overview, you can also find out how to earn the subject-restricted university entrance qualification.

Unfortunately, just having the university entrance qualification for programmes offered by universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulreife) alone does NOT qualify you to study at the University of Passau!

For Teacher Education Programmes at primary and middle schools, the subject-restricted university entrance qualification is sufficient as an entrance requirement independent of the subject affiliation, with all teaching subjects possible.

Student Registration Office:
registry@uni-passau.de
www.uni-passau.de/en/student-registration-office

Depending on the country in which you obtained your qualifications and the degree programme you wish to study, different conditions apply with regard to the application and enrolment process.

• Applicants with German Abitur, Austrian Matura or who have passed the Feststellungsprüfung (at the Studienkolleg – the further education college for international applicants) should apply by the defined deadlines  directly to the University of Passau via the Campus Portal of the University of Passau and/or register there. (Before you can apply for a degree programme in the campus portal you must register – see step 2, 'access data for the Campus Portal'.)
• Applicants with international qualifications/school certificates usually apply via uni-assist.
  If your native language or educational language is not German, you must, depending on your degree programme, generally provide proof that you have German skills at Level B2 or C1 CEFR.
  International students can get further important information in the brochure for international students.
• DAAD scholarship recipients apply directly to the University of Passau using a special procedure.

Student Registration Office:
registry@uni-passau.de
www.uni-passau.de/en/student-registration-office

Please check whether the application phase for the degree programme you are interested in is active. Consult the university's academic calendar for deadlines and dates.

There is no point making an online application if you do not have a final Abitur certificate. You must enter your the date of the certificate correctly (as on the certificate) on the relevant page of the online enrolment. If this differs from the data on the certificate, you may not be allowed to enrol.

'On time' means that the documents must be received on the day of the deadline. The postmark date is irrelevant, as the deadline does not refer to the date of posting.

You have the choice of sending the letter by post or courier service – please give it enough time for delivery (within Germany or international) – or you can drop it in the letter box of the University of Passau, Innstr. 41, yourself.

If you are applying via the campus portal of the University of Passau:

Please first log in to the application portal.

You will find the list of missing documentson the right side of your study application page, under your personal information.

If you are applying via uni-assist:

Please apply as early as possible within the application time period. If uni-assist has already checked your application before the application deadline and established that documents are still missing, you have until the end of the application deadline to submit them.

This question refers to direct applications via the campus portal of the University of Passau (i.e. all applications apart from via uni-assist).

Status 'received'
Applications submitted by you for the first time, including their application subjects, will receive the status ‘received’. Applications/application subjects with this status have merely been saved in the system. You need to print out your letter and follow the instructions. In most cases, you need to send in your application documents.

Status 'in preparation'
Your application has been received by us and is being checked by an employee. If there are documents missing in your application, this will be shown in your status.

Status 'temporarily excluded'
Appears in the application subject status. Your application has this status if you have applied for an NC degree programme and the required documents for application have yet all been submitted. The missing documents are shown in the portal with the effects of same.

Status 'valid'
Once your status is set to 'valid' by the Student Registration Office it means that the processing of the subject application/application is completed, all details are correct and all necessary documents have been submitted. All application subjects that are classified as valid take part in the placing procedure or selection procedure.

Status 'excluded'
Your application has this status if you have applied for an NC degree programme and, owing to missing documents, you were not involved in the selection procedure. You can download the official notice from your portal.

Status 'admission offer currently not possible'
Depending on the status of the procedure, you may receive an interim message or the official notice of rejection with the reasons you were rejected. You can download the official notice from your portal.

Status 'admission offer is present'
Your application for admission was successful. There is an offer letter for you in the portal.

Status 'enrolment applied for'
This application/application subject status is set if you have carried out the online enrolment. Applications/application subjects with this status have merely been saved in the system. You must print out the enrolment application and send it to the University of Passau with the required documents.

Status 'enrolment pending'
This status shows that your enrolment application has been received. It can take two to three weeks to process your application. If there are documents missing for your enrolment, the missing documents will be shown in your status.

Status 'enrolled'
This status is displayed once your enrolment has been carried out by the Student Registration Office. You will receive your new access data via e-mail.

If you are applying via the campus portal of the University of Passau:

Please contact the Student Registration Office (registry@uni-passau.de). Unfortunately, you cannot correct the details yourself.

If you are applying via uni-assist:

If you realise – during the application period – that you want to change your details, you can do so in the uni-assist application portal. Once the application period has ended, you cannot make any changes.

Application via the campus portal of the University of Passau

Once you have entered and confirmed the data in the application form, you can no longer change them. You can, however, add further university entrance qualifications subsequently.

Application via uni-assist

If you realise during the application period that you want to change your details, you can do so in the uni-assist application portal. Once the application period has ended, you cannot make any changes.

Application via the campus portal

The official notices of admission or rejection for master’s degree programmes are deposited in the campus portal as a PDF document that you can print out yourself. You are not sent the notices by post.

As soon as an official notice is deposited, the status of your application changes. You will be informed by e-mail of this status change.

Application via uni-assist

International student applicants who have applied via uni-assist will be informed about their admission or rejection by e-mail.

To secure your place, you must log in to your applicant account and carry out the online enrolment. The enrolment is completed only once you print out the online application and submit the documents named there to the university. You will find the details about this in the offer letter and in the enrolment application.

Yes, you do. All students must provide proof of sufficient health insurance. This is done using an electronic registration procedure.

Even if you are insured with a foreign or private-sector insurance company, proof is absolutely necessary for enrolment.

Information for international students

No. The language placement test serves only to place you in a language course appropriate to your level. It is not an aptitude test, which means that you cannot 'fail it'.

The Language Centre can give you detailed information about language placement tests.

If you cannot sign in with your log-in data, it could be that you have not activated your account.

Please click on the link in the confirmation e-mail that you have received after successful registration. Alternatively, you can use the activation code in the e-mail to activate your account.

If you did not receive this e-mail, or you have deleted it, please get in touch with the Student Registration Office.

To get a new password, use the 'forgot password' function on the homepage of the application portal.