Applying with a Foreign Transcript - Bachelor's Degree

If you did not earn your university entrance qualification in Germany or did not earn it at a school that follows the German Abitur examination regulations, you will need a VPD from uni-assist for your application.

Examples of high school diplomas include the Matura, O- and A-(S)-Levels, High School Diploma, or Baccalauréat.

Information on the recognition of foreign school transcripts is available through the transcript database anabin.kmk.org(Opens in a new tab) , operated by the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs’ Central Office for Foreign Education.

• If you attended a Studienkolleg in Germany and took a qualifying examination , this certificate is valid only in conjunction with your home country’s high school diploma and therefore does not yet constitute a German qualification for university admission.

Please check well in advance whether there are any admission requirements for your desired study program (aptitude test, internship, etc.); you can verify this via this link .

Important: The VPD does not replace the application to Fachhochschule Dortmund.

Therefore, two steps are necessary for a successful application:

1. Apply for the VPD through uni-assist
Apply to uni-assist in a timely manner for preliminary examination documentation for Fachhochschule Dortmund. Processing your VPD application typically takes 4 to 6 weeks after you submit your online application. Be sure to upload all required documents in full . Allow sufficient time for any follow-up questions or requests for additional documentation from uni-assist.

2. Apply to Fachhochschule Dortmund
In addition, apply via the Fachhochschule Dortmund and Arts’ admissions portal within the application deadline. Upload all required documents (VPD) as PDF files online. There is no need to send them by mail.

You do not need to have met the academic requirements or submitted your German language certificate at the time of application, but they are mandatory for enrollment in the study program (acceptance of your admission offer).

If your foreign school-leaving qualification does not directly entitle you to study for a Bachelor's degree in Germany, you first have an indirect university entrance qualification. → In this case, you could normally attend a preparatory college.

Alternative at the Fachhochschule Dortmund:

Applicants can apply directly (via uni-assist) for a subject-specific Bachelor's degree program at Fachhochschule Dortmund if their previous school education entitles them to access a preparatory college according to the ZAB's assessment suggestions and at the same time they have at least

100 points in the core test and 100 points in the subject module relevant to the degree program

have been achieved.

The language skills required for the respective study program must be available at the latest at the time of enrolment.

Important:
The TestAS only replaces the Studienkolleg if all requirements are met.
Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be forwarded to Fachhochschule Dortmund.

• if you earned your university entrance qualification in Germany or at a school abroad that follows the German Abitur examination regulations,
• if your high school diploma does not directly qualify you to begin a degree program in Germany.
  In this case, you should apply directly in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia to the Ökumenisches Studienkolleg in Bochum— www.studienkolleg-bochum.de(Opens in a new tab) — (T-course) or to the Luso-Brazilian Studienkolleg in Mettingen— www.studienkolleg-mettingen.de(Opens in a new tab) (G, M, T, and W courses),
• for a higher semester in a bachelor’s or master’s degree program
  Apply online for BA study programs at https://portal.fh-dortmund.de(Opens in a new tab) ,
  Applications for MA study programs must be submitted in paper form
  The application periods are the same: February 15–March 15 for the summer semester and
  August 15 – September 15 for the winter semester.
  Please note that sufficient academic achievements must be demonstrated for placement into the second semester or a higher semester

Application Deadlines
Summer semester: December 1 through January 15
Winter semester: May 1 through July 15
The complete online application must be received by the respective application deadline via the Fachhochschule Dortmund application portal.

VPD for foreign transcripts:
Apply for your VPD through uni-assist well in advance so that it is available in time for your application. A missing VPD cannot be submitted after the application deadline has passed in order for the application to still be considered.

Aptitude Assessment Process for Certain Bachelor’s Programs:
Information and the application options for the aptitude assessment procedures of the Faculty of Design  and the Faculty of Architecture  are available via the corresponding links (the links are active only in the first half of the year, starting around the end of January).

If you can provide proof of 30 ECTS credits earned at a state-recognized university in a program with relevant content, you may be exempted from the aptitude assessment upon request. Please send an email with your academic transcripts in PDF format to: international-officefh-dortmundde  
This regulation does not apply to the Bachelor’s program in Film & Sound.

Please note that you must apply twice for these study programs;
once to demonstrate eligibility to the faculty and a second time via the portal for the specific study program.

• The country-specific guidelines(Opens in a new tab)  from uni-assist are definitely helpful here.
  
  
• MANDATORY: Secondary school diploma(
  ) including all accompanying grade reports and—if required by your country of origin—university entrance examination results and/or proof of years of study
  
  
• APS certificate from the Academic Testing Center (APS) for applicants from China, India, and Vietnam
  
  
• if available: a current certificate of attendance in a German language course or a German language certificate,
• Passport (only the page containing your personal information, such as last name, first name, date of birth, etc.),
  
  
• Resume.

Unfortunately, uni-assist cannot forward incomplete applications to Fachhochschule Dortmund.

The following may be omitted from the application:

• A recognized language test certificate,
• any required proof of an internship,
• certification of successful completion of an aptitude test (if required), and
• possibly the placement test certificate (see the section “When must you apply?”).

However, these documents must be submitted by the time you enroll in a program at our university.

Please note that only certain dates are available for the aptitude test on the websites of the Faculty of Architecture and the Faculty of Design.
If you have missed these dates, please check whether it still makes sense to apply through uni-assist for a degree program at Fachhochschule Dortmund based on the admission requirements (Opens in a new tab) admission requirements (Opens in a new tab) that must be met.

If you have any questions, please contact uni-assist.

Officially certified documents must only be submitted when enrolling at Fachhochschule Dortmund; you can upload simple copies for the online application at uni-assist. Notarized documents are accepted by the following authorities:

• City administrations,
• Citizens' offices,
• town halls,
• courts and notaries,
• parish offices and
• health insurance companies and general student committees (AStA), if a seal (special round stamp) is used.

The following recognitions apply to certifications from abroad:

• from German diplomatic representations and
• authorities and notaries authorized to issue official certifications in the respective country.

Further information on notarizations can be found in this PDF(Opens in a new tab) .

Notarizations from banks, savings banks and associations as well as lawyers, auditors and accountants arenot accepted .

For more information on the Preliminary Review Documentation (VPD) and processing fees, please visit the uni-assist website:
Preliminary Examination Documentation (VPD)(Opens in a new tab) 

For study programs with limited enrollment (NC), you will receive notification of your admission via hochschulstart.de:

• Summer semester: approximately starting in late February
• Winter semester: approximately starting at the end of August

For study programs with no admission restrictions , you will be notified in advance by Fachhochschule Dortmund.

If the formal requirements are not met —e.g., due to missing documents or missed deadlines—your application cannot be processed .
In this case, you must reapply by the next available application deadline.

You may still have the opportunity to apply for a place on a Bachelor's or Master's study program via

• www.fh-dortmund.de/freiestudienplaetze(Opens in a new tab)  (if the page is not found, there are no more places available at this time) or
• via the lottery procedure(Opens in a new tab)  for admission-restricted study programs (the application period can be found under the aforementioned link); the prerequisite for this is that there are still places available after the regular application procedure has been completed.

You can use these application channels if, among other things

• you have not applied by the deadline of January 15/June 15 for the first semester,
• you are not sure whether your academic achievements are sufficient for a higher semester or
• you have not been offered a place in the regular application procedure due to your university entrance qualification grade.

At the latest at the time of enrollment (February/March for the summer semester or August/September for the winter semester), the German language certificate must be presented together with the other documents required for enrollment.