Admission requirements

The procedure for applying for a place on a Bachelor’s, Master’s or Diplom degree programme at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin (HWR Berlin) depends on whether you hold a German or non-German school-leaver’s qualification.

Applicants for a place on a Bachelor’s degree programme or Diplom degree programme at the HWR Berlin need a university entrance qualification.

This includes:

1. Allgemeine Hochschulreife, i.e. a German Abitur. An Abitur is awarded by German schools in Germany or abroad. This qualification permits its holder to apply to study at a German university or university of applied sciences. 
2. A vocational diploma. A vocational diploma qualifies its holder to apply for a place on any degree programme run at a university of applied sciences; it also qualifies its holder to apply for certain university courses.
3. Entrance qualification for a university of applied sciences. An entrance qualification for a university of applied sciences entitles its holder to apply for a place on any degree programme run at a university of applied sciences.
4. Other university entrance qualifications recognized as equivalent to those above.

Important! Please check:

Just take a look at your school-leaver’s certificate and decide which type of qualification you hold.

Holders of a non-German school-leaver’s qualification who wish to apply for a place on a Bachelor’s degree programme or Diplom degree programme at the HWR Berlin must ensure that their qualification is recognized in Germany.

These include:

1. Non-German university entrance qualifications, i.e. a school-leaver’s qualification which was issued outside of Germany at a non-German school.
2. An International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB-DP), even if it was issued by a school in Germany.

Important! Please check:

German language skills

Applicants for a place on a degree programme taught at the HWR Berlin in German require excellent German language skills, at a minimum of C1 level. You will require one of the following proofs of proficiency:

• DSH-2: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang
• Test DaF: Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache with the result TDN4
• German assessment examination following completion of the Studienkolleg
• Goethe Zertifikat C2: großes deutsches Sprachdiplom
• Telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule

Applying via Uni Assist:

Holders of a non-German school-leaver’s qualification should apply for a place on a Bachelor’s degree programme via Uni Assist. All the qualifications submitted will be checked automatically within this process:

• Uni Assist: Admission requirements for a Bachelor's degree programme

Applicants for a place on a Master’s degree programme at the HWR Berlin require a recognized first degree. In the majority of cases, this will be a Bachelor’s degree.

Applicants must submit specifications of their first degree (overview of the programme, grades and credits) by the application deadline.

Recognized first university degrees include:

1. Bachelor’s degree
2. Diplom
3. Magister
4. Staatsexamen

Holders of a non-German university degree wishing to apply for a place on a Master’s degree programme at the HWR Berlin must ensure that it is recognized by the German educational authorities. This normally involves: an applicant holding a first degree qualification in a subject related to the Master’s degree for which they wish to apply and this first degree being comparable to a German Bachelor’s degree.

Important! Please check:

German language skills

Applicants for a place on a degree programme taught at the HWR Berlin in German require excellent German language skills, at a minimum of C1 level. Applicants require one of the following proofs of proficiency:

• DSH-2: Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang
• Test DaF: Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache with the result TDN4
• German-language assessment examination following completion of the Studienkolleg
• Goethe Zertifikat C2: großes deutsches Sprachdiplom
• Telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule

Applying via Uni Assist:

Applicants for a place on a Master’s degree programme should submit their applications via Uni Assist. Uni Assist will check all qualifications submitted as part of the application.

• Uni Assist: Admission requirements for a Master’s degree programme

Under certain circumstances, holders of a recognized vocational qualification and a number of years of employment in this field can apply for a place on a degree programme at the HWR Berlin without the requirement to hold a university entrance qualification. 

The requirements for this route of admission are listed here in German only:

In addition to the general admission requirements for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme or a Diplom degree programme run at the HWR Berlin, applicants are required to demonstrate further suitability. Further information is provided on the application pages of the degree programme websites.

The degree programme-specific admission requirements include:

1. Entry restrictions such as the Numerus Clausus (NC). If admission to a degree programme operates entry restrictions in the form of an NC, then it is oversubscribed. The NC means that the better the grade of your university entrance qualification, the greater your chances of admission.
2. Qualifying examinations or selection procedure: Some degree programmes require that applicants first pass a qualifying examination or submit themselves to a selection procedure before they can apply.
3. Internship: Some degree programmes require that applicants first complete an internship before they are permitted to apply. Other degree programmes require a compulsory internship to be completed during the course of studies.
4. Language skills: Degree programmes taught at the HWR Berlin in a language other than German require English and/or French language-skills. Non-German applicants to the majority of degrees must also usually demonstrate possession of very good German language skills, at a minimum of C1 level.
5. Subject-specific admission requirements: Applicants for a place on a Master’s degree programme at the HWR Berlin must usually demonstrate that their first degree imparted sufficient subject-specific knowledge to prepare them for the demands of the relevant Master’s degree programme.
6. Professional experience: The majority of distance-learning courses and courses of continuing professional education taught at the Berlin Professional School of the HWR Berlin require significant professional experience.