University entrance qualification through vocational training or further education
Do you have no university entrance qualification from Germany or other countries, but have completed an apprenticeship or further education? Then you may be able to study at HU on the basis of a "professional qualification", provided you have no other university entrance qualification (§ 14 ZSP-HU). Professional experience is not necessary.
Requirements (according to §11 Berlin Higher Education Act)
Please note: For some subjects, all applicants must also fulfil subject-specific admission requirements (see study programmes), e.g. Sports Science and some foreign languages.
Free choice of study programme for those who
- have completed advanced training in accordance with the provisions of the Crafts and Trades Code, the Vocational Training Act or comparable federal or state regulations.
This includes, for example, the master craftsman's examination, further training qualifications as a HWK business administrator, certified business administrator, industrial business administrator or commercial business administrator.
or - have completed a technical college course at a state or state-recognised technical college within the meaning of § 34 of the Education Act or a comparable course in Germany.
This includes, for example, technical college qualifications as a state-certified technician, state-certified business economist or European business economist, state-certified nursery school teacher or curative education nurse.
or - have acquired a qualification for the nautical or technical ship service comparable to the further training referred to in point 1
or - have acquired a qualification comparable to the advanced training mentioned under number 1 on the basis of a state-regulated advanced training or further training measure for professions in the medical profession, in geriatric care and in the health sector as well as in the social care or pedagogical field (according to the list of advanced training qualifications (PDF) whose holders have a general higher education entrance qualification on the basis of the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs resolution).
Those who have completed at least two years of vocational training in a profession similar to the desired degree programme, which is regulated by federal or state law, have a subject-related choice of degree programme. You can check in esra - the HU's study orientation tool - for which subjects the subject-related proximity is given depending on the vocational training.
Sufficient subject-related proximity must exist to the desired core subject (combined Bachelor's degree with and without teacher training option) or mono-subject (mono-Bachelor's degree programme or state examination). You are therefore free to choose your second subject in a combined Bachelor's programme. If you wish to study Education at Primary Schools, you only need to have a close affinity with one of the three subjects. Please note that for some subjects, additional subject-specific admission requirements must be met (see degree programmes offered).
Anyone who has completed at least two years of vocational training regulated by federal or state law but wishes to study a degree programme that is not related to their training must first pass an entrance examination. Passing the examination is proof of the ability to study the desired degree programme and the university entrance qualification for the desired non-subject-related degree programme.
Information on the entrance examination
The entrance examination is taken at the joint Studienkolleg of Freie Universit?t (FU) and Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin (HU), at the FU location. The examination always takes place in two subjects that are assigned to the respective core or mono subject or the Primary School Education degree programme (according to the table of examination subjects for the entrance examination).
Preparatory courses are held for the examination subjects a few months before the examination date, provided that sufficient registrations are received. Participation in the preparatory courses is not compulsory for taking the entrance examination. Information and dates can be found on the FU website.
To register for both the entrance examination and the preparatory courses, please contact the Admissions Office using the contact form. Always state "Studying without Abitur" in the subject line and state your desired degree programme in your initial enquiry. You will then receive an application form and additional information on which documents are required. In order to take part in the entrance examination, you must apply to the Admissions Office. The application period runs from mid-March to mid-May (see deadlines).
Those who have already started a degree programme can continue it if they
- have successfully completed at least one year of higher education in another federal state and
- have gained admission to the current degree programme on the basis of a professional qualification (and not on the basis of a Fachabitur).
If these two requirements are met, you can continue your studies in a similar degree programme at HU (see Change of university: Applying for a higher semester).
If, on the other hand, you would like to start a different degree programme, the admission requirements as described above apply (sections 1, 2 or 3).
Note: The regulations for admission to higher education for professionally qualified persons differ from state to state. The Qualification Check of the Centre for Higher Education Development provides an overview.
It is irrelevant for the existence of a higher education entrance qualification in accordance with § 11 BerlHG whether the required professional qualification was acquired in Germany or abroad . Proof must be provided of a qualification that meets the requirements specified in paragraph 1, paragraph 2 or 3 (i.e. a general or subject-specific higher education entrance qualification).
Information on the subject of recognition, in particular on comparable German qualifications, recognition procedures and the competent authorities can be found here:
Where in Germany can I study with my qualification?
On the website of the Online Study Guide for Professionally Qualified Students, you can check which federal states you can study in.
Frequently asked questions about studying without a high school diploma
You apply via the online application portal within the application deadlines for vocationally qualified applicants on the basis of your completed vocational training. The first step is to register there, the second step is to create your application for the desired degree programme.
As a professionally qualified person without an Abitur, select the option "Study without Abitur" when entering your university entrance qualification. In addition, you must indicate which case group you belong to according to § 11 BerlHG, i.e. whether you fulfil the requirements for a general (paragraph 1) or subject-specific university entrance qualification without (paragraph 2) or with an entrance examination (paragraph 3), whether you are seeking to change universities (paragraph 4) or whether you have completed your vocational training abroad (paragraph 5).
The documents required in the application must at best be uploaded directly; only in exceptional cases is it possible to submit additional documents by the end of the deadline. You can prove that you have completed vocational training or advanced training / further training / technical college training by submitting your examination certificate. The final certificate from the vocational school is not sufficient proof.
There are special admission requirements for some degree programmes (see range of courses). These include sports science and some foreign languages. You must provide proof of the special admission requirements at the time of application. Information on the certificates will be displayed in the online application portal.
You can apply to several universities and colleges at the same time. Within one application period, you can submit one application each to Humboldt-Universit?t zu Berlin for a degree programme with and without NC, provided that your entrance qualification is subject-specific (cf. § 21 para. 2 sentence 7 ZSP-HU).
Otherwise (i.e. if you have a general higher education entrance qualification in accordance with Section 11 (1) BerlHG), you can submit up to three applications for degree programmes with NC within one application period at HU. Of these, a maximum of one can be for a higher semester if you already have sufficient creditable academic achievements. You can alsoapply for a degree programme without NC.
A quota of 8% per degree programme is reserved for professionally qualified students. Your chances depend on how many study places are available for the desired degree programme and how many applicants apply for it in the respective application period. You only compete within your quota, i.e. with other professionally qualified applicants.
If there are enough places available, everyone who has applied on time and in the correct form and fulfils the admission requirements will be offered a place. If more applications are received than there are places available, a ranking list is drawn up within the quota according to the grade of your professional qualification (not waiting semesters).
In the NC table, you can see how many study places were available in the last selection procedure for professionally qualified applicants in the respective degree programmes and how many applicants were offered a place.
In Berlin, the Fachhochschulreife ("Fachabi") only entitles you to study at universities of applied sciences, not universities. Here you will find an overview of the regulations in all federal states for studying without an Abitur.
If you also have a training qualification (or another professional qualification according to §11 BerlHG), you can also study at universities with this qualification.
If you already have a general or subject-specific university entrance qualification (usually the Abitur) or have already completed a university degree, you must always base your application on this(§10 BerlHG).
Only those who do not have any other higher education entrance qualification can apply on the basis of the professional qualification according to § 11 BerlHG (and be included in the corresponding quota).
You can take the entrance examination once a year in two subjects that are assigned to the desired core or mono subject; if you wish to study to become a primary school teacher, you will also only be examined in two subjects (according to the table of examination subjects for the entrance examination).
If you fail one of the two examination subjects, you can take the examination for this subject again the following year.
In order to take part in the entrance examination at the Studienkolleg, please register with the HU Admissions Office as described in the above section on Section 11 (3) BerlHG.
If you have already completed a degree programme at a university within the European Economic Area, you do not participate in the quota for professionally qualified students, but in the second degree quota of 4% (BerlHG §10). In this case, your degree (usually a Bachelor's degree) is your university entrance qualification.
If, on the other hand, you do not yet have a degree, but have only been studying for a certain period of time, you can apply as described above in accordance with §11 BerlHG. If you are changing universities in accordance with paragraph 4, i.e. you wish to continue your previous degree programme and can provide evidence of sufficient academic achievements, you can apply for a higher semester. After enrolment, you can have your previous study and examination achievements recognised; the credit transfer office of the respective subject is responsible for this. If you would like to start a new degree programme instead, the admission requirements as described in paragraph 1, 2 or 3 apply and you start in the first semester.
You can find a list of different financing options on the General Student Counselling and Information website.
The Financing & Social Counselling Service of the studierendenWERK can advise you on this. Sometimes there is the possibility of parent- and age-independent BAf?G.
You can find a list of other funding and scholarship offers in the online study guide for all professionally qualified students.
Yes, that is possible. If you would like to work part-time or have family commitments, you may be able to study part-time. part-time study programme if necessary.
Before making your decision, you are welcome to clarify with the relevant student advisory service how you can organise your studies under your personal circumstances.