Higher education entrance qualification (HZB)-Check: Before applying, you can use the DAAD admissions database to check whether the minimum requirements for direct subject-restricted or general admission are met. In order to be admitted to the preparatory German course, you need one of the types of the higher education entrance qualification listed there.

1. Download application form, fill it out and sign it. For help take a look at the Info Sheet. 

For question 1 "Desired degree programme" please select only study programs from the study programs offered by the University Paderborn
Important: Your adress needs to be current. Please answer question 11 in the application form with “Yes”.

2. Add your following educational documents (original language) as officially certified copies:
- secondary school leaving certificate
- university entrance examination - if taken
- transcript of records of all academic years
- university diploma in case you already graduated in your home country
- APS certificate (China, Vietnam and India) needs to be original

3. Add officially certified translations of your documents - if issued in a language other than English, French or German.

4. Power of attorney* (completed and signed in the original) as well as copies of the identity documents of the person granting the power of attorney and the person receiving the power of attorney.

*If you are unable to apply or enrol yourself, you have the option of issuing a power of attorney to a person you trust.

Please use the form at go.upb.de/Vollmacht_DSH

5. If you are refugee and/or live in Germany already, please submit also a (clearly legible) copy of your current residence document. If you are asylum seeker, your residence document should prove that you are entitled to live in or close to Paderborn, so that you may attend the course at a daily basis.

6. Send your application (= completed application form and educational documents) by post to the International Office within the above mentioned application periods.

***Please note: If you send your application documents from abroad by post, you or the sender must pay the shipping and customs fees. If the recipient respectively the International Office is charged with shipping and/or customs fees, the application documents will not be accepted.***

7. What happens after the application? For more information click here

Application documents will not be returned. For this reason, please submit only officially certified copies. Do not send us originals.

Please be aware that obtaining a visa for entering Germany may take several weeks or even months. Therefore it is neccesary that you submit your application within the above deadlines. We will inform you of the result of the admission process around 8 weeks after the applicable deadline. Due to the equal treatment of all applicants and for organisational reasons, we cannot make any exceptions. This rule must be taken into account when making an appointment at the embassy. We ask you to refrain from inquiring about the application status within this time.

IMPORTANT: When applying, please provide an address that is still valid!

Our DSH courses are designed to make you meet the language requirements for German taught degree courses. For this reason, applicants are asked to state the degree course they wish to start after having gained the DSH. Admission to the DSH course requires higher education entrance qualification for the chosen degree. In addition, the degree course needs to be offered at the University of Paderborn. Furthermore, admission is subject to available places.

New students are accepted for the DSH courses in April and October. A placement test at the beginning determines at which stage you can enter the course.

Paderborn University offers courses starting at level A2. This level must be reached by the time of the placement test at the latest. Depending on your previously acquired language skills, the duration of the preparatory German course ranges betweem three months (applicants with level C1 CEFR) and 12 months (absolute beginners).

If you have been accepted for the preparatory German language course (DSH course) you will receive an acceptance letter for the DSH course - not yet for the degree course of your choice. Whether you are eligible for the degree course can be assessed only at the end of the DSH course due to administrative reasons.

You do not have to apply again. The International Office will take into account the desire to study, which you must confirm in due time (15.06. / 15.01.) with the form "Admission to Subject Studies" if you are in the intermediate or advanced level of the DSH course. You will then receive the application form by e-mail from Ms. Rudolph Brandão. The admission criteria (e.g. entrance tests, language skills, required minimum grades, accrediations of previous study achievements) to degree courses might change. You are asked to inform yourself about admission requirements of the degree course you wish to attend. You can find more information in this regard at Transition to Bachelor and Master Programmes.