Do periods of service put me at an advantage?
This question is important for applicants applying for a degree programme or course with restricted admission.
A distinction is made here between two situations:
- If you were admitted to Paderborn University for your desired degree programme at the start of or during a period of service but were unable to accept your place on account of this, you will be eligible for preferential admission after the end of your service period and can submit a special application to this effect by the second semester following the end of your period of service. If there are more applicants eligible for preferential admission than there are places on the degree programme in question, places will be allocated by means of a lottery.
- You have not yet been admitted to Paderborn University for your desired degree programme, but have carried out a period of service: Where applicants are ranked equally (same average grade and number of waiting semesters or, in the case of a second degree, same index number), applicants who have carried out periods of service will be given priority over applicants who have not carried out any such period of service. Please indicate whether or not you have completed a period of service under “Persönliche Daten“ (personal information) on the application portal. Proof of completion of a period of service does not need to be provided until you submit your enrolment application form during the enrolment process. When applying for a first degree, the period of service carried out after obtaining your university entrance qualification will be automatically counted as waiting time.
You can find further information on the role of periods of service on hochschulstart.de. Local admission restrictions at the individual higher education institutions are based on the same criteria as the criteria for degree programmes subject to national admission restrictions (central allocation procedure).