Before Studies

The documentary evidence of foreign formal qualifications (certificates, diplomas) must first be recognized by uni-assist for an application at OTH Regensburg (university of applied sciences)

• for all Bachelor's degree programmes and
• for the Master’s degree programme “Electrical and Microsystems Engineering” (MEM).

Uni-assist validates all your certificates and transcripts of your educational records. Please request a so-called “preliminary review documentation” (in German abbr. VPD) there. (Exceptions are applications for a Bachelor's degree programme from the PR China and Vietnam. The recognition lies in the responsibility of the particular Academic Evaluation Center – see below.)

For the application for all the other Master's degree programmes there is no VPD necessary. Please submit your certificates and diplomas of your home country translated into German or English. Each Master's degree programme has its specific admission requirements. You find detailed information in the German version of the list of programmes in the column Infoblatt in the files "Bitte lesen!". In the English course overview you will find two information sheets in English, for the Master MEM and the Master MEB.

VPD from uni-assist (Bachelor and MEM)

Please keep in mind that the processing time can take 4 to 6 weeks, sometimes even longer. We have summarized the most important steps in our information sheet "How to request the VPD".

You will find information about the grading of your certificates in the information system on the recognition of international educational achievements (only available in German).

If your VPD qualifies you directly for higher education, then the VPD proofs your university entrance qualification. You can use it in order to apply for a place in a degree programme. Please respect the application deadline!

If you have not received your VPD by the end of the application period you can upload it via the application portal until 20.07. for a winter semester or 20.01. for a summer semester (only applicable for applications for Bachelor's degree programmes).

Academic Evaluation Centre (Akademische Prüfstelle)

Applicants for a Bachelor's degree programme from the PR China and Vietnam need to upload their documents including an average grade from the Academic Evaluation Center of the respective German embassy before the deadline.

Assessment examination / Preparatory College (Studienkolleg)

If you are not directly qualified for higher education, but only for a preparatory college (Studienkolleg), you need to sit an assessment examination at a preparatory college in order to obtain a German university entrance qualification. Over a period of two semesters (1 year) the Studienkolleg prepares students for the assessment examination (FSP) which will qualify you to apply for a place in a degree programme at OTH Regensburg. Entrance examinations in German and Mathematics are held in January and July for admission to the Studienkolleg.

Please apply directly to one of the Studienkollegs. In the Free State of Bavaria the FSP examination is organized by the Studienkolleg Coburg for the Universities of Applied Sciences.

General information about preparatory colleges in Germany

For your application at OTH Regensburg please submit your FSP certificate together with your school leaving certificate from your home country. You can upload it via the application portal until 20.07. for a winter semester or 20.01. for a summer semester.

A successfully passed assessment examination also proofs sufficient German language skills. No further language certificate is necessary.

The teaching language in all degree programmes at OTH Regensburg is German, including those with English titles. (Exceptions are the two Master's degree programmes European Business Studies (MEB) and Electrical and Microsystems Engineering (MEM).) Therefore applicants have to proof a sufficient level of German, if they have acquired their Higher Education Entrance Qualification abroad.

• Overview: Required levels of German and all certificates recognized at OTH Regensburg

You can either upload the proof of your proficiency in German to your application or to your enrolment.

There is the possibility for international OTH-applicants to pass the "Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang" (DSH) and other German proficiency exams at the ZSK of the University of Regensburg. 

In order to gain the required language level, a preparatory German language course might be useful.

If you haven’t reached the required level of German language skills yet, a preparatory German language course might be interesting for you.

OTH Regensburg closely cooperates with the Center of Language and Communication (ZSK) at the University of Regensburg, who offers German as a foreign language (DaF). The courses start from level B2. A course fee of 530 € per semester needs to be paid.

In order to register for a course, please send these documents to the International Office of the OTH Regensburg:

• VPD via uni-assist (recognition of certificates) qualifying directly for higher education or admission to a Master's degree programme at OTH Regensburg
• Proof of German language skills (at least B1 with the result "very good" or "good") – there is a list of all accepted certificates on the website of the ZSK (see “requirements”)
• Registration form, filled-in and signed
• Proof of payment of the course fee (for refugees a copy of the ID card is sufficient)

Please send the documents via e-mail to anmeldung_df(at)oth-regensburg.de. Deadline for the summer semester courses 2023 is 28 February 2023. The courses will be from mid-April till the end of July 2023.

Please DO NOT apply via our online portal yet.

As soon as you have submitted all required documents, you will receive an informal e-mail confirming your application, which includes useful infor­mation about the enrolment and further steps to take.

If you need a formal letter of confirmation (e.g. for your visa), please let us know. Please be aware that the letter can only be issued if the required documents for registration are completely submitted.

German courses with costs are also offered by the Volkshochschule Regensburg (TestDaF) and by a number of language schools.

Please note that students from non-EU countries are only allowed to take on a holiday job while they are participating in the preparatory language course!

Please read the FAQ of the Department of Studies before you start your application! You can find all information about the application process, especially concerning applications for Bachelor's degree programmes. For Master MEM and Master MEB, additional FAQ are available on the program sites.

Online Portal for Applications

If you want to study a degree programme at OTH Regensburg University of Applied Sciences you need to apply for a university place. Please use the online portal during the application period and upload all required documents (as PDF files) directly. The documents for Master applications are listed in the information sheets: You find detailed information in the German version of the list of programmes in the column Infoblatt in the files "Bitte lesen!". In the English course overview you will find two information sheets in English, for the Master MEM and the Master MEB.

For the application for Bachelor's degree programmes with limited places (NC) pass certificates of assessment examinations and the VPD may be submitted after the application period up until 20 January for a summer semester and until 20 July for a winter semester.

After you have sent your application documents you will automatically receive a confirmation of receipt via e-mail. You can use this confirmation for your visa application. We cannot issue conditional admission during the application process.

It is possible to apply for more than one degree programme.

For details about course content and the selection procedure, please contact the responsible academic counsellor.

Applicants for the Architecture and Industrial Design degree programmes are required to sit an aptitude test.

If you want to apply for a higher semester, please apply for a first semester in addition.

Please also note that some courses require you to complete a pre-study placement prior to starting your course.

After the application deadline you can see the status of your application in the portal.

If you have any questions about your application documents please contact the Admissions and Organization Office.

Course Allocation and Enrolment

There is a limit to the number of places available for many of our degree programmes (so-called NC-programmes), so applicants will be selected based on the average grade obtained in their higher education entrance qualification. 5% of places are reserved for applicants from countries outside the EU in the international quota.

Hochschulstart will send out the admission and rejection notifications by e-mail for a winter semester from the end of July to the end of August and for a summer semester from the end of January to the end of February. Applicants who have received an offer of admission must enroll online within a specified deadline. 

For degree programmes with limited places, you have to complete two online acceptance declarations: first via hochschulstart.de, then vie the application portal HISinOne. Programmes, that have no restricted admission, must only be accepted in the application portal HISinOne, as no application via hochschulstart.de is necessary. Please make sure to accept the place in time! Otherwise you will lose it. You find more information about the enrolment on our website.

When you have accepted your study place, you are enrolled. You will receive your student ID card.

Admission notices are only valid for the semester you are applying for.

Please read all the e-mails from the Department of Studies! If you have any questions about it, please feel free to contact the International Office.

After the first enrolment at the university, students must re-register for the continuation of their studies for the second and all following semesters.

Missing German Language Certificate

If you have got a place in a degree programme, but the proof of German knowledge is missing, you can usually switch to a preparatory German language course for the same semester. You cannot keep your place in the degree programme. You have to apply for the next semester again.

Every student can download the login data for his or her RZ account from the online portal a few days after enrolment (RZ = Rechenzentrum).

With this account and password, you can

• log into IT systems in computer rooms at OTH Regensburg and the University of Regensburg (CIP-Pools)
• use your personal OTH e-mail account
• use your personal storage space on the OTH drive (G:\)
• access the OTH drive (VPN, WLAN)

In order to use the printers in the CIP-Pools, you need to put money on your student ID card at one of the validation machines.

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the Infostand.

On the website of the Federal Foreign Office you find information about visa regulations. We haven summarized the most important aspects.

No visa required

EU nationals and nationals from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Israel, the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Andorra, Honduras, Monaco, San Marino, Brazil and El Salvador do not need a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.

Student visa

Students from non-EU countries (except for Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Israel, the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Andorra, Honduras, Monaco, San Marino, Brazil and El Salvador) must apply for a so-called student visa before they can enter the Federal Republic of Germany. These visas can be obtained from the German diplomatic representation (embassy, consulate) in the home country or current country of residence.

Please note that the visa application process can take up to two months, so you should contact a German diplomatic represantation (the list is only available in German) as soon as possible!

Your admission notice is the basis on which you can apply for a student visa. Your entry to Germany should be planned for the date on which you are required to appear at OTH Regensburg as shown in your admission notice. Before granting a visa, the German diplomatic representation will ask for further documents such as proof of financing and evidence that you have health insurance. You should ask the German embassy or consulate where you currently reside exactly which documents you must present.

If you change your study programme during your studies, you need to inform the Foreigners’ Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) at an early stage. If not, your stay is illegal!

Applicant visa

If you are planning to take a German course at a language school in Germany in preparation for studying here, i.e., you have not yet been issued with an admission notice for a university to support your visa application, you can still apply for an entry visa as a prospective student. You should ask the German diplomatic represantation (the list is only available in German) in your home country exactly what requirements you need to meet (confirmation of registration with a language school, higher education entrance qualification, proof of financing etc.).

Under no circumstances should you come to Germany as a tourist or visitor! A tourist visa cannot be converted to a student visa once you have entered the country.

Certificate of right of residence / residence permit

EU nationals and nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway must register with the city’s civic centre (Bürgerzentrum), if they plan to stay for more than three months. There you need to apply for a Freedom of Movement Certificate = Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung.

Required are:

• a residence card for nationals of EU member states and EEA countries and their family members

• a valid passport

• a biometric passport photo

Non-EU nationals must register with the Regensburger Bürgerzentrum and apply for a residence permit within one week of arriving in the city. Residence permits for students are not issued until after they have enrolled.

The following documents are necessary when applying for a residence permit:

• application for a residence title (= Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels)

• a valid passport with entry visa

• a certificate of enrolment from OTH Regensburg

• health insurance certificate

• a biometric passport photo

• proof of adequate means of subsistence (853€ per month)

• funds to pay fee 

Please note: You must register with the Bürgerzentrum (Foreigners’ Registration Office, Abteilung für Ausländerangelegenhei­ten) within one week of moving into a room or apartment, stating your new address. 

All students must have adequate health insurance coverage. You will not be able to either register or re-register at our university of applied sciences without valid health insurance cover.

Foreign health insurance policies or private policies that stipulate a maximum amount of cover usually cannot be accepted.

Students from countries that have a social insurance agreement with Germany (all EU countries, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) only need the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or equivalent proof of their insurance in their home country.

Limited insurance agreements that only cover absolute emergencies exist with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, and Tunisia. It is advisable to take out a German health insurance policy in these cases.

All other studentsmust purchase German health insurance. Students aged over 30 years cannot be insured at the student rate and must purchase private health insurance.

We strongly advise you to take out personal liability insurance which will cover many of the claims for damages caused through the fault, negligence, etc. of the policy holder.