Application for entering into a higher semester, change of subject or university in Germany

Entering into a higher semester

After the first semester of a university course, all subsequent semesters are to be considered “higher semesters“. If you have already attained academic achievements in Germany or abroad, you can apply for a higher semester. Some of the degree programs at KIT have admission restrictions, not only for the first, but also for higher semesters. 

If you have already studied at KIT or a German university, please take note of the instructions for change of subject or university.

If you already have studied one or more semesters of a degree course with the same name in Germany, you cannot apply for the first semester, but have to apply for a higher semester.

You can find the information on admission restrictions of the degree courses on the information pages of the respective degree program.

 

Change of subject or university

If you are studying or have already studied at KIT or at a different university in Germany, you must first submit additional proofs for the application (see application).
Please note:

  • If you are no longer legally allowed to sit an exam in a degree program in Germany, you may not study in a degree program with the same name or related subject at KIT. The examination board of the subject you wish to study at KIT decides about admission.

  • If you have already studied several semesters of a degree program with the same name at a university in Germany, you cannot restart in the first semester at KIT. In this case, you have to be continuously enrolled, that is, at the same number of semesters as in the degree course up until now. Should this not be possible since not enough courses can be recognized for a continuous enrollment, the application will be declined.

  • In the online application you have to truthfully give all information regarding time at university in Germany. Should it later turn out that you gave false information and not disclosed time spent at university in Germany, the admission is nullified and you will not be enrolled at KIT.

 

Requirements

You can apply for a study course beginning in a higher study semester if you have already finished courses from another course of study at KIT or a different university. Those courses need to correspond with the curriculum of the course in which you want to apply for a higher study semester. If you apply for a degree course in a higher semester, you will need to send course descriptions of the courses you have completed. After submitting the required documents, the examination board decides whether you may be eligible to join a higher semester. The examination board accredits courses only if they correspond to the curriculum of the respective Bachelor course of studies at KIT.

Please note: you may be placed at a lower level than your current number of semesters. 
Should you have lost the legal right to sit exams in a related degree course in Germany, you can often not be admitted. If you have already studied a subject with the same name in Germany, you must apply for a higher semester (see change of subject and university).

How can I apply?

Please fill out the application form provided on our website and enclose copies of your:

  • University entrance qualificates with grades in the original language and translation (school leaving certificates and/or university entrance exam, assessment test (e.g. German Feststellungsprüfung), record of studies),
  • Proof of language skills,
  • Transcript of Records (including information regarding content and extend of the courses, e.g. credit points or number of hours per week of the courses) in original language and translation
  • Extensive course description (if available)
  • only in case of previous study in Germany (also at KIT): proof of academic councelling after two semesters of studies (see below)
  • only in case of previous study in Germany (also at KIT): proof concerning the continued or lost legal right to sit exams (you will receive this at student services or from the examination board)
  • only in case of previous study in Germany (also at KIT): current enrollment certificate or proof of removal from register of students (exmatriculation certificate)

Please note the separate application process at the Department of Economics and Management.

Proof of academic counseling

In the event of changing your Bachelor's degree program after the second semester, the University Law of Baden-Württemberg states that students are obliged to participate in counseling by department student advisers. If you are applying for a higher semester, please include a certificate proving your participation in academic counseling in your application. You can get the certificate from the Zentrum für Information und Beratung (zib) or from the departmental student adviser of the course of studies, which you chose to apply for. Please note: the proof of academic counseling is only required for students changing to another course within Germany or at KIT – it is not necessary for applicants from foreign universities.

Proof of language

German Master's or Bachelor’s course

To attend a German Master's course you have to provide proof of German language proficiency.
For application, you should have proof of German language proficiency at the medium level B1. All certificates are accepted. We do also accept a confirmation of participation in a B1 course.
For enrollment, you have to submit the DSH2 or a German language certificate accepted as an equivalent:

  • DSH2 (only DSH Exams accredited by HRK)
  • Test DaF 4444 (Minimum 4x4)
  • German Language Test as part of Feststellungsprüfung (assessment test at preparatory college)
  • Goethe Certificate C2
  • DSD II (German Language Diploma awarded by Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany)
  • telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule

Exemption from proof of language: Holders of a secondary school diploma from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the German-speaking community in the Kingdom of Belgium, maturity diploma of the schools with German as language of instruction from the autonomous province of Bozen, but also graduates of bilingual secondary schools, which end with a bilingual German examination.

 

English language Master's course

To attend an English language Master's course you have to provide proof of sufficient English language proficiency.
For enrollment, following language certificates are accepted at KIT:

  • TOEFL internet-based 88-92 points, computer-based 230-250 points, paper-based 570 points (Institutional Code: 0683)
  • IELTS 6.5 (scoring no lower than 5.5 in any section)

Exemption from proof of English proficiency: applicants in the following categories do not need to prove their knowledge of English: native speaker, studies taught entirely in English, studies completed in Anglophone country.

Please note: the exemption cases do not apply to all Master' courses. Further information can be found in our Master's courses overview.

Residence permit

Please keep in mind: students who intend to change the subject of their studies have to inform the aliens authority. Enrollment is only possible with an updated residence permit (“Zusatzblatt” for the new subject and/or university). The aliens authority usually gives the formal approval only after thorough examination of the circumstances. Usually the first subject/university change within the first 18 months of your studies will be approved.

Study Costs

International students (from third countries/non-EU countries) attending bachelor’s, teacher’s, and consecutive master’s programs as well as free movers will have to pay tuition fees in the amount of EUR 1,500 per semester as from the 2017/2018 winter semester. For further information please see: tuition fees

Tuition fees for international students in the amount of 1.500 EUR are not charged for the preparatory German language course at Studienkolleg. For the preparatory language course separate fees are charged. For further information see here: Studienkolleg.