Academic requirements

Prior to your admission to Heidelberg University of Education, your school-leaving certificates will be assessed to establish whether they are equivalent to the German Abitur. Decisions on the equivalence of foreign educational qualifications to the Abitur are based on the assessment criteria proposed by the Central Office for Foreign Education. 

Direct admission to the University

If applicants hold qualifications equivalent to the German Abitur that entitle them to enter higher education in their country of origin, they gain direct admission to the University. These applicants may then be entitled to take courses in all disciplines – as with the Abitur – or the range of programmes open to them may be restricted to particular subjects (as with a specialised school-leaving qualification). 

The University uses the "modified Bavarian formula" to convert the grades of foreign applicants into the equivalent German grades, as specified in a ruling passed by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) on 15 April 1994 and amended on 18 November 2004. The highest and the lowest possible grade for the qualification in question are required in order to calculate the equivalent German grade. The Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) have specified which certificates are required to calculate the equivalent grade. 

Direct admission according to discipline

If applicants provide sufficient verification of having completed a minimum period of study at a university in their country of origin, they are eligible for direct admission to a German university to take courses in the discipline studied or a related discipline (as with a specialised school-leaving qualification). They must provide documentation verifying the discipline they studied in their country of origin. If applicants select a major at PH Heidelberg that is related to the discipline they studied in their country of origin, they are eligible for direct admission to their chosen course of study. 

Admission by entrance exam

If applicants have school-leaving certificates, which entitle them to enter higher education outside Germany, but which are not equivalent to the German Abitur, they must pass a university entrance exam. Prospective students take the entrance exam at the end of a university preparatory programme (Studienkolleg). In order to be accepted on a preparatory programme, the applicant must take an entrance test to prove they have the German language skills necessary to follow the classes. If the applicant does not pass the entrance test, they can enrol on a preparatory course (language course) if places are available. The university preparatory programme lasts two semesters. The programme can be shortened to one semester or extended by two semesters if there are legitimate reasons. 

If an applicant fulfils the University's requirements for admission by entrance exam, they will be registered for an entrance test for enrolment on the university preparatory programme at Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg's international study centre. After passing the university entrance exam in the core area of languages and arts (Schwerpunktkurs S/G), the applicant may begin their studies at Heidelberg University of Education.