Applying at the TH OWL

If you obtained your university entrance qualification within the European Union, apply via our KIS portal.

Application period for Bachelor study programs:
For first-semester students in the Bachelor's program, the start is only possible for the respective winter semester.

•     for degree programs with restricted admission: May 02 to July 15
•     for degree programs with open admissions: May 02 to October 15

Deadlines for application to a higher semester:

Deadlines for Master study programs:

The application deadlines for our master’s degree programs vary from degree to degree. Please refer to the respective course website for more information.

If you have obtained your university entrance qualification in a country outside the European Union, please apply via the institution Uni-Assist. You can find the offers of the TH OWL under the search term "Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe". If you already have a VPD or an evaluation report from Uni-Assist that is not older than 2 years, you can apply directly via our KIS portal and do not need to resubmit your application via Uni-Assist.

Application period for Bachelor study programs:
For first-semester students in the Bachelor's program, the start is only possible in the respective winter semester.

•     for degree programs with restricted admission: April 15 to June 15
•     for degree programs with open admission: April 15 to July 15

Deadlines for application to a higher semester:

Deadlines for Master study programs:

The application deadlines for our master’s degree programs vary from degree to degree. Please refer to the respective course website for more information.

Since your home grading system very likely does not correspond to the German system, you must convert your average grade using the Bavarian formula and then enter this in your online application.

The application procedure for students interested in an exchange semester at TH OWL differs from the general application procedure. If you are interested in an exchange semester, please read the information on our website for exchange students.

Application for exchange semester

The documents to be submitted must be uploaded as officially certified copies and translations in German or English (by a publicly appointed or sworn interpreter). Please submit all application documents online. Please do not send any application documents by post to the university or Uni-Assist. These will not be considered!

For Bachelor study programs:

• Foreign university entrance qualification (school leaving certificate, for example, A-Levels, High School Diploma, Baccalaureate, etc.)
• Grade summary(s) (of the baccalaureate, final exam, last year of school

• Proof of studies (university entrance examination, enrollment certificate, grade overview(s), graduation certificate, diploma) indicating the field or course of study

• Proof of German language skills or English language skills

• Photocopy of your passport/residence permit

• If you are applying via Uni-Assist: Check the following website to see if Uni-Assist requires additional documents for your country: https://www.uni-assist.de/tools/laenderhinweise/

• Depending on the degree program, additional documents may be required, so please check the information on the respective course website

For Master study programs:

• Foreign university entrance qualification (Bachelor degree certificate)
• Grade summary(s) (Bachelor study program)

• Proof of studies (university entrance examination, enrollment certificate, grade overview(s), graduation certificate, diploma) indicating the field or course of study)

• Proof of German language skills or English language skills

• Photocopy of your passport/residence permit

• If you are applying via Uni-Assist: Check the following website to see if Uni-Assist requires additional documents for your country: https://www.uni-assist.de/tools/laenderhinweise/

• Depending on the degree program, additional documents may be required, so please check the information on the respective course website

• Accepted German language certificates

At the TH OWL, the language requirement depends on the respective study program, but at least a B2 level in German is expected (with the exception of English taught Master study programs). Please inform yourself in advance about the required language level on the respective course website and in the examination regulations of the desired study program. The following language certificates are accepted (The language certificates should not be older than 2 years) :

**Important Note: For the Bachelor program General Engineering, there is not a specific format to complete the A1 German language certificate. This can be completed through all formats including at a private language school. 

• Accepted English language certificates (The language certificates should not be older than 2 years)

*An IELTS score of at least 6.5 is required for the Master's degree programs Sustainable Landscape Design and Information Technology!

Applicants who submit the following certificates are exempt from the requirement to prove their English language skills:

It is possible that your chosen study program also allows other types of proofs.  Please check on the respective course website for more information.

Information for your Visa application

If you need a visa, you must apply for one in your home country in good time. The German diplomatic missions abroad (embassies or consulates general) are responsible for this. The Schengen visa is valid for a short stay of up to three months, for vacations, language courses and business trips and cannot be extended. The national visa is intended for longer study visits.

Documents usually required:

• valid passport
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of funding
• Proof of previous academic achievements and language skills
• if already available:
  • letter of admission from the university
  • in the case of a student applicant visa: a recognized university entrance qualification or the evaluation report from Uni-Assist.

It often takes months before a visa is issued. It is therefore important to submit your application early enough, even if you have not yet received confirmation of your place of study. You can apply for an applicant visa and convert it into a residence permit for study purposes in Germany. Please note: A tourist visa cannot be subsequently converted into a student visa.

Detailed information on visa requirements can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

Information on the Blocked Account

Under current law regulations in Germany, if you’re an international student from a non-EU or non-EEA country, you must prove that you have the financial resources (Finanzierungsnachweis) to cover your living expenses in Germany. The most common way is to open a so-called blocked account (Sperrkonto).

You can choose yourself where to set up your blocked account. Please find updated information on requirements regarding the blocked account on the websites of the Federal Office.

You can choose other ways to prove the finances for your studies, such as showing a scholarship or proof of your parents’ income and financial assets. Please also read interesting information on this topic provided by the DAAD. 

Please also have a look on our table representing the usual cost distribution for students in Germany.

Living Expenses while studying at TH OWL

The law in Germany stipulates that everyone must have health insurance, including foreign students. Therefore, if you want to study in Germany, you need a valid health insurance. Proof of the same must be provided at the time of enrolment or even when applying for a visa.

There are two types of health insurance in Germany: Statutory and private. We recommend taking out statutory health insurance at a student rate. There are cheaper private health insurance policies, but they do not include the necessary insurance cover and some of them are not recognized by the local immigration authorities. We therefore strongly advise against being exempted from the statutory health insurance obligation. Once you have private health insurance, you can no longer switch to statutory health insurance during your studies.

List of statutory health insurance providers

The health insurance confirmation for enrollment needs to be submitted by a statutory health insurance company to the university. This is a digital process, where the health insurance company transmits a so called M10 certificate to the university. Please don't send us any documents on your health insurance by mail, since we cannot process it.
Even if you are exempt from compulsory insurance (e.g. because you are over 30 years old or similar) or have already taken out health insurance with a private health insurance company, you must still contact a statutory health insurance company! Only statutory health insurance companies can send an M10 certificate. In such cases, the statutory health insurance company checks whether your private health insurance is sufficient and then sends us a confirmation. The statutory health insurance company also sends a confirmation in the case of an exemption.

The health insurance company will charge you from the first day of enrollment as a student. Please keep in mind that if for any reason you are unable to attend the enrolled semester but decide to remain enrolled, you will still be liable for health insurance fees even if you are not yet in Germany. In such a situation, you should therefore think carefully about whether you want to remain enrolled or whether you would prefer to exmatriculate and reapply for the next semester in order to avoid such costs.

Please note: While students enrolled on degree courses are entitled to statutory health insurance, students on preparatory or language courses or Studienkollegs and students over the age of 30 must take out private health insurance.

Detailed information on health insurance for international students can also be found on the website of the Deutsches Studierendenwerk.

If you have submitted your application successfully and on time via Uni-Assist, then Uni-Assist will now review your application. There are two possible outcomes here:

•     Your application is rejected because it does not meet the application requirements.
•     Your application is accepted and forwarded to the university.

In both cases you will receive feedback from Uni-Assist.

If your application is rejected, there is nothing further to be done on your part. You are welcome to reapply at a later semester.

If your application has been accepted, Uni-Assist will forward your application documents to the university. This process may take a few days, so we ask for your patience.

As soon as we have received your documents, you will receive an e-mail from us with the subject "TH OWL | Application and access data semester". This e-mail confirms the receipt of your documents.

At the same time, you will find your access data for the KIS portal of TH OWL in this e-mail. The KIS portal is the central platform for all matters concerning studying at the TH OWL.

Please click on the mentioned link and log in with the mentioned access data in the area for applicants in the KIS portal.

After logging into the KIS portal, you will be shown an overview page where you can see your application.

There you will see the status "valid" to your application. This is not the same as admission! The status "valid" only means that your application documents have been completely forwarded to the university. Your application is now under review by the relevant department. The department will then decide whether you can be admitted to the program.

•     If your application is approved, the status changes to "Admission offered" or "admitted".
•     If your application is rejected, the status changes to "Admission currently impossible" or "declined".

You will always receive notifications of status changes by e-mail as well. Nevertheless, please check the KIS portal at regular intervals to see if the status of your application has changed. Please note that, depending on the number of applications, it may take some time for the department to review your application and we ask for your patience.

As soon as you have received an admission or rejection, a notification letter will be generated within the next 24 hours and saved in your inbox in the KIS portal. The notification letter will not be sent to you by mail. However, you can download the notification letter from your KIS Portal account.

If your application has been approved, proceed to step 4.

If you have been admitted, you can now apply for enrollment. To do so, click on the "Request for enrollment" box and you will be directed to an area where more information will be requested from you. You will also need to upload some documents, these include:

•     Scan of your ID/passport.
•     Scan of your university entrance qualification (for Master's programs: please upload the Bachelor's certificate and not the school certificate)
•     Possibly further documents such as language certificates, exmatriculation certificate, etc.

If you are unable to upload the documents immediately, you have time until the enrollment deadline (see admission offer letter) to upload the documents at a later date. You can still submit the request for enrollment without the documents.

Your application for enrollment will now be processed by us in the next few days. If we have any queries, we will notify you via the KIS portal. In order for your enrollment to be completed, there are two more steps you need to fulfill. Please continue with step 5.

In your admission offer letter, you have already been informed that you still need to complete the following steps to complete your enrollment:

1) Transfer of the semester fee
Please read the instructions for transferring the semester fee in your admission offer letter carefully and make sure that you provide the correct bank details and reason for payment so that the payment can be clearly assigned. Please note that it may take a few days (especially in the case of international bank transfers) until the receipt of payment is mentioned in your account.

2) Confirmation of health insurance
As a student, you are required by german law to provide proof of health insurance. The confirmation of valid health insurance is done through an electronic process between the health insurance company and the university. In this process, the health insurance company sends an electronic confirmation (M10) to the university, which is then assigned to your account. In order for this step to take place, you must contact a German, statutory health insurance company and request that an M10 is submitted to the university. You do not need to send us any confirmations by mail!
Important note: Even if you are exempt from compulsory insurance (e.g. because you are over 30 years old or similar) or have already taken out health insurance with a private health insurance company, you must still contact a statutory health insurance company! Only statutory health insurance companies can send an M10 certificate. In such cases, the statutory health insurance company checks whether your private health insurance is sufficient and then sends us a confirmation. The statutory health insurance company also sends a confirmation in the case of an exemption.

Once

1.     The application for enrollment is sent and the documents are verified,
2.     the semester fee has been received and
3.     the health insurance confirmation has been received,

your enrollment is complete and you are now officially a student at TH OWL!

Once enrollment is complete, you will receive an email with the subject "Studienbewerbung – Sie wurden erfolgreich eingeschrieben". There you will find your new login information for the KIS portal as an enrolled student. From now on, please use this login information to log in to the KIS portal in the student section. There you can now also download your documents, such as enrollment certificates, etc.

Please refrain from sending us transfer confirmations, health insurance certificates etc. by mail. The documents you need for enrollment should only be uploaded to the KIS portal. Only send us documents by mail, if we explicitly ask you to do so.

If you have submitted your application via the KIS portal, it will now be reviewed by the collegues in the Enrollment Office. If your application is complete and meets the study requirements, your application will be accepted for the selection procedure. Depending on whether you have applied for a restricted or open admission program, the status of your application will change to "valid" or "admitted".

If your application is not complete and/or does not meet the study requirements, your application will likely be excluded from the selection process. The reason for exclusion can be found in the exclusion notice letter in your KIS portal account.

Please note that if you are an applicant with a university entrance qualification outside the EU, you can only apply via the KIS portal if you have a valid VPD or Evaluationreport from Uni-Assist that is not older than 2 years. If you do not have a VPD or Evaluationreport, please apply via Uni-Assist.

If your application is given the status "valid", it will now take part in the selection procedure for admission and the relevant department will now check whether you can be admitted to the program. Please note that, depending on the number of applications, it may take some time for the department to review your application and we ask for your patience.

•     If your application is approved, the status changes to "admission offered" or "admitted".
•     If your application is rejected, the status changes to "admission currently impossible" or "declined".

As soon as you have received an admission or rejection, a notification letter will be generated within the next 24 hours and saved in your inbox in the KIS portal. The notification letter will not be sent to you by mail. However, you can download the notification letter from your KIS Portal account.

If your application was approved, proceed to step 3.

If your application was rejected, you do not need to do anything further.

If you have been admitted, you can now apply for enrollment. To do so, click on the "Request for enrollment" box and you will be directed to an area where more information will be requested from you. You will also need to upload some documents, these include:

•     Scan of your ID/passport.
•     Scan of your university entrance qualification (for Master's programs: please upload the Bachelor's certificate and not the school certificate)
•     Possibly further documents such as language certificates, exmatriculation certificate, etc.

If you are unable to upload the documents immediately, you have time until the enrollment deadline (see admission offer letter) to upload the documents at a later date. You can still submit the request for enrollment without the documents.

Your application for enrollment will now be processed by us in the next few days. If we have any queries, we will notify you via the KIS portal. In order for your enrollment to be completed, there are two more steps you need to fulfill. Please continue with step 4.

In your admission offer letter, you have already been informed that you still need to complete the following steps to complete your enrollment:

1) Transfer of the semester fee
Please read the instructions for transferring the semester fee in your admission offer letter carefully and make sure that you provide the correct bank details and reason for payment so that the payment can be clearly assigned. Please note that it may take a few days (especially in the case of international bank transfers) until the receipt of payment is mentioned in your account.

2) Confirmation of health insurance
As a student, you are required by german law to provide proof of health insurance. The confirmation of valid health insurance is done through an electronic process between the health insurance company and the university. In this process, the health insurance company sends an electronic confirmation (M10) to the university, which is then assigned to your account. In order for this step to take place, you must contact a German, statutory health insurance company and request that an M10 is submitted to the university. You do not need to send us any confirmations by mail!
Important note: Even if you are exempt from compulsory insurance (e.g. because you are over 30 years old or similar) or have already taken out health insurance with a private health insurance company, you must still contact a statutory health insurance company! Only statutory health insurance companies can send an M10 certificate. In such cases, the statutory health insurance company checks whether your private health insurance is sufficient and then sends us a confirmation. The statutory health insurance company also sends a confirmation in the case of an exemption.

Once

1.     The application for enrollment is sent and the documents are verified,
2.     the semester fee has been received and
3.     the health insurance confirmation has been received,

your enrollment is complete and you are now officially a student at TH OWL!

Once enrollment is complete, you will receive an email with the subject "Studienbewerbung – Sie wurden erfolgreich eingeschrieben". There you will find your new login information for the KIS portal as an enrolled student. From now on, please use this login information to log in to the KIS portal in the student section. There you can now also download your documents, such as enrollment certificates, etc.

Please refrain from sending us transfer confirmations, health insurance certificates etc. by mail. The documents you need for enrollment should only be uploaded to the KIS portal. Only send us documents by mail, if we explicitly ask you to do so.