Exceptional Situations

You are considered a second-degree applicant if:

• You have completed a degree program at a German university at the time of application.

You are not considered a second-degree applicant if:

• You have not yet completed a degree program at a German university and you only want to change your subject or study an additional subject.
• You have completed a bachelor's degree program and want to start a master's degree program.

[Translate to Englisch:]

Bei zulassungsbeschränkten Studiengängen stellt die Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe mit Rücksicht auf diejenigen, die noch keinen deutschen Studienabschluss besitzen, eine Sonderquote von drei Prozent der Studienplätze für ein Zweitstudium zur Verfügung.

Die Auswahl dieser Bewerber:innen erfolgt ausschließlich in der o. g. Sonderquote. Die Rangfolge wird durch eine Messzahl bestimmt, die aus dem Ergebnis der Abschlussprüfung des Erststudiums und dem Grad der Bedeutung der Gründe für das Zweitstudium (Motivationsschreiben) ermittelt wird. Anlage 1 zu zu § 13 Absatz 2 Satz 2 der Vergabeordung NRW erläutert die Ermittlung der Messzahl bei der Auswahl für ein Zweitstudium.

[Translate to Englisch:]

Im Online-Bewerbungsprozess wird abgefragt, ob Sie bereits ein Studium an einer deutschen Hochschule erfolgreich abgeschlossen haben. Wenn Sie sich auf einen zulassungsbeschränkten Studiengang (NC-Studiengänge) bewerben und Sie diese Frage mit „Ja“ beantworten können, müssen Sie bis zum 15. Juli unter Angabe der im KIS-Portal vergebenen Bewerbernummer folgende Unterlagen per Post an das Immatrikulationsamt senden:

• Antrag Vorlage begründeter Unterlagen
• Beglaubigte Kopie des Abschlusszeugnisses des Erststudiums mit erkennbarer Abschlussnote
• Motivationsschreiben (formlos) über die Beweggründe für den Zweitstudienwunsch mit Angaben über die bisherige Ausbildung, berufliche Tätigkeiten und angestrebtes Berufsziel

Postanschrift:
Technische Hochschule Ostwestfalen-Lippe
Immatrikulationsamt
Campusallee 12
32657 Lemgo

Services may be taken into account in the selection process in the following application situations:

1. You have received an admission offer or admission at the beginning or during a period of service and are therefore unable to begin your studies in the corresponding semester.
2. If you can prove that you have completed a service when applying, your chances of admission may improve, as in the case of equal scores (average grade + waiting semester), secondary criteria such as completed service are used to determine the ranking order.

Hochschulstart.de provides information on the criteria and process for how service can be taken into account on its information page on the subject of service.

Dauer von jeweils mindestens 6 Monaten:

• Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr (FSJ)
• Freiwilliges Ökologisches Jahr (FÖJ)
• Bundesfreiwilligendienst (BFD)
• Wehrdienst bis zur Dauer von 3 Jahren
• Zivildienst
• Anderer Dienst im Ausland (ADiA)
• Europäischer Freiwilligendienst
• Deutsch-Französischer Freiwilligendienst; als Internationaler Jugendfreiwilligendienst oder FSJ
• Internationaler Jugendfreiwilligendienst
• Freiwilligendienst „Weltwärts" und „Kulturweit"
• Betreuung / Pflege nach Artikel 8 Absatz 3 Staatsvertrag über die Hochschulzulassung bis zur Dauer von 3 Jahren

Dauer von mindestens einem Jahr:

• Entwicklungshelfer*in

Duration of at least 6 months in each case:

• Voluntary social year (FSJ)
• Voluntary ecological year (FÖJ)
• Federal voluntary service (BFD)
• Military service for up to 3 years
• Civilian service
• Other service abroad (ADiA)
• European Voluntary Service
• German-French Voluntary Service; as International Youth Voluntary Service or FSJ
• International Youth Voluntary Service
• Voluntary service “Weltwärts” and “Kulturweit”
• Care/nursing in accordance with Article 8 (3) of the State Treaty on University Admissions for up to 3 years

Duration of at least one year:

• Development aid worker

You can be given priority admission under the special quota for top athletes if you belong to an Olympic squad (OK), prospective squad (PK), supplementary squad (EK), junior squad 1 (NK 1), Junior Squad 2 (NK2), or State Squad (LK) of a federal association of the Olympic Sports Confederation.

The application for prioritized admission must be submitted by July 15 as part of the online application process. During the application process, you will be asked whether you belong to the group of top athletes. If you answer “Yes” to this question, you will be asked to upload the required evidence in the next step.

Only recent certificates of squad membership can be accepted as proof, showing both your membership of the relevant squad and your affiliation with the German Olympic Sports Confederation.

The TH OWL reserves up to three percent of its study places for cases of exceptional hardship. You can claim exceptional circumstances in a case of hardship that justify immediate admission to the program without regard to the regular selection criteria (grade point average and waiting period).

Not every circumstance, however difficult it may be, justifies admission as a case of hardship. Detailed information on justified circumstances and the necessary evidence can be found in the supplementary information for your application for a study place in the central allocation procedure for degree programs with restricted admission nationwide.

A hardship application must be submitted by July 15 as part of the online application. During the application process, you will be asked whether you wish to submit a hardship application. If you answer “Yes” to this question, you will be asked to upload the necessary supporting documents in the next step.

Your hardship must be clearly demonstrated by the attached evidence so that an outside person can understand the facts of the case based on the documents.

Important note: Please check in advance whether your situation falls under the category of justified hardship and what evidence is required. The Enrollment Office is available to answer any questions you may have.

As part of the admission process for degree programs with restricted admission (NC degree programs), two types of applications for disadvantage compensation can be submitted:

1. Improvement of the average grade
   With this application, you can claim circumstances that prevented you from achieving a better average grade.
2. Improvement of waiting time
   With this application, you can claim circumstances that prevented you from obtaining your university entrance qualification earlier.

Detailed information on justified circumstances and the required evidence can be found in the supplementary information for your university application in the central allocation procedure for nationwide admission-restricted degree programs.

An application for disadvantage compensation must be submitted by July 15 as part of the online application. During the application process, you will be asked whether you would like to apply for disadvantage compensation. If you answer “Yes” to this question, you will be asked to upload the necessary supporting documents in the next step.

The evidence must be in the form of a report from the school (not from individual teachers), as only the school can assess whether and to what extent the challenging circumstances have affected your performance at school. Request the report as early as possible so that your school can prepare it before the application deadline on July 15. You must also attach all documents on which the school report is based to your application, e.g., report cards and medical reports from specialists.

Important note: Please find out in advance what additional evidence is required. The Enrollment Office is available to answer any questions you may have.

The Inclusion Office at TH OWL can advise you on all questions relating to disadvantage compensation during your studies and in exams. The services offered by the Inclusion Office are available to all students, regardless of whether they are enrolled in a restricted-admission or open-admission degree program.

Inclusion office