Applications Applications

If you have one of the following higher education entrance qualifications you can apply directly to HAW Hamburg:

• Allgemeine Hochschulreife – secondary school-leaving certificate (Abitur)
• Fachhochschulreife – entrance qualification for a technical university. In this case, having the following sentence on your certificate is important: 'In accordance with the agreement on the acquisition of a higher education entrance qualification for vocational education and training – resolution of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder of the Federal Republic of Germany of 5 June 1998 – this certificate entitles the holder to study at applied sciences universities in all Länder (states) of the Federal Republic of Germany.' If this statement is not included on your certificate – or if you completed the academic component of the Fachhochschulreife and obtained the practical component through, for example, a year of voluntary civic service – you need to have your entrance qualification recognised by the Schulinformationszentrum (in German only) before applying. Please note that this process may take a while.
• Fachgebundene Hochschulreife – subject-specific higher education entrance eligibility. This allows you to apply for certain degree courses.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) – If you hold this certificate you will also need to submit the preliminary review documentation (VPD) from uni assist.

Under the Hamburg Higher Education Act, you can also study without an Abitur or Fachhochschulreife certificate.

Individuals with the following qualifications have higher education entrance eligibility:

• Master tradespeople (Meister*innen) in accordance with the Crafts and Trades Code (Handwerksordnung)
• Certified business administrators (Fachwirt*innen)
• Individuals with equivalent advanced studies certificates in accordance with sections 53 and 54 of the Vocational Training Act.

Applicants who receive a grade of 2,0 or better on their aptitude test for a Design degree at HAW Hamburg and are at least 18 years old can also be admitted without a higher education entrance qualification.

If you do not belong to one of the above groups and therefore do not have a higher education entrance qualification, you can take an entrance exam pursuant to section 38 of the Hamburg Education Act in order to obtain this qualification.

If you don't belong to one of the above groups and therefore do not have a higher eduation entrance qualification, you can take an entrance exam pursuant to section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act to obtain this qualification. The fee for the entrance exam is currently €400.

The exam consists of:

• a written exam with questions covering basic knowledge about the field of study or profession in question,
• an essay on a topic related to public life – e.g. from politics, business, society, or technology and the environment,
• an oral exam (dependent on successful completion of the written exam) consisting of questions about the desired field of study, the associated profession and the questions posed in the written exam.

How to apply for the entrance examination for a subject-specific higher education entrance qualification (pursuant to section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act):

1. Please note the application deadlines for the entrance examination: 

• 15 February to 1 April – to apply for the winter semester
• 15 August to 1 October – to apply for the summer semester

2. Attend an advising session on the desired course of study. You can find the contact person under the specific degree course.

3. Submit your completed application on time and with all the necessary accompanying documents to the Student Admissions and Registration Office.

Additional information:
Notice of fees (in German only)
Information on exceptional higher education entrance eligibility for working professionals at HAW Hamburg (pursuant to section 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act) (in German only)

In order to apply for the Illustration, Communication Design, and Fashion, Costume and Textile Design degree courses in the Department of Design, you first need to complete an artistic aptitude test.

The test is held once a year in October or November.

It consists of two parts:

• Part One requires the submission of a portfolio of the applicant's work. The department offers regular appointments for portfolio review.
• Part Two is made up of three artistic-creative tests.

Applications to take the test can be submitted directly to the Department of Design.

Applicants who receive a grade of 2,0 or better on their aptitude test for a Design degree at HAW Hamburg and are at least 18 years old can also be admitted without a higher education entrance qualification.

To the Department of Design's application portal (in German only)

Sufficient knowledge of English must be demonstrated for the following degree courses: 

• Aeronautical Engineering
• Automotive Engineering
• Information Engineering 
• International Business
• Logistics/Business Studies
• Marketing/Business Studies
• Mechatronics
• Media and Communications

You can find information about what certificates are accepted as proof of English proficiency on the degree course pages.