University Entrance Qualification

The requirement for admission to a degree program at Ruhr University Bochum is a general university entrance qualification or a relevant subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification. The general university entrance qualification entitles the holder without restriction to study at universities and universities of applied sciences, the subject-restricted higher education entrance qualification (note: is not the same as an entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences) entitles the holder to study certain subjects at universities and universities of applied sciences.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to study at Ruhr University Bochum with an entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences.

Special regulations apply to German citizens with international certificates and international applicants.

• International application
• Information for German citizens with international certificates

A degree from a state or state-approved university of applied sciences gives you a general university entrance qualification. This degree entitles you to study all subjects at a German university – including teaching degrees and state examinations.

Degrees from private universities of applied sciences and vocational academies (“Berufsakademie”) are not necessarily recognized as general university entrance qualifications. It is also important to check with the Admissions Office whether the degree certificate of the respective school or university includes the general university entrance qualification.

As soon as you have a recognized degree from a German university or university of applied sciences, your application for an undergraduate degree program with restricted admission is a secondary application. Only a limited number of places are available for second degree applicants.

This rule doesn’t apply to Bachelor’s graduates applying for a Master’s degree program. In this case, second degree applicants are those who have already obtained a Master’s, Magister, state examination or diploma degree, but this does not include a diploma from a university of applied sciences.

• Additional information on second degree programs

You can also enter a degree program with professional experience. Depending on your qualifications, the options regarding university access vary.

• Studying without a school leaving certificate

Further requirements for the degree programs and subjects

The general university entrance qualification generally entitles you to study all subjects with open admission.

In subjects/degree programs with restricted admission, applicants with a higher education entrance qualification (HZB) are selected in accordance with admission regulations. In addition, some degree programs/subjects require proof of certain skills and knowledge, sometimes even before the start of the degree program. For example, to study sports science you must pass a sports aptitude test, while other subjects require knowledge of certain foreign languages.

• Sports aptitude test
• Language requirements
• Please check the list of study programs to find out whether other requirements are set by degree programs or whether degree programs are subject to admission restrictions.

If you intend to enrol in an admission-restricted subject or degree program at RUB and would like to assess your chances in advance, you can view the NC scores in the last admission procedures on the page linked below.

Please note that the past NC scores are only a “guideline”, as the NC can vary from semester to semester.

Please also note that the comparison of the NC scores for a summer semester is only useful for scores in the previous summer semesters. A comparison for a winter semester also only makes sense with the NC scores from previous winter semesters.

• NC values (Bachelor) at RUB
• What exactly is an NC and how are university places allocated?