FAQs

The first stage of the application procedure entails completing the STiNE form. As the application form for international master’s programs is not activated before 15 February, we kindly ask you to refrain from sending in your documents until you have also completed and printed out the STiNE application form. 

STiNE is Universität Hamburg’s academic information network and is an internet-based information and communication platform for degree programs and teaching. Application procedures at Universität Hamburg are processed through STiNE. Hence, in order for your application to be successful, you must register with STiNE.

You don´t need to prove German language skills within the application. The Master´s Program is taught in English language. Some courses are taught in German language, but there is no obligation to attend one of the German taught courses.

All applicants have to prove English language proficency with one of the accepted certificates.

When enrolling at our University, all prospective students must submit proof of adequate English proficiency.

The following tests are accepted as proof of your English language skills:
- a Bachelor degree (or equivalent) in a college or university program taught in English
- TOEFL paper and pencil test: 580 points with a score of 45 in the essay (TWE score)
- TOEFL internet-based test: 92 points with at least 22 points per skill (listening, writing, speaking, reading)
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE): Results A, B, C
- International English Language Testing System (IELTS) – Academics: Band 6,5, Good Competent User, with at least 6,0 per skill
- proof of at least five subsequent years of English lessons at a German school (please hand in a copy of your Abitur-Zeugnis), or
- proof of English proficiency with the Level B2 (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) from a recognized institution

The TOEIC is not accepted!

Applicants, who haven´t received their test results when applying, can hand in one of the accepted English language certificates when enrolling at Universität Hamburg (approximately in May). In the online application procedure you will find the dates when the results will be published. You will need to enroll once you have been admitted until the mentioned deadline.

Please plan and prepare for your English examinations well before you apply!

No, you can only commence this program in the winter semester. The application period runs from 15 February to 31 March.

The letters of rejection/admission will be made available to you in your STiNE account under the menu item “Documents” together with the enrollment application. Please check your account on the dates provided by the Service for Students. After receiving your letter of admission you have to submit your completed enrollment application including the documents stated in the letter of admission to the Services for Students by the given deadline.

If you miss this deadline, you will no longer be entitled to the place you have been offered!

If you have recently completed a first degree but do not yet have a written confirmation of your grades and/or a degree certificate, you may still apply. To do this, you must submit a current transcript of records containing your current grade point average as well as a written confirmation from the examinations board at your institution that you are expected to have sat any outstanding examinations required for you to pass your degree prior to commencement of the master’s program.

It is possible to submit your certificate at latest by the end of the first semester.

It is possible to apply, if you have not studied Business Administration as a Bachelor.

In order to demonstrate sufficient business administration expertise, applicants must be able to provide proof of successfully completed examinations accounting for at least 12 ECTS altogether from at least four of the following areas:
business administration at an undergraduate level, balance sheets, financing, investment, marketing, management, controlling, HR, organization, information systems, production, taxation.

The proof has to be shown within the application. A confirmation of enrollement on a course does not fulfill the requirements. Also a confirmation of participating in a course does not fulfill the requirements. The course has to be finished with an examination and a grade.

Unfortunately, we cannot provide any information about individual eligibility in advance. The application commission will be assessing all applications after the application deadline and decide which courses can be accepted as appropriate to fulfill the requirement.

You should ensure that you always have the latest version of Adobe Reader installed on your system. This can be found at http://get.adobe.com/de/reader/

In case you still have problems, you can copy the text from the forms into your text-processing program and then complete, print, and sign the form in this format.

If you do not have access to a text-processing program, you may also print out the forms and complete them by hand.

Please make sure to copy the content of the forms precisely and fill them out completely!

As our capacities are restricted during the application period, we are not able to confirm the receipt of your application.

Sorry, but we cannot return application documents after the selection procedure is finished.

We don´t accept applications, which receive us after the 31st of March.

As there are always much more applications than places, we are not able to offer you a remaining place.

Applications must have arrived at the University on March 31 the latest.

Documents, reaching us later than the 31 of March cannot be  considered.

We offer approximately 60 places each year. Applicants are divided into two groups: domestic students (Bildungsinländer) and foreign students (Bildungsausländer). Each group is allocated 50% of the available places.

You are classed as a Bildungsausländer/foreign student if you do not satisfy one or more of the following conditions:

• You completed a German Abitur (or the Swiss or Austrian equivalent) in a German-speaking part of Europe. OR
• You completed your first degree in German at a university in a German-speaking part of Europe. OR
• Your native language is German and you have, for the most part, grown up in a German-speaking part of Europe.

Checking your application we won’t consider the master’s program you are currently enrolled in. That means that you would have to apply for the MIBAS on the regular way. Once you are admitted to the program you can ask for accreditation of credits you already made.

Yes, you can study this master’s degree part-time. Detailed information about prerequisites, deadlines, the application procedure, and any exceptions is available on the university's Campus Centers website. Part-time degrees however, are not designed as evening and/or weekend programs. Our classes normally take place during the week between 8 am and 8 pm.

It is not necessary to announce, that you would like to become a part-time student within the application.

If you do not understand a question in the online application, please contact the Campus Center.

All applicants applying with a degree from outside of Germany, regardless of citizenship, need to have their documents checked in a "preliminary documentation" procedure by uni-assist e. V. (University Application Service for International Students). Information about the procedure by uni-assist can be found on the website www.uni-hamburg.de/assist.

Uni assist checks, if your degree is recognized in Germany and transfers your grade into the German grading system.

It takes at least four weeks to process your documents. Please plan accordingly to have your transcripts reviewed by uni-assist so that you can apply for the program of your choice at Universität Hamburg by the application deadline. We recommend sending the documents to uni-assist at latest by 15 February. The processing fee is EUR 75. Uni-assist will only review the documents once they received the processing fee.

Please note, that uni assist does not need your STiNE online application print out, no motivation letter, no CV and no language certificates, as they just check your degree certificate.

Students with an APS Certificate don´t have to hand in a VPD Documentation from Uni Assist, in case the APS Certificate shows the Grade of your university studies.

Uni assist confirms, that your university is recognized in Germany and transfers the grade from your degree into the German grading system. If nothing has changed since last year, you can use the VPD documentation again.

Yes, these are two different things: uni assist confirms, that your degree is recognized in Germany and transfers your grad into the German grading system. The grade is one criteria in the selection process besides the motivation letter.

You also have to apply at Universität Hamburg, online via STiNE and by sending the application by post to us.

All documents that need to be handed in at the Universität Hamburg  are listed in the PDF on the website, heading APPLICATION

In case you did not receive your final Bachelor’s degree yet, please send your current transcript of records including your GPA to Uni-assist! They will use your transcript to transfer your GPA into the German grading system. Although they do transfer your GPA, they do not send you a VPD, since they can only provide such document for finished degrees. In such cases, please hand in a note with your hardcopy documents, saying that you handed in your Transcript of Records to Uni-assist for preliminary documentation. We can then look up the evaluation of your transcript in Uni-assists database.

Uni-assist usually needs at least 4 weeks to check your documents. They evaluate the applications in order of receipt. Therefore, we highly advise you to send your documents as early as possible to Uni-assist, the latest on February 15^th. We cannot guarantee whether Uni-assist will provide VPDs in time for applications that were handed in later.

Yes, this is possible. Nevertheless, your application will then be transferred to the file of new receipts. Usually, Uni-assist needs around 4 weeks to evaluate your application. After uploading additional documents to your application at a later point of time, it will take another 4 weeks again. In case you hand in your documents close to the deadline, we therefore highly advise you to upload all required documents at once.