Allocation of Study Spots in Master Programs
First Semester
Spots on Master's degree programs are allocated according to the criteria set out in the access and admission regulations for the respective Master's degree program.
The prerequisite for admission to a Master's degree course is the completion of a first relevant professional academic degree (usually a Bachelor's degree).
Under certain conditions, admission to a Master's degree course is also possible if the first degree has not yet been obtained at the time of application, but it is expected that the degree will be obtained during the first Master's semester. In this case, special deadlines must be observed and particularly careful planning is required. Please refer to the information on the provisional Master's program.
Applications for a place on a Master's degree program are made exclusively via the Osnabrück University application portal. The documents to be uploaded can be found in the respective access and admission regulations - you will also find further information on this in the application portal.
Applications for Master's degree programs are checked for compliance with the subject-specific access requirements by the respective selection committee of the schools after a formal preliminary examination by the Student Administration Office.
In the case of a Master's degree course with restricted admission, the selection committee draws up a ranking list on the basis of which places are allocated. The number of study places allocated is determined by the applicable admission regulations.
Applicants who cannot be admitted due to their ranking will receive a letter of rejection stating their own ranking and the ranking of the last applicant to be admitted (marginal ranking).
If not all study places have been allocated by the end of the main procedure, those ranked next in line will be admitted as part of a succession procedure, provided they have expressly declared their participation in the succession procedure in the application portal.
If the selection committee is unable to determine that the applicant meets the academic requirements for admission to the Master's degree program, the applicant will receive a letter of exclusion.
International prospective students
Here you will find information on the allocation of study places to international prospective students.
Information on Preliminary Enrollment in a Master's Program with an Outstanding Bachelor's Degree
An application for a spot on a Master's degree program is possible in exceptional cases if it can be expected that the Bachelor's degree will be successfully completed in the first Master's semester and
- you have successfully completed all the credits from the Bachelor's degree program, but the Bachelor's certificate cannot yet be presented or
- individual credits - but no more than 30 credit points - are still outstanding for your Bachelor's degree. This means that At the time of application, you must provide proof of at least 150 credit points from your Bachelor's degree by means of a transcript of records.
In these cases, you may be provisionally admitted to the Master's degree program, provided you meet any other access requirements for the Master's degree program. Enrolment in the Bachelor's degree program remains valid.
Please note that the Bachelor's degree program that qualifies you for the Master's degree program must be successfully completed by the end of the first Master's semester at the latest. This means that all outstanding achievements must be completed, assessed and registered by March 31 of the following year (for enrolment in the winter semester) or by September 30 of the current year (for enrolment in the summer semester) .
The Bachelor's certificate must then be
- by April 15 of the following year at the latest for winter semester enrolment
- by October 15 of the current year at the latest for summer semester enrolment
in the Admissions Office. You will be informed of the relevant deadlines again in the letter of admission!
It is therefore advisable to consider the following in advance:
- You may only submit an application for a spot on a Master's degree program if you can expect to complete your Bachelor's degree within the first semester of the Master's degree program.
- You should actually be in the final phase of your Bachelor's degree at the time of application. It therefore makes more than sense to have already submitted your Bachelor's thesis by the time you apply for a place on the Master's degree program or at least plan to have submitted it by the end of the semester before you start the Master's degree program.
- You should observe and plan the correction deadlines stipulated for examiners in the examination regulations. For example, the General Examination Regulations (APO) of Osnabrück University stipulate 6 weeks for the correction of Bachelor's theses and 4 weeks for course-related examinations.
- You should enquire at your responsible examination office about the time you need to allow for the preparation of your degree certificate. Please note that the final documents for the respective degree program can be issued at the earliest when the final overall grade appears in HisinOne.
We would like to explicitly point out that
- in the event of a new application for the Master's degree program, unless otherwise stated in the transitional regulations, the examination regulations in force at that time, which may have been amended compared to the previous year, will apply,
- in the event of an existing (or new) admission restriction in the semester of application, you will take part in the regular admission procedure and may not be admitted to the Master's degree program;
- the provisional enrollment cannot be extended beyond one semester.
Unable to obtain the Bachelor's degree or the Bachelor's certificate on time - what now?
If you do not obtain your Bachelor's degree by March 31 of the following year (if enrolling for the winter semester) or by September 30 of the current year (if enrolling for the summer semester), you will generally be automatically de-registered from the Master's degree program at the end of the first Master's semester (i.e. March 31 or September 30). At this point, we would like to point out that if you are enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program at Osnabrück University in addition to the Master's degree program, this does not affect your de-registration from the Master's degree program.
If you obtain your Bachelor's degree on time, but are not able to submit your certificate by April 15 of the following year (if enrolling for the winter semester) or by October 15 of the current year (if enrolling for the summer semester), please contact the staff at the Admissions Office in good time. The Admissions Office can then ask you to submit further proof (for example from your responsible examination office) and, if necessary, grant you an extension of the deadline for submitting the certificate.
It may be advisable to reapply for the Master's degree program (please also consider reapplying for the extension subjects in the teaching education degree program). You should also discuss this individually with the Admissions Office staff. Please take into account the application deadlines and the fact that not all Master's degree programs start in the summer semester. If you have any questions or uncertainties, we will be happy to advise you!
In addition, you can contact the respective academic advisors and the Central Study Counseling Service (ZSB) for advice on outstanding examinations for your Bachelor's degree.
Your Admissions Office Staff
Status April 2025
1It is therefore essential that you consult the individual regulations that apply to your degree program, which you will find in the admission regulations for your desired Master's degree program.
2 Please also note the individual regulations in the admission regulations of the desired Master's degree program.
Higher semester
General information
If admission to Master's degree programs is restricted in the first semester, this also applies to the higher semesters. Places in a higher semester can only be allocated within the scope of available capacity. The decisive factor here is whether the places to be made available in accordance with the current Admission Numbers Ordinance are (still) occupied in the respective higher semester.
If places are available, the valid applications are selected in the following order:
- Applicants for whom the rejection of admission for personal reasons would mean particular hardship;
- Applicants who are enrolled in the same degree program at the university for a partial study place;
- Applicants who are or were enrolled in the same degree program at another German university, a university in another member state of the European Union or another state party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area (transfer students in the same degree program);
- Applicants who are or were enrolled at a foreign university in the same degree program with German citizenship or who are equivalent to German citizens under admission law;
- Applicants who have been admitted to the first semester of the same degree program and can be placed in a higher semester (upgrading);
- Applicants who claim other reasons:
Applicants changing degree programs or lateral entrants with a placement recommendation
Within the above-mentioned case groups, in the event of equal ranking, the social reasons, in particular family and economic reasons, which are decisive for the choice of location, then the average grade of the previous qualifying degree and then the exact ranking is determined by lot.
Urgent recommendation!
Before transferring to Osnabrück University, please contact the respective academic advisors/deans of studies to clarify which achievements can be credited and whether practical entry into the higher semester is possible without any problems or loss of time.
Please also note: A placement recommendation does not guarantee you a place on a degree program with restricted admission at Osnabrück University.