Frequently asked questions about master's degree application.

In the subject-specific admission regulations of your desired Master’s program, you will find out which Bachelor’s degree is necessary for admission. The subject-specific admission regulations provide information about qualifying study disciplines, required subject competencies, and language skills.

All prospective students have the opportunity to submit an application for admission to their desired master's program. However, prospective students with a degree from a foreign university should consider the following aspects: First, degrees from a foreign university must be recognized within the German education system. Second, they must be equivalent to a German bachelor's degree with at least 180 ECTS credits to qualify as a formal master's eligibility.

The review and evaluation of foreign degrees are conducted by uni-assist e.V. according to the specifications of the KMK and are based on the entries in the Anabin database. Please note that the information provided by the Anabin databank only provides general information about each institution of higher education. Individual academic credentials presented by each applicant still must be evaluated in terms of recognition and authenticity.

A selection based on academic performance or additional qualification criteria occurs only in master's programs with a restricted admission status. In addition, it is necessary only when the number of applicants who meet the subject-specific admission requirements according to § 3 of the subject-specific admission regulations exceeds the number of available study places.

In Master’s programs with restricted admission, the selection is based on various criteria that are converted into a total score. You can find these individual evaluation criteria and their weighting in the respective subject-specific admission requirements. How well an application performs in our selection process depends, among other things, on the number of applications, the size of the GPA cohorts, and the size of the total score cohorts. Therefore, the selection limits are based on various variables and cannot be predicted.

You can find an overview of the documents you need to submit on the following page.

Please note that all mandatory documents must be presented with an application before we can evaluate academic eligibility. Applications where mandatory documents are missing will be declined and will not be taken into consideration for our admission process.

Even if you have not yet formally completed an undergraduate degree at a recognized university, you can still apply for admission. At the time of application, we require at least the following credit point information with a transcript of records and the average grade that you attained at the time of application without a formal degree certificate: 

•     at least 140 CP in a bachelor’s degree with a total requirement of 180 ECTS
•     at least 170 CP in a bachelor’s degree with a total requirement of 210 ECTS
•     at least 200 CP in a bachelor’s degree with a total requirement of 240 ECTS

If you intend to submit academic credentials issued by a foreign institution of higher education that has a different academic credit point system than ECTS, the minimum academic credit point requirement will be evaluated and confirmed by uni-assist in the course of your VPD application.

You can find instructions on how to apply for a placement decision on this page.

If your desired master's program requires proof of German and/or English language skills, you must submit a certificate according to the formal requirements as they are listed on this page.

The application deadlines are cutoff periods. Documents submitted after our deadlines have passed are not accepted and will not be considered.

You can learn about the Diploma Supplement on the following page

Documents and certificates as well as preliminary transcripts of records can be submitted in German or English. If you want to submit documents that have been issued in a language other than German or English, you also require a German or English translation prepared by a sworn translator.

If you receive the message that documents are missing, you can submit them through uni-assist by the application deadline 11:59 PM CET/CEST. Please note that the missing documents must be submitted in the required form. Documents that have to be submitted digitally must be uploaded by the application deadline 11:59 PM CET/CEST via your 'documents' folder under 'my applications'.

For the winter semester: starting April 1.

For the summer semester: starting November 1 of the previous year.

Please note that we only accept applications for the following semester. It is not possible to submit an application for the subsequent summer semester during the application phase for the winter semester.

It is also not possible to submit an application for the subsequent winter semester during the application phase for the summer semester.

Where you submit your application for admission depends on the respective consecutive master's program.

Currently, there are two online portals through which an application for admission is to be made: the online portal offered by the University of Potsdam ‘PULS’ or the online portal hosted by uni-assist e.V.

Cooperative master's programs and advanced master's programs have program-specific application methods and processes. If you are unsure where to submit your application for your desired master's program, it is best to start from the 'Master Application' page. When you click on your desired master's program, you will be automatically directed to the relevant page with application information.

The application deadline depends on whether a master’s degree program is admission-free or restricted. As this is annually stipulated, the application deadlines can change annually as well.

We would therefore advise you to find the currently applicable deadlines on the relevant websites.

Please find an overview of the current application deadlines here.

These deadlines apply to all applicants, that is, EU applicants and applicants from non-EU countries.

Step 1: Create your application account
Register for the uni-assist portal and answer the basic questions. Please note that you must enter a current address for the postal delivery of decision notices to you. A notice of admission with your valid address and your correct name will be needed if you need to apply for a residence permit.

Step 2:  Apply online
You can find and select your preferred master's program via the search function. Use the list to get to the online form. Please follow the instructions and send your online application form electronically to uni-assist. You can upload your application supporting documents such as a transcript of records or proof of language proficiency as detailed on this page in the designated upload areas of your online application form.

You submit your online application by sending your online application form to uni-assist e.V. via their payment function. You will not be charged processing fees.

Please note that in order for your application to be considered submitted in time, you need to have sumbitted your online application form plus all required supporting documents by the end of the application deadline 11:59 PM CET/CEST. The date and timestamp of your submission is determinative.

Step 3:  Adding missing or additional documents
If you like to add new application supporting documents such as an updated transcript of records, you can add them via your personal documents folder of your uni-assist account after you submitted your online application form.  They will be processed by uni-assist e.V. accordingly.

Note that application supporting documents can only be considered which were uploaded by the end of the application deadline 11:59 CET/CEST. The date of the upload and timestamp is determinative.

Please make sure to not send applications and supporting documents directly to the University of Potsdam. Applications directly submitted to the University of Potsdam by post or via email will not be processed and not be considered.

No documents need to be send via post to uni-assist e.V. All required documents must only be uploaded as a pdf.

All required documents must be submitted by the application deadline of your desired master's program.

Please note that applications via PULS can only be submitted, withdrawn and resubmitted with additional documents until the end of the application deadline. With uni-assist e.V., documents submitted by this deadline will be considered in the evaluation.

After you have submitted your application for admission, no further steps are required. You will receive feedback about your application via your PULS account.

You can only submit additional documents within the application deadline. To submit documents later, you must first withdraw your application. Only then can you add documents to the application components. Please note that after making changes, you must resubmit your application for admission electronically. It will only be available to the University of Potsdam for review of formal and academic suitability after you have resubmitted your application electronically.

You can add additional documents to your personal document folder of your uni-assist account. Please note those documents can only be considered if they were uploaded by the end of the application deadline 11:59 CET/CEST.

Please be aware of the processing times by uni-assist e.V. for the review of subsequently submitted documents.

If you have submitted an application for admission through PULS:

For applications via PULS, you will be informed by email as soon as the status of your application changes. You can view the status of your application through your PULS account. Admission and rejection notices are provided as PDFs via PULS and sent by post to the address you specified. Please consider that you provide a correct address which we can use to send our notice to you. A valid notice of admission will also be required if you need to apply for a visa.

If you have submitted an application for admission to the 1st semester of study through uni-assist e.V.:

If uni-assist has not yet forwarded your application to us, please contact uni-assist e.V. Uni-assist e.V. provides information about the average processing time. Once you receive the notification from uni-assist e.V. about the forwarding of your application, you can only obtain information about the status of your application directly from the persons responsible for the program. Specific contacts can be found on the individual pages of the master's program offerings. However, please consider the timing guidelines stated here.
 

If you applied for a degree program with a restricted admission status (application deadline June 1 and December 1), admission results will be communicated only after the application deadline has expired and after the respective admission procedure has been completed.

When applying for an advanced semester of study, you require a placement in an advanced semester. If you have already acquired academic credentials that can be recognized for the master’s degree program you would like to apply for, you must apply for their recognition at the responsible Examining Board. 

An application for an advanced semester of study includes two steps. In the first step, you must apply for the Recognition of Previous Academic Credentials at the respective Examining Boards. 

Please apply via uni-assist e.V., if you are placed in the first semester of study.

If you are placed into a higher semester of study, the department must first check whether the advanced semester of study offers a program for the intended application semester. If such a program is offered for the respective semester of study, you should submit a cover letter and the documents as it has to be done when applying for the first semester (copy of the final certificate in German or English, language certificates, proof of the current average grade etc. for degree programs with restricted admission) to the Examining Board of the respective master’s degree program.

When you will be informed about the result of your application depends, among other things, on whether you have applied for an admission-free or admission-restricted master’s degree program.

You have applied for an un-restricted master's program (no NC) with the application deadline August 15 or February 15 via PULS:

After you have submitted your application for admission electronically, it will be checked for formal completeness by the Student Affairs Department. If the formality correctness can be confirmed, your application will be forwarded to the Examining Board  for confirmation of your academic suitability. You may receive a result within approximately three weeks via PULS. The exact processing times vary by program and depending on the timing within the application phase (lecture period, lecture-free period). You will receive an admission notice through your PULS account and by post. Applications that do not meet the all the admission requirements will receive the respective notice after the application phase has been closed.

You have applied for an un-restricted master’s program (no NC) with the application deadline August 15 or February 15 via uni-assist e.V.:

After uni-assist has delivered your documents to the respective degree program (please find the current processing times at uni-assist here), it will review whether your application fulfills the admission requirements. Please note there is a specific processing time that uni-assist needs to review your documents. You can find out about the current processing times on this website. The processing time until a decision about admission is made depends on the degree program. The notifications regarding admission or rejection can be issued on an ongoing basis. The Examining Board of the respective subject will send the notifications by mail to the address you specified in uni-assist. Each applicant will receive either a notification of admission or rejection. Please also note the information on the website Paths to the Master's Degree.

You have applied for anadmission-restricted master’s degree program with an application deadline June 1^st or December 1^st:

For master's programs with admission restrictions, prospective students receive feedback on the outcome of their application after the selection process has been completed. A selection process can only be conducted after the application deadline and once all timely submitted applications have been reviewed. The selection processes at the University of Potsdam typically take place from the end of June to the end of July for the winter semester and from the end of January to the end of February for the summer semester each year. Please note that these dates are only guidelines and do not represent a binding deadline. If you applied through PULS, you will receive your admission or rejection notice via PULS. If you submitted your application through uni-assist e.V., you will receive your admission or rejection notice from the Examining Board.

The waiting period is the time in which applicants were not enrolled at a German university after having obtained their final certificate of their undergraduate degree (i.e. B.A. or B.Sc. degree certificate).

For the calculation of waiting period the date on which a degree certificate was issued is determinative.

Waiting period is calculated in full semesters. The waiting period is limited to 16 semesters.

Uni-assist e.V. checks whether a formal master's eligibility exists and whether the language certificates required by the program have been submitted by you in the correct form and on time. If these formal minimum requirements are met, uni-assist e.V. forwards the application to the respective program for further processing.

Uni-assist e.V. does not check whether the documents you submitted are sufficient to confirm the academic admission requirements or whether documents for participation in a selection procedure for master's programs with admission restrictions have been submitted.

Uni-assist does not assess whether you meet the academic admission requirements. Please note that forwarding by uni-assist e.V. does not automatically mean you meet the academic admission requirements and will receive admission.

Possible reason 1 - The program is not offered for the selected semester: The range of programs may vary from semester to semester. For the first semester of study of some master’s degree programs you can only apply either in the summer or in the winter semester. You can find out under the program-specific information of this website whether applications for the first semester of study are possible for the respective period. 

Possible reason 2 - The application deadline has expired: After the end of the application deadline, the application portal for the respective master’s degree program is closed. After this date it is not possible to submit an application for a master’s degree program electronically. Please find the current application deadlines here.

Possible reason 3 - An application through uni-assist is not possible. Please check on the page or  our list of offered programs if it is possible to apply for your desired master’s degree program and what the application deadlines are. If you cannot find your master’s degree program on the uni-assist website, this may be due to the fact that this is generally not offered by uni-assist and the application must be submitted another way. 

If you still cannot find your master's degree program, we will be happy to help you. Please contact us at masterbewerbung@uni-potsdam.de.

Uni-assist e.V. informs you which documents are missing or incorrect within the scope of their review process. If the application deadline for your desired master's program has not yet passed, you can submit any missing documents online via uni-assist via your personal documents folder of your uni-assist account. Please check here to see which documents may be missing and complete them if necessary.

Please note that documents can only be submitted via uni-assist within the application period and uni-assist must have received them before the application deadline. Documents that you must submit digitally must be uploaded by the application deadline 11:59 PM CET.

The information on our website 'Application via uni-assist' is applicable. When you apply via uni-assist, we accept uncertified copies. 

uni-assist is a service provider who works for a large number of German universities. The uni-assist portal has been designed to meet the different requirements of all member universities, i.e. the information provided by uni-assist does not necessarily conform to the documents required for an application at our university.

No, the application for a master‘s degree program at the University of Potsdam is free of charge for the applicants.