Have you decided to study for a master’s degree at our university? To ensure that your application is successful, here we inform you about all the aspects and stages of the application procedure – from admission requirements to accepting your study place.
Admission Requirements
In order to study for a master’s degree at our university, you must meet certain admission requirements.
In order to be admitted to one of our master’s programmes, you must already hold a university degree, for example a bachelor’s degree.
Please use the anabin database to check whether your degree entitles you to study at our university.
Our university offers both German-language and English-language courses of study. Depending on the degree course, we have certain requirements for your language skills.
Master’s programmes taught in German
At a minimum, you need German language skills corresponding to the “German Language Exam for Admission to Higher Education” at level 2 (Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, DSH-2) or an equivalent recognised in the Framework Regulations for German Language Examinations for Studies at German Universities (see §2 and §8, section 2).
At the start of your application it is sufficient to provide a certificate of German language proficiency at B2 level. You must provide a copy of a recognised certificate proving that your German is at a level in accordance with DSH-2 by no later than when you enrol.
You can only prove your proficiency in German by providing certified copies the following certificates:
- “Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang, Niveaustufe 2” (DSH-2)
- “Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache”, level 4 (TDN 4 in all categories)”
- “Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz, Stufe II” (DSD II)
- “Zentrale Oberstufenprüfung” (ZOP)
- “Goethe-Zertifikat C2: “Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom (formerly “Kleines Deutsches Sprachdiplom” and “Großes Deutsches Sprachdiplom”)”
- “Zeugnis über die Feststellungsprüfung (FSP)”
- “interDaF–Prüfung C1”, level 2
- “Österreichisches Sprachdiplom Deutsch C2” (ÖSD C2)
- “telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule”
- German general higher education entrance qualification (“Abitur”)
The sole completion of a bachelor's degree in German or obtained in Germany is not sufficient proof of German language proficiency.
Master’s programmes taught in English
Please refer to our course catalogue to find out what level of proficiency in English is required and how this must be demonstrated.
Some master’s programmes require additional language skills. For information about each programme’s language requirements, please refer to the course database or contact the relevant institute.
Most master’s programmes additionally require an aptitude test (Eignungsfeststellungsprüfung, EFP) or an evaluation of subject-specific admission requirements (fachliche Zugangsvoraussetzungen, FZV). This assessment takes the form of certificate checks, work samples or personal interviews at the respective institute.
Application procedure
There are various application procedures at our university. The correct procedure for your application depends on whether you obtained your university degree abroad or in Germany.
Please note our information for the respective applicant groups and use our checklists to ensure that you apply correctly.
You can apply to Leipzig University for a maximum of two master’s programmes at once.
Please submit your application documents in full, on time and in the prescribed manner. If your application does not meet these requirements, unfortunately we will not be able to consider it in the admission procedure.
Applying via uni-assist with a university degree from abroad
- First and higher semesters of study with local restrictions on admissions (with NC):
- Valid for all (EU/EEA/third countries):
Winter semester: Beginning of April–31 May
Summer semester: Beginning of November–31 December
- Valid for all (EU/EEA/third countries):
- First and higher semesters of study with no local restrictions on admissions (no NC):
- Valid for applicants from third countries
Winter semester: Beginning of April–31 May
Summer semester: Beginning of November–31 December - Valid for applicants from EU/EEA
Winter semester: Beginning of April–1 September
Summer semester: Beginning of November–1 March
- Valid for applicants from third countries
Applying via AlmaWeb with a degree from Germany for a master’s programme with local restrictions on admissions (with NC)
- Valid for all (EU/EEA/third countries):
- First semester of study:
Winter semester: Beginning of May–31 May
Summer semester: Beginning of December–15 January - Higher semesters of study:
Winter semester: Beginning of May–15 July
Summer semester: Beginning of December–15 January
- First semester of study:
Applying via AlmaWeb with a degree from Germany for a master’s programme with no local restrictions on admissions (no NC)
- Valid for all (EU/EEA/third countries):
Winter semester: Beginning of May–15 September
Summer semester: Beginning of December–15 March
The dates for the aptitude test (EFP) or the evaluation of subject-specific admission requirements (FZV) may differ from the application deadlines for the master’s programmes. The tests usually take place some time before the application deadlines indicated above. Please contact the respective institute for more information.
If you have a foreign university degree, please first apply online via the uni-assist application portal. Your application via uni-assist is submitted purely online. Therefore, please upload the required documents to the uni-assist application portal "MyAssist" electronically within the application deadlines and do not send any documents by post. Please send your documents in the original language as well as sworn translations into German or English. English-language documents do not need to be translated.
instructions on how to apply via uni-assist
The following documents are usually part of a complete application:
- application form (to fill in online via the application platform uni-assist)
- secondary school leaving certificate, including subject grades (e.g. Baccalaureate, School Leaving Certificate, A Levels)
- evidence of all completed degrees (e.g. bachelor’s, Diplom)
- Transcript of Records detailing all past academic achievements
- certificate of language proficiency
- CV in German or English
- applicants from China, India and Vietnam only – please refer to the APS webpages for the currently applicable terms and conditions: APS China, APS India, APS Vietnam
- if applicable: proof of having passed the aptitude test (EFP) or the evaluation of subject-specific admission requirements (FZV)
If you obtained your first university degree in Germany, please apply via the online portal AlmaWeb, where you will find information about the next steps.
Please note that some of our master’s programmes have separate application procedures. All key information can be found on the websites of the respective programmes:
- Advanced Spectroscopy in Chemistry (ASC)
- European Studies
- German as a Foreign Language in an Arabic-German Context (Cairo)
- German as a Foreign Language: Estudos interculturais de língua, literatura e cultura alemãs (Curitiba)
- German as a Foreign Language: Estudios interculturales de lengua, literatura y cultura alemanas (Guadalajara)
- German as a Foreign and Second Language in the Vietnamese-German Context
- Global Studies – A European Perspective
- Global Studies: Peace and Security in Africa
- Small Enterprise Promotion and Training (SEPT)
- Sustainable Development
- Traduction Specialisée (METS)/Fachübersetzen
If you would like to apply for a higher semester of study, you will also need to submit a credits form.
- Download the form and print it out.
- Have the form completed and signed by the responsible examination board, listing your academic achievements to date.
- Submit the completed and signed form together with your application documents.
Admission
uni-assist and our university will check your application documents once you have submitted them in full, on time and in the prescribed manner. Due to the large number of applications we receive, this process may take some time.
Whether your application is successful depends on various admission criteria.
In order to be admitted to the programme of your choice, you must fulfil a number of conditions:
- formal suitability, e.g. equivalence of degree
- sufficient language skills
- successful completion of the aptitude test (EFP) or the evaluation of subject-specific admission requirements (FZV)
- For courses of study with a numerus clausus (NC), the final grade of your previous degree is also decisive and, possibly, your motivation, hands-on experience and other criteria..
Please check your emails regularly. Letters of admission are generated automatically and are valid without a seal or signature. We do not send these notification letters by post.
- Log in to AlmaWeb using the details we sent you.
- In the menu, go to “Account” and then click on “Documents” on the left to retrieve your letter.
- Download your letter and print it.
Once you have formally applied via uni-assist, your application will be forwarded to our International Centre. We will then send an email containing login details for our AlmaWeb study portal. Once the application procedure is complete, this portal is where we will make your electronic letter of admission available if your application was successful:
- for the winter semester: between mid-July and mid-August
- for the summer semester: between mid-February and mid-March.
We will inform you by email as soon as your notification letter is available.
Please check your emails and your AlmaWeb account regularly. Letters of admission are generated automatically and are valid without a seal or signature. We do not send these notification letters by post.
- Log in to AlmaWeb using the details we sent you.
- In the menu, go to “Account” and then click on “Documents” on the left to retrieve your letter.
- Download your letter and print it.
Once you have formally applied via AlmaWeb, our International Centre will process your application. At the end of the application procedure, if your application was successful we will make your electronic letter of admission available on AlmaWeb.
We will inform you by email as soon as your notification letter is available.
Have you been offered a place at Leipzig University? Congratulations! Before you commence your studies, you must officially accept your place.
- Fill in the declaration of acceptance. You will find this on the last page of your letter of admission.
- Return the completed declaration of acceptance as a PDF file to the email address provided within the specified time frame.
- After returning the declaration of acceptance, you will receive information about paying your semester fee.
- Please then pay this semester fee.
Your enrolment will not be complete until you have paid the semester fee, submitted any missing documents and enrolled in person during Welcome Week.
Everything else you need to know can be found in your letter of admission and on the Getting Started page.