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Allocation of Study Spots in Master's 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 preliminary Master's program.

Applications for a study spot 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 check by the Admissions 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 study spots are allocated. The number of spots 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 spots 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 if you have not yet completed your Bachelor's degree

A first professionally qualifying (Bachelor's) degree is generally required for admission to a Master's degree program.

However, it is also possible to apply for a study spot on a Master's degree program if

  • you have successfully completed all coursework from the Bachelor's degree program, but the Bachelor's certificate cannot yet be presented or
  • you have completed at least 150 credit points at the time of application and, based on your previous course of study, it is to be expected that you will obtain your Bachelor's degree by the end of the first semester of the Master's program at the latest. Important: For the confirmation of this expectation, the examination achievements to date are taken into account as well as - depending on the Master's degree program - the admission to the Bachelor's thesis (especially for Master's degree programs in teacher education)1. As a result, this means that - depending on the Master's degree program - you must submit the admission to the Bachelor's thesis in addition to a transcript of records. Even if you meet all other admission requirements, you cannot be enrolled before this.

In these above-mentioned cases - provided that you meet any other admission requirements for the Master's degree program2 - you can be preliminary admitted to the Master's degree program while continuing to be enrolled on the Bachelor's degree program.

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 credits must be completed, assessed and entered in HISinOne by March 31 of the following year (for enrollment in the winter semester) or by September 30 of the current year (for enrollment in the summer semester). You should contact the examination office responsible for you in good time.

The Bachelor's certificate must then be

  • by April 15 of the following year at the latest for enrollment in the winter semester
  • by October 15 of the current year at the latest for enrollment in the summer semester

at the Registrar's Office. You will be informed of the relevant deadlines again in your letter of admission.

It is therefore advisable to consider the following in advance:

  • You may only submit an application for a study spot on a Master's degree program if you are certain to complete your Bachelor's degree within the first Master's semester.
  • You should actually be in the final phase of your Bachelor's degree at the time of application. It would be wisley to have already submitted your Bachelor's thesis at the time of applying for the Master's degree program or at least to have planned to have submitted it by the end of the semester before starting the Master's degree program.
  • You should observe and plan for 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 contact your examination office to find out how long 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 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,
  • you participate in the regular  admission procedure in the event of an existing (also new)   admission restriction in the semester of application,
  • the preliminary enrollment cannot be extended beyond one semester. This means that re-registration for a second preliminary Master's semester is not possible.

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, the de-registration from the Master's degree program does not affect your Bachelor's enrollment.

If you obtain your Bachelor's degree on time but are unable to submit your certificate by the deadline of April 15 of the following year (for enrollment in the winter semester) or October 15 of the current year (for enrollment in the summer semester), please contact the staff at the Registrar's Office in good time. The Registrar's Office may then ask you to submit further evidence (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 degree program). You should also discuss this individually with the staff at the Registrar's Office. 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.

You can also contact the  relevant academic advisors and the  Central Student Advisory Service (ZSB) for advice on outstanding examinations for your Bachelor's degree.

Your team at the Registrar's Office

Status April 2025
1 It is therefore essential that you consult the individual regulations that apply to your degree program, which you can find in the admission regulations for your desired Master's degree program.
2 Please also refer to the individual regulations in the admission regulations for your 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. Study Spots in a higher semester can only be allocated within the scope of available capacity. The decisive factor here is whether the spots to be made available in accordance with the current Admission Numbers Ordinance are (still) occupied in the respective higher semester.

If study spots are available, the valid applications are selected in the following order:

  1. Applicants for whom the rejection of admission for personal reasons would mean particular  hardship;
  2. Applicants who are enrolled in the same degree program at the university for a partial study spot;
  3. 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);
  4. 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;
  5. Applicants who have been admitted to the first semester of the same degree program and can be placed in a higher semester (upgrading);
  6. 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 lottery.

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 study spot on a degree program with restricted admission at Osnabrück University.

Application for Master's Degree Programs in the Advanced Semester

Here you will find information on applying for  Master's degree programs (one subject) and  Master's degree programs (two subjects) for a higher semester.

Placement Recommendation : Form

Applicants for Master's degree programs (one subject) do not need to submit a placement recommendation. As your Master's application will be reviewed by the department (selection committee) for suitability for the Bachelor's degree program anyway, your previous achievements in the Master's degree program will be reviewed at the same time and appropriate feedback will be given to the Admissions Office. This is equivalent to a placement recommendation.

Applications for Master's degree programs (two subjects) are forwarded to the PATMOS multi-subject examination office by the Admissions Office for the purpose of checking subject suitability. You will then receive information from us about contact persons regarding your  placement recommendation (PDF, 129 kB) to be submitted. This is not yet required for submitting your application.

If you would like to (re-)enroll for the preliminary Master's degree because you do not yet have your Bachelor's degree certificate at the time of application, you must apply for the first semester, even if you have already completed some courses of the Master's degree. It is not possible to apply/enroll for a higher Master's semester without a Bachelor's certificate.