Heidelberg University Admission Requirements 2027

Heidelberg University is Germany's oldest university and a public research university in Baden-Wurttemberg. Non-EU international students without a German entrance qualification pay a EUR 1,500 per semester tuition fee, and most Master's programmes carry their own admission restriction and deadline.

Requirements

Bachelor's / Staatsexamen

A higher education entrance qualification recognised as equivalent to the Abitur is required; foreign qualifications are assessed by Heidelberg's Admissions Office using the proposals of the German Central Office for Foreign Education.

Master's

A relevant Bachelor's degree is required. Programmes with admission restriction (zulassungsbeschrankt) rank applicants competitively when there are more qualified candidates than places; programmes with access restriction (zugangsbeschrankt) admit every applicant who meets the published criteria, provided they apply in time.

Documents

Certified copies of your higher education entrance qualification and all university transcripts, with certified translation into German, English or French if needed; a CV, letter of motivation and language certificates for many programmes (language certificates can be uncertified copies); and, if you have not yet finished your Bachelor's, a preliminary transcript confirming your programme will be complete by the start of the Heidelberg semester.

How to apply

Choose a Master's programme and check whether it uses the German or English online application portal, or a written application with the form Antrag auf Zulassung.
Prepare certified copies of your qualifications, language certificates and a CV and motivation letter.
Submit your application to the Akademisches Auslandsamt (for consecutive programmes) or the offering department (for continuing-education programmes) within the published window for your subject.
Wait for the notice of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) or rejection (Ablehnungsbescheid) by mail.
If admitted, apply for a student visa if needed, arrange health insurance, and enrol in person during the enrolment period on your admission notice.

English test waiver

Heidelberg sets English requirements per programme through its own admission regulations (Zulassungssatzung); figures found range from IELTS 6.5 to 7.0 and TOEFL iBT 90 to 100. From 2026, TOEFL iBT certificates may show a new 1-to-6 overall scale, on which Heidelberg accepts a score of 5 or higher as equivalent to the older 90-point threshold.