FAQ
Transcripts / Records of Study Academic transcripts are records of your academic qualifications, usually including a list of course titles, credit hours, grades and an explanation of grades. If your university does not issue official transcripts, prepare a list of all lectures, seminars, courses etc. you attended (listed for each semester) and attach confirmations of your participation in the courses, signed either by the supervisor of the respective course, or by an official of your university (for example the dean's or registrar's office).
Certified versus Regular Copies - Certified copies are xeroxed copies of your original documents bearing an original signature and stamp and/or seal which indicates that the copy is identical to the original document. This certified document is issued attached to a xeroxed copy of the original document. Certified copies can be issued, for example, by the dean's or registrar's office of your university, the German Embassy, a branch of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or Goethe Institute, or a public notary.
- Regular copies are xeroxed copies of your original documents without additional certification that the copy is identical with the original document. Regular copies are acceptable for the first phase of application evaluation. Applicants who have qualified for a personal interview (based on the evaluation of the application and the results of the written subject test organized by the program) may be asked for certification of relevant documents before admission to the program is granted.
English Proficiency Applicants who fall within the following categories do NOT need to provide proof of English proficiency:
- Residency of a reasonable period in an English speaking country.
- Academic degree obtained in an English speaking country or institution.
All other applicants are required to provide proof of their proficiency in English. This can be accomplished by submitting the results of a standardized test such as TOEFL, IELTS, APIEL, or CPE. Please send a copy of your test results directly to the coordination office via the contact address, as there are no arrangements for receiving the results directly from the test center. If possible, submit the test results together with your application before the deadline. If you receive the results of the language test after the application deadline, we recommend submitting them only if you have qualified for the written subject test or, respectively, interview organized by the program.
Note that your application benefits from the submission of an excellent score in an English language test. However, the application procedure leaves the option to participate in subject tests or interviews without proof of English proficiency. In this case, successful candidates can be admitted to the program based on the demonstration of language skills in the interviews.
Diploma issued after the deadline In case you will receive a higher diploma after the application deadline, you should submit the certification of your latest degree and a copy of your latest transcript. If you have not obtained a degree yet, please indicate the date when you expect it to be issued. If your college/university does not award a Bachelor's degree for a particular course of study, a minimum of six semesters of academic education is required. In this case you may apply at the coordination office for accepting your education as the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree.
Candidates who have been accepted to the program must submit their degrees (or a transcript indicating that the Bachelor's degree has been conferred) before the start of courses in October. Otherwise, enrolment at the University of Munich will not be possible.
Financial Statement The application process requires a personal financial statement. In this statement you should explain, how you plan to meet the expenses of your stay in Munich, e.g. scholarship, savings, job, parental support, sponsor, etc. Only a personal statement is required. It is not necessary to submit additional documents, such as bank statements, at this stage.
Orientation Period An orientation week is offered prior to the start of lectures and courses. During this time assistance and advice will be provided for managing day-to-day life, including arranging for a bank account, health insurance, residence permit, subway pass, housing, and enrolment. Students have the opportunity to meet with faculty members for academic advising and visit laboratories of the participating institutions. In addition, the orientation period informs students about computing and library facilities, the city and university of Munich, sports facilities, and cultural events.
German Classes During the orientation week, a German language course will be offered, free of charge, in cooperation with Lektorat Deutsch als Fremdsprache. The language course is designed to assist students with adapting to life in Munich and solving every-day challenges, such as dealing with official government agencies, shopping, travel, etc.
Should students wish to partake in more intensive German language courses, please see the information provided by Deutschkurse für Ausländer at: www.dkfa.de
