The admission criteria consist of

1. subject-related admission requirements
2. language requirements
3. minimum grade (except for Information Systems and Business Education)

Detailed information on the perspective admission criteria can be found on the websites of the master’s programmes in the section Information on the application --> admission requirements.

This document provides you with a classification guide for the courses in the different subject areas.

You can find the respective minimum grade on the websites of the master’s Information on the application --> admission requirements. Only for the master’s programmes Information Systems and Business Education there is no minimum grade.

If you have not yet completed your bachelor's programme, your final grade will be replaced by the average grade of your previous examinations confirmed by your examination office. This grade will be taken into account in the selection procedure. A self-calculated average grade will not be accepted. It is not possible to update the grade, even if it has subsequently improved. However, your admission will in no case be revoked if the final grade is worse at a later date.

1. Can I compensate missing ECTS with my bachelor’s thesis?
Yes, this is possible. The credits of the bachelor's thesis can be credited for the subject in which it was written. The bachelor’s thesis must have already been submitted by the application deadline. Please upload the front page and the outline of your bachelor's thesis confirmed by the first examiner in the master's application portal in the section attachments --> further documents. Due to the Teacher Training Access Ordinance (Lehramtszugangsverordnung) of the Master of Education in Business Education, missing credits cannot be compensated with the bachelor's thesis.

2. Can I provide additional credited courses?
Yes, this is possible if the examination regulations for your degree programme permit additional credited courses. These must be shown on your transcript of records including credits. It is sufficient if the additional courses have been graded as "passed"; they do not have to be part of the final grade.

3. Can I make up for missing credits outside of my bachelor’s programme, e.g. at another university?
It is not possible to catch up on the required credits outside your bachelor's programme. All requirements for admission must be completely fulfilled within the previous, relevant course of study via a transcript of records. Individual course certificates cannot be taken into account, nor is it possible to make up for missing achievements, e.g. at other universities or outside your own bachelor, at the same university.

A "provisional admission" with the condition to make up the necessary credits in the first master’s semester is also not permitted at the WiSo Faculty.

4. Can credits from a master’s programme be certified?
No, this is not possible, since according to the admission regulations the admission criteria can only be proven by a bachelor's programme. In the later master's programme, however, equivalent achievements that have already been completed can be checked for transfer.

5. Can credits from two different bachelor’s programmes be added together?
No, this is not possible. According to the admission regulations all admission criteria are proven by exactly one bachelor's degree.

Yes, but you must have successfully completed at least 80% of the examinations in your bachelor's programme: at least 144 ECTS credits for a 180 ECTS credits bachelor's programme. For the Master International Management (CEMS MIM) and the Master Economic Research, due to the early application deadline, 70% of the required achievements must be proven: 126 ECTS credits for a 180 ECTS credits bachelor's programme.

The subject-specific admission requirements must be fulfilled at the time of application and shown as passed on your transcript of records. If you wish to use your bachelor's thesis to fulfil the 80 or 70% criterion, it must be submitted and proven to have been passed.

Furthermore, you need a provisional average grade calculated by your examination office and officially confirmed by stamp and signature. A self-calculated average grade will not be taken into account. The examination performances still to be completed must have been taken (not passed) by 30 September. (Please see question 5.9).

Yes, if these achievements have been recognised by your home university for your bachelor's programme and included in your transcript of records. Exams that are not credited will not be considered.

If the examination results achieved during the semester abroad are to be used to fulfil the subject-specific admission requirements and the results are to be shown "en bloc" as "studies abroad", please upload the transcript of records of your semester abroad to the online application portal of the WiSo faculty.

If your degree programme does not have ECTS (European Credit Transfer System), your previous achievements will be converted by us. To do this, we compare your workload (credit points, semester hours, etc.) with our ECTS system:

1. We calculate your workload per semester based on the number of credit points (CP)/hours and the total number of semesters you need to complete.
   Example: 140 CP in 8 semesters = 140/8 = 17.5 CP/semester
    
2. We equate this result with our system (180 ECTS/6 semesters = 30 ECTS).
   Example: 30 ECTS/17.5 CP  -->  1.71 ECTS = 1CP
    
3. We translate your modules/courses into ECTS and check whether you meet the admission requirements.
   Example: Your module "Linear Algebra" with 3 CP thus corresponds to 5 ECTS: 3 CP * 1.71 = 5.13 ECTS

You do not need to convert your credit points yourself, this is done by the Master Admissions Office. Please note that you must apply via uni-assist if you have completed your bachelor's degree outside Germany. This also applies if you have received ECTS in your bachelor's programme.

No, the 15 ECTS can also be made up of both subjects. However, the requirements are also fulfilled if you can prove either 15 ECTS in maths OR 15 ECTS in statistics.

In order to study a master's degree at the University of Cologne, you need a general qualification for university entrance. You will receive this with the successful completion of your bachelor's degree. If access to your studies is granted by the Fachabitur, your studies must be completed or your certificate must be available at the time of enrolment. Submission of your bachelor's degree by the end of the same year does not therefore apply to applicants with a Fachhochschule matriculation certificate, as only the bachelor's degree from the Fachhochschule qualify you to general higher education entrance qualification, which entitles you to visit the university. Please also note: A provisional certificate that all examinations have been taken is not sufficient; the official bachelor's certificate must be submitted.

Please note that you will be excluded from the admission procedure if you have already earned a Master of Science degree in the programme for which you wish to apply at an university within the scope of the Basic Law - i.e. a German university.

The same applies if you have finally failed an examination required by the examination regulations; this also applies to related or comparable degree programmes. In these cases, please contact the Master Admissions Office before applying. You can send us an e-mail and we will forward it to the responsible colleague of the Admissions Office.

For some degree programmes, your knowledge of school English is sufficient for your application. However, this only applies to applicants who were enrolled in the German school system or who have a German Abitur. The complete overview of language skills can be found here.

Without knowledge of German you can apply for the following English-language master's programmes:

• Business Administration with the specialisations Corporate Development, Finance and Marketing
• International Management (CEMS MIM)
• Economics
• Economic Research
• Sociology: Social Research
• Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology
• Political Science
• Double Master's Programmes (DMP) in Business Administration, Demography & Social Inequality, Economics, European Studies and Health Economics & Management.

We need the module descriptions to be able to clearly assign your courses to the respective subject areas. If your university does not provide a module handbook in German or in English or none in general, please upload a PDF document in which you informally explain this. Please do not have your module handbook translated!

If we still need the module descriptions when reviewing your application, we will contact you.

If you have obtained your bachelor's degree in Germany, apply via KLIPS or the Master Application Portal of the WiSo Faculty, depending on the Master's programme. This is a free online application!

KLIPS for International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research

Master Application Portal for all other degree programmes

If you have obtained your bachelor's degree outside Germany, you must apply twice:

1. Via KLIPS or via the Master Application Portal of the WiSo Faculty, depending on the Master's programme. This is a free online application!
   KLIPS for International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research
   Master Application Portal for all other degree programmes
    
2. Via Uni-assist. You have to pay a handling fee. Please note:
   • Applicants for the programmes International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research apply online.
   • Applicants for the programmes Business Administration, Economics, Health Economics, Information Systems, Political Science, Sociology: Social Research, Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology as well as for all Double Master's programmes apply online.

Further information can be found in the third block of questions.

The application documents to be submitted differ according to the master's programme. Please inform yourself on the website of the respective degree programme in the section Application Documents:

• Master Business Administration
• International Management (CEMS MIM)
• Master Economics
• Master Economic Research
• Master Health Economics
• Master Information Systems
• Master Political Science
• Master Sociology: Social Research
• Master Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology
• Double Master's Programmes

If you obtained your bachelor's degree outside Germany, please read the third block of questions (questions 3.1 till 3.14).

You can apply for up to three different preferences. However, you will only receive one admission for one programme.

If, for example, you are admitted to your second preference in the main allocation process, you will not participate in any replacement candidate rounds for your first preference. The same applies to Master International Management (CEMS MIM) and Master Economic Research, for which you can apply via a separate online portal. If you are accepted, your application will no longer be considered for the other degree programmes for which you have also expressed preferences.

While you are creating your application, you can change your preferences at any time. Once you have submitted your application and clicked the button "submitted", no changes can be made to your application preferences.

In addition to the application for the first semester, which of course also serves as an option for you to change to one of our master programmes, you may also be able to apply for a higher semester if you are already enrolled in a similar master's programme. Further information on this procedure can be found here.

Should your application require special treatment for personal reasons, you can submit a so-called hardship case application. In this case, there must be particularly serious personal reasons why it is unreasonable to wait even one semester for admission to study, even if strict standards are applied. The applicants are then immediately admitted to the course of study. The admission requirements must nevertheless be fulfilled, but the selection procedure does not take place in this case. Please submit your hardship case application via

• KLIPS for International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research
• Master Application Portal for all other degree programmes

Uni-assist e.V., the working service point for international student applications, is an association supported by over 180 German universities. It provides processing and evaluation for international student applications by checking degree certificates and converting the final grade into the German grading system. An application is only complete when both applications have been received completely and on time (see question 2.2). We can view the evaluation of your uni-assist application online. Only after that it can be assessed whether a foreign degree meets the requirements of our master's programme which you applied for.

The application documents to be submitted differ depending on the master's programme. Please inform yourself on our websites of the respective degree programme under the heading application documents:

• Master Business Administration
• International Management (CEMS MIM)
• Master Economics
• Master Economic Research
• Master Health Economics
• Master Information Systems
• Master Political Science
• Master Sociology: Social Research
• Master Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology
• Double Master's Programs

All application documents must be submitted online only; a postal application is not necessary.

Please inform yourself about this on the uni-assist website.

You only have to submit your documents once, no matter how many universities you apply to. Further information on the documents can be found here.

No, the uni-assist application form only needs to be submitted online.

Information on uni-assist's handling fees can be found here.

You cannot submit your application until you have paid the handling fee. All application documents must be submitted online only.

After receipt of the documents and payment of the handling fee, processing will take up to six weeks. Uni-assist recommends that you apply at least eight weeks before the end of the application period, as missing documents can still be submitted. Those cannot be changed or handed in after the application deadline expired. You will be informed of the result of the evaluation by e-mail and post.

Please contact uni-assist directly and inform us as well via e-mail.

No, you do not need a VPD. The University of Cologne uses the standard procedure.

Yes, the APS certificate is required if you have studied in China or Vietnam.

Uni-assist transfers your application as well as evaluation to the University of Cologne into the campus management system KLIPS 2.0. For this reason you will receive an e-mail. However, your application is not yet complete. In order to complete your application, you still have to apply via ...

                KLIPS: International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research
                Master Application Portal for all other degree programmes

Otherwise your application will not be valid (see question 2.1).

Please note that the status displayed in KLIPS 2.0 is not the status of your application for a master's place. You will only receive the status of your application by e-mail from the Master Admissions Office.

According to German higher education law "Ordinance on the Allocation of Study Places in North Rhine-Westphalia" (Verordnung über die Vergabe von Studienplätzen in Nordrhein-Westfalen) 7% of the available study places are reserved to applicants who are non-EU/EEA citizens and do not hold an EU/EEA university entrance qualification or an EU/EEA bachelor's degree (EEA: Members of the Agreement on the European Economic Area are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway).

Applicants who are EU/EEA citizens or hold an EU/EEA university entrance qualification or an EU/EEA bachelor's degree belong to the 93% quota.

If the number of applicants meeting the admission criteria exceeds the number of places available for the programme, a selection procedure will be carried out to rank the applicants.

For the master’s degree programmes Health Economics, Information Systems, Political Science, Sociology: Social Research and Sociology: Social and Economic Psychology, the selection procedure is based on the final or the average grade of the bachelor's programme.

For all other degree programmes, an admission score is calculated for each applicant. You can read the exact calculation in Information on the Study Programme under the heading Information on Application -->  Selection Procedures.

* For admission to the Double Master's Programme, the minimum score for admission to the respective year must be achieved. In addition, there will be an interview in which a decision will be made about admission to the Double Master's Programme. However, the interview is not included in the calculation of the score.

According to the Ordinance on the Allocation of Study Places in North Rhine-Westphalia, there are different admission quotas. Please refer to question 3.14 for further information.

A test result must be submitted for the Double Master's Programme Business Administration, however no minimum score exists.

For the study programmes International Management (CEMS MIM), Business Administration, Economics, Double Master's Programme Economics as well as Economic Research it is not mandatory to take a test. However, we recommend this, since the result of an admission test is included in the admission score during the selection process (see question 4.1). For all other degree programmes, no test result is included in the admission score.

In the following overview you can see which tests we accept:

* Double Master's Programme

More detailed information, also about the respective tests, can be found here. An overview of how the admission scores with the admission tests are formed can be read in this table.

Application for International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research

You can send your application without a test result and upload it separately in KLIPS until the application deadline. In the meantime, we will review your application and give you feedback. The test result tab remains editable until the application deadline, even if you have sent your application before then.

Application for all other master's programmes including Double Master's Programmes

When applying for a Double Master's Programme in Business Administration, a test result is mandatory, so that we need the documentation already prepared at the time of application.

For all other master's programmes you can send your application without a test result and upload it separately on the WiSo application portal until the application deadline. In the meantime, we will review your application and give you feedback. The tab test result remains editable until the application deadline, even if you have sent your application before.

Application for International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research

Unfortunately, it is not possible to have your test result sent automatically. Please upload the result to KLIPS yourself. The preliminary test result is sufficient for your application. You can exchange your result document until the application deadline. In the selection process, the test will be used which is in KLIPS after the application deadline.

Application for all other master's programmes including Double Master's Programmes

We recommend that you upload the test result yourself to the WiSo Faculty's Master's application portal. Use the tab Test Result in the logged in area and upload your result as a PDF document. The preliminary test result is sufficient for your application. If you are taking a TM-WISO or GMAT, you can have the test result sent automatically. Please note that you must explicitly agree to this transmission beforehand and use the same e-mail address as used in the WiSo application portal. The transmission will only take place after the application deadline. Due to capacity reasons we cannot answer questions regarding the receipt of the test result.

If a test has already been uploaded, no test result will be transferred, but the uploaded test will continue to be valid. The test that you uploaded to the portal will be taken into account - regardless of whether another test result was also uploaded beforehand.

Please understand that we cannot select which test is the better one for several tests. You can decide which is the better test on the basis of the percentile ranks achieved and upload this yourself to the application portal.

When applying for a Double Master's Programme in Business Administration, a test result is mandatory, so that we need the documentation already prepared at the time of application.

Yes, the preliminary test result is sufficient for the application.

No, but you will only receive points for a certain percentile rank.

Yes, it is possible to receive an admission without having submitted a test result. However, we recommend taking a test, as this increases your chances of getting an admission (see Calculation of Admission Scores).

The notification of admission will only be sent to you by e-mail:

• International Management (CEMS MIM) and Economic Research: Early June
• All other degree courses: mid-July

You can see the expected submission in the section deadlines on the master application website. Please make sure that you will have access to your e-mail account during this period.

You can check your score in the Faculty's online application portal at the latest from the day on which the admission notices are also sent out. Please log in to the online master application portal.

For Master's programmes, which apply via KLIPS, it is unfortunately not possible to check your score in KLIPS.

We will publish the admission results on our website. You can find information on the scoring process here.

Each applicant is only admitted to one programme, so you only receive one admission. If you have already received a letter of admission as part of the main selection process for your second preference, your first preference will not be considered in any re-assignment of rejected places. This also applies if you do not accept your admission.

In this case, a decision is made by drawing lots.

You will receive detailed information on this with the letters of admission and on our website. Please refer to the different enrolment groups, as the enrolment procedure is different.

A re-assignment process will only be carried out if there are places available after the main selection process. This means that a decision about allocating free places in a re-assignment process can only be made after the enrolment phase has ended.

Letters of rejection can only be send out after all re-assignment processes and enrolment procedures for all the university study programmes have ended (beginning of November). You can, however, request information on the status of your application before this date. Furthermore, letters of rejection are send out in response to all applications for study programmes where admission was not granted, even if admission was granted in a different application.

If you have applied with a bachelor's degree that has not yet been completed, you must present your certificate until 31 December at the latest.

Exception: If you do not have a general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur), you will in any case need your bachelor's certificate in order to enrol, as only this entitles you to enrol at a university (see question 1.8).

Pending examinations must be completed by 30 September (e.g. submission of bachelor thesis). This also applies to the defence of a bachelor thesis or to the rewriting of failed examinations! Grading can also take place later. If the bachelor's certificate is not available on the day of enrolment, admission to the master's programme is subject to the following proviso: If this proof is not provided or not provided in time, the admission becomes invalid. Examinations already taken up to this point in time (e.g. midterm) are then no longer valid and expire.

In the case of an application with a diploma programme, the degree must already have been obtained at the time of application.