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FAQs for degree-seeking students

You are an international applicant or admitted student pursuing a complete bachelor's or master's program

We bet you have some questions while preparing your studies at Hof University. 
That is why we have collected here the answers to a few of the commonly asked questions.

Do you have any question not listed here? Please feel free to reach out to us !

Application

You can apply via our Primuss application portal. Applications via post or email will not be considered.

Please note that an application is only possible during the application period. 

More details about the application process
Check out our video tutorial on application

This depends on the program you are applying for. You can find an overview of all programs that currently require uni-assist before application via Primuss here.

For uni-assist application, you do not have to send your documents via post. It is sufficient to submit soft copies online.

There are different deadlines for our programs. You can find an overview here. Any exceptions, extension etc. you can see directly in Primuss application portal.

Please note that applications submitted after the deadline can no longer be accepted, even if you are already registered in Primuss portal.

There are different requirements for our bachelor‘s and master’s programs.

Basic requirements for bachelor's programs
Basic requirements for master's programs

For specifics, please have a look at the homepage of the program you wish to apply for. You can find a list of all of our programs here.

Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to pre-check any documents via email before application. In addition, we cannot transfer any foreign grades and credits into ECTS system before you officially apply.

If you are unsure if your previous degree/school education is sufficient to study in Germany, please check this here in the DAAD database  by entering your data. You can also see the Anabin database by the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) (in German only). If you want to have your grades transferred into ECTS, you can have your documents checked by uni-assist before application via Primuss (obligatory for all bachelor’s and some master’s programs).

The decision whether your degree/documents are accepted for admission is solely made by the examination board after reviewing your application that you submitted via Primuss portal. If you fulfill the requirements mentioned on the website of your desired study program, we encourage you to send your application via Primuss portal during the application period. There is no application fee.

No. You can only be admitted if you fulfill all requirements for the program.

All documents accepted to fulfill the requirements are mentioned on the website of the study program as well as inthe study and examination regulations. Relevant work-experience cannot compensate for other missing requirements such as German skills, for instance.

Yes. You can apply for several programs within the application period via Primuss portal.

Yes. You can apply with a VPD (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) that uni-assist issued you earlier, even if it was issued for admission at another university.

You can also apply with a VPD that was issued for a previous semester.

Please note that the decision on accepting documents is solely made by the examination board in each individual case.

No. The application process is entirely online. Please do not send any application documents via post, as they will not be considered.

Also, you do not have to have your documents be approved by your local embassy for application. During the application process, please upload originals or certified copies of your documents (including translations if necessary).  In case there are any doubts about the validity of certain documents, we might ask you to send the officially approved version of the documents during the application process.

The examination board of the study program decides on extending deadlines and accepting documents later. Usually this is not possible and all documents must be submitted by the application deadline. In the unlikely case that the examination board decided to extend the application or submission deadline, you can find an updated deadline mentioned in Primuss application portal

If you are applying with documents issued in China, India or Vietnam, you must upload an APS certificate with your application. Even if  you are currently in Germany with a valid visa or residence permit this applies as well.

If an APS is required, you will not receive an admission before you have submitted the certificate.

Additionally, it is required for your visa application. Without the APS certificate, you will not receive a visa for studying in Germany.

In case you have not received the APS certificate by the application deadline, you will have the option to submit the certificate shortly after the deadline. You will see a new deadline in Primuss application portal after the application deadline passes.
However, this is only possible if you submitted your application within the application period.

Please also note that you cannot be admitted without the APS certificate.

Hof University does not work together with any agencies in Germany or abroad for recruiting students.

There are no advantages for students applying through agencies in Primuss application portal. On the contrary, it is necessary that you inform yourself from the beginning of the application/admission process about all necessary steps. We do not communicate with agents on students’ behalf. Further, we do not send any documents/information via email that agents might have missed in the application portal. Therefore, we do not support applications via agencies and strongly recommend all students to apply on their own.

No. You can use the admission letter provided in Primuss for all purposes. If your embassy requires a hard copy for the visa process (this is usually not the case!), please get in touch with the admission office

Please get in touch with the admission office

Please get in touch with our admission office

Language skills

Most of our English-taught programs require basic German skills on level A1.

For studying and living in Hof basic German skills are a big help for communication in everyday life. You cannot expect people in the region to understand English when shopping, on public transportation or at authorities. It will be easier to connect with German students as well if you demonstrate an interest in the German language as part of the German culture.

Furthermore, for most English-taught programs, you will have to apply for an internship throughout your second semester in Germany already. The higher your German skills, the more options you will have and offers you will receive. In most companies, the language, which is spoken, is German. This is why we recommend to make an effort on learning German as this will help you to find an internship and to be part of the workforce.

For all programs that require German skills on any level, the certificate must be submitted within the deadline mentioned in Primuss application portal.

The specific requirements for certain programs, you can find on the respective website

Hof University does not offer any preparatory German courses for visa or admission purposes.

For all enrolled international students in regular bachelor's or master's degree programs, Hof University offers preparatory German courses during the orientation program shortly before the start of the semester. These courses are free of charge.

This does not apply to students of our Graduate School programs  - for these programs, German is part of their curriculum during the semester.

Yes, we do!

For all enrolled international students in regular bachelor's or master's degree programs, Hof University offers preparatory German coursesduring the orientation program shortly before the start of the semester (this does not apply to students of our Graduate School).

Further, we offer German and other language courses for all enrolled students at Hof University during the semester. All of our language courses are free of charge for enrolled students at Hof University.

Please note: We do not offer any preparatory German courses for visa or admission purposes.

For programs taught in English, you have to prove your English skills with an official test certificate at the time of your application.
Accepted are IELTS (academic) with a score of at least 6.5 and TOEFL with a score of at least 90 (TOEFL iBT test, TOEFL iBT Home Edition and TOEFL iBT Paper Edition.)

As of the application for Winter Semester 2023/24, "medium of instruction certificates" will no longer be accepted.

The examination board decides if your test certificate is accepted for admission only after you have submitted your application. 

No, this is not sufficient for admission. 

Financial aspects

You can find this information on the website of your study program.

Most regular Bachelor’s and Master’s programs do not have a tuition fee.

For all of our Graduate School programs, there is a tuition fee - see the fee structure .

For all programs, there is a mandatory administrative student service fee of around 130 EUR per semester. The amount is due each semester until a certain deadline before the start of the following semester. The exact fee that you have to pay for the first semester will be mentioned in your admission letter. This fee includes for instance your semester ticket, which you can use to travel by bus for free in Hof and between Hof and our other campus locations in Münchberg and Selb (only specific routes/trains). More information on this fee

No. Application via our Primuss application portal is free of charge.

Please note: For some programs, you have to apply via uni-assit e.V. first and upload the confirmation (VPD) you receive from uni-assist in Primuss application portal. Uni-assist raises a small handling fee for this. You can find the details here

At Hof University, we do not offer scholarships that will cover the entire living and tuition expenses for our study programs. After completing the first semester, overachieving students may apply for partial scholarships such as the “Deutschlandstipendium

In addition, international scholarships are offered through DAAD . Interested students can apply there directly.

After you have been admitted, you can download the document „Fee Structure“ from Primuss application portal together with your admission letter. This letter includes expected expenses for: administrative fee, tuition fee (if applicable), amount of living costs (rent, health insurance, food & personal expenditure). Further, you can find here an overview about the living expenses

Proof of expected financial expenses for student loan companies:
Please note that the University cannot confirm any other expenses you might encounter in preparation for or during your studies. As you are responsible yourself for personal expenses (such as study materials, laptops, internet access etc.) we cannot confirm costs of such additional expenditure. Moreover, in case you require a visa and therefore proof of financial ressources, you can ask your local embassy for confirmation of the amount to show any loan provider. As it is no University requirement, we cannot provide such confirmation.

There are different deadlines for paying the semester fee, depending on your study program. Your individual deadline for the first semester is mentioned in your admission letter. If there is no deadline given, please consult the admission office . 
For higher semesters, you can find the re-registration deadline in Primuss student portal and here .

After the University has received your tuition and/or administrative fee, you will find a payment confirmation document in Primuss portal.

Please note that international payments and this process might take 2-3 weeks. For this reason, please do not ask for updates within 3 weeks after you initiated your payment. 

Students from abroad are allowed to work a limited number of hours (120 days, alternatively 240 half days or student assistant) without a work permit. Exceptions apply to students from the EU and some other countries. More information is available here .

Though part-time work is legally possible, we recommend our international students to be financially covered for at least the first semester without taking part-time jobs. Most of our international students are enrolled in full-time study programs which requires the students’ full concentration for successful completion. After the exams in the first semester went well, you can then look for a part-time job in the semester break (for instance in retail).

Health insurance

Yes. For enrolment, you are legally required to have a valid health insurance.

What type of health insurance you need depends on different factors, such as student status, age and country of origin. Please see our guide here to find out which insurance you need. Not accepted for enrollment are any travel insurances, though they might be required for your visa process.

All students must contact a statutory German health insurance provider in time before the semester start, even if you cannot arrive in Germany for the semester start. For details, please log in to the online guide for international students (as explained in your admission letter).

The University is not allowed to recommend health insurance companies. Please do your research on the options available to you and choose a provider who offers appropriate service for your individual situation. Check out the information in the online guide for international students (as explained in your admission letter).

You must have a valid health insurance for enrollment.

Please do not submit a certificate to the University directly. Instead, a statutory German health insurance provider must inform Hof University about your insurance status.

As enrollment for international students will be conducted online before the start of the orientation period, it is essential that you apply for a valid health insurance in time before your arrival in Germany.
If the semester starts and Hof University has not received information about your health insurance status by a German statutory health insurance provider, you will not receive your student access data and cannot log in to the University online portals.

More information you can find in the online guide for international students (follow the link in your admission letter).

A valid health insurance is required for enrollment and receiving your student credentials when studying from abroad. Therefore, all students have to contact a German statutory health insurance provider in time before enrollment, i.e. before departure to Germany.

However, your insurance company can exempt you from paying the fee for the time you cannot use your German health insurance because you are still in your home country. Current regulations allow students living abroad to study online without paying for a German health insurance.

More information you can find in our moodle guide for international students (link and information in your admission letter).

Visa, entry & residence

To apply for your student visa, please get in touch with your local German embassy. You must apply at the German embassy in the country you are currently residing.

Find your nearest embassy here
Preparing your stay

Please check the website of your local embassy regularly for updates. There, you will be informed if you can apply at another embassy/in another country. As soon as a visa application is possible, you are obliged to apply for a student visa for entering Germany - even if you start(ed) your studies online.

After you have received your visa, you are required to come to Hof (or location of our other campuses) for your studies. Please make sure that you have confirmed your place of stay. We do not recommend to stay in a hotel/hostel for a longer period of time as you cannot complete necessary steps after arrival (bank account, registration etc.) without a permanent address.

In case of any questions related to online-studying options, please contact the head of your study program (regular programs only. Graduate School students, please check the latest FAQs ). 

No.

We are aware that visa appointments are limited in some countries and there might be a waiting time of several months. However, the University cannot speed up the visa process. We do not have any influence on the waiting times or outcome of visa applications. The decision is made on a high political level, which we cannot influence in any direction.

Physical Presence Letters are no longer required for visa application or entry to Germany. They will not speed up the visa process. Therefore, such letters will not be issued.

Such a letter is not required as your admission letter confirms the latest starting date (in case there is such a date determined - otherwise you can arrive anytime during the semester). 

Students facing entry/visa restrictions can contact the head of their study program to discuss options on starting their studies online. Students of our Graduate School, please check the latest FAQs .

During your visa application process, you might be asked to give a reference person and/or contact details of the university. Please mention the person who issued your admission letter as a reference (admission office ). In the admission letter, you can also find their contact details, including the address of the university and phone number.

This depends on your individual situation. EU-citizen usually can bring their spouses/children without a visa. Non-EU citizen can also bring their spouse/under-age children when certain conditions are met, among others:

  • Valid residence in Germany
  • Separate visa applications/appointments for all accompanying family members
  • Proof of sufficient financial resources for all accompanying family members
  • Basic German skills (exceptions for some countries) of spouse
  • Valid health insurance for all accompanying family members
  • Proof of housing

It is best to inform yourself at your local German embassy about the requirements for your individual situation. Moreover, you can have a look at the information provided here and here .

Yes, non-EU nationals are allowed to stay in Germany for a specific time after completing their studies successfully, even when no longer enrolled. For the period between graduating and finding a job, it is possible to extend your residence permit for 18 months. Once you have been accepted for a job, you will have to apply for a work visa. More information is available here .

Enrollment

The official enrolment will be conducted online before the semester start (before October 1 or March 15).
Enrollment is only possible if ...

  • ... the complete fee mentioned in your admission letter has been paid
  • ... all required documents have been submitted via Primuss
  • ... you have taken out a valid health insurance, contacted a public German health insurance provider about your enrollment and the provider informed Hof University about your insurance status.

Once you have been enrolled, you will receive an automated email about this.

Enrollment & campus card

Your enrolment certificate will be available to download at the end of September (WS) or mid-March (SS) from Primuss student portal. This is only possible if you are enrolled and after you have received your student credentials.

After arrival

After your arrival, you must complete some administrative steps for living in Germany, such as city registration or opening a bank account/activating your blocked account. Also, you must arrange formalities for your studies, e.g. updating your address in Primuss portal or, at the semester start, organize your courses. All enrolled students can find information about the process after arrival in our moodle portal here .

Please see here: Campus Card

Please note: If we have not received information about your health insurance status because you failed to contact a German statutory health insurance provider, you will not be enrolled and your campus card cannot be created.