Applying to the HAW Hamburg
Application deadlines
The academic year at the HAW Hamburg is split into two semesters and for most of the degree programmes offered you can apply to start in the winter or the summer semester:
Winter semester: (Sept. - Feb.) Application period: 1. June - 15. July
Summer semester: (March - July) Application period: 1. Dec. - 15. January
Exception: Information Engineering: 1. April - 15. July (application to winter semester only)
The list of Bachelor degree programmes tells you if your chosen programme starts in both semesters or only in one.
NOTE: 15. July and 15. January are application deadlines; applications received after these dates will not be processed. The postal stamp does not apply.
Online application
The onlines forms will be made available during the application periods only.
Connect here to the online application process.
Students from European Union countries: After completing the online application, print out the pages and send the requested pages to the Admissions Office together with a copy of your secondary school certificate.
Students from non-EU countries must send the following documents to the Admissions Office:
- HAW Hamburg application form (print online application)
- officially authenticated copies of your secondary school/university certificates together with authenticated translations (if the certificates are not in German, English or French)
- UNI-Assist certificate*
- APS certificate for student applicants from China, Mongolia and Vietnam
- resumé
- statement of motivation regarding your choice of degree programme
- certified copy of your language certificates (for German or English, depending on the language of instruction of the chosen degree programme)
- copies of reference letters for internships
- Transcripts of records of previous study periods at German universities
* UNI-Assist will check your school certificates and send you a certificate proving you can study at our university. This process will take 4-6 weeks, so please ensure you send your certificates in good time. Students from China, Mongolia ad Vietnam must apply to UNI Assist in addition to APS.
Design applications
Applicants for the design degree programmes must also take a Test of Artistic Ability [künstlerische Eignungsprüfung]. The test is divided into two parts:
Part 1: you must enter a portfolio of your work
Application period: 1. - 15. October
Address: Department of Design, HAW Hamburg, Finkenau 35, 22081 Hamburg
Part 2: three artistic tests that are completed in the Department of Design at the beginning of November.
Test participants who are awarded a grade of 2.0 or better can apply for a place in a design programme starting in the summer semester.
For further information about the tests, to download the application forms, to get advice about putting together a portfolio, please contact the Department of Design directly.
Department Website (application forms & information in German)
Contact: Laura Jacobi
APS - Asia
Student applicants from China, Mongolia and Vietnam must get their high school certificates and other academic qualifications certified by the Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) in Beijing, Shanghai, Hanoi or Ul Bator. Addresses for the APS offices (see below).
Getting a place
Students from EU countries are treated as national students, so your secondary school final grades will be transfered to the German grading system. Places are awarded according to a grade point average system that is calculated based on the total number of applications and the grade point average (GPA) of these applications. The GPA can vary from one application period to another.
Student applicants from non-EU countries will have their applications processed by a committee of professors and members of the university administration. The committee looks at your high school grade and your German grade. But they also look at your resumé to see what you have done in your life so far, what interests you have, what study-relevant internships or work experience you have completed, etc. They also look at your statement of motivation to see what your reasons for studying a specific degree programme are.
Points are awarded for each point on the list of things you have to send with your application form. So, please take care with these papers and make sure they show you to your best advantage. If you have reference letters for internships relevant to your study choice, then please don't forget to enclose these.
And if you have studied at another German university and have passed exams, then don't forget to enclose your transcript with your application. We will otherwise have to assume that you have not passed any exams, which will not help your application.
Good luck with your application!
APS Beijing
Landmark Tower 2 / Büro 0311
Chaoyang District / 8 Dongsanhuan Beilu
100004 Beijing
T +86.10.65-907 138
F +86.10.65 90 71 40
kuaps(@)163bj.com
APS Hanoi
29 Tran Phu / Q. Ba Dinh
Hanoi
T +84.4.84 53836/7
F +84.4.84 39969
ku-101(@)auswaertiges-amt.de
APS Mongolia
P.O. Box 708
Ulan Bator 15160
T (Fridays): 0976-99225839
aps.ulanbator(@)gmail.com
Link to German pages
We have more detailed information about the application process in German. The pages also have a Navigator that helps you decide what degree programmes are right for you. Please follow the link.
