FAQ - Application Procedure
I have a national degree: How do I apply?
I have an international degree. How do I apply?
How do I hand in the documents?
How do I handle foreign language documents?
Do I have to mail my documents in hard copies?
Can I hand in my Bachelor's diploma later?
Do I need additional languages?
I have already completed a Master's degree and would like to study a second Master's degree.
I have a national degree: How do I apply?
1. online application via KLIPS 2.0
2. as a rule, the "consecutive master's program" must be marked with a cross. Only if you have already completed a Master's degree elsewhere, you have to select "second degree".
3. upload the documents requested there.
4. a postal dispatch is not necessary - the documents will be checked later in case of admission before or, if applicable, after enrollment.
For the individual application steps of the online application you can find help here.
Note during registration:
Currently enrolled students: Please log into KLIPS 2.0 with your existing student account and then create a new application.
If you have already applied online via KLIPS 2.0 at the University of Cologne but have not enrolled in a degree programme, you already have an applicant account. Please log in to KLIPS 2.0 with the access data you had at that time. If you do not remember your access data, please send a request with the subject ‘Reactivation’ via the contact form and wait for a response.
Former students: If you were enrolled at the University of Cologne at an earlier time, please send a request with the subject ‘Reactivation’ via the contact form and wait for a response.
Please note possible changes, which are continuously updated here!
I have an international degree. How do I apply?
Please follow these steps:
I. As a general rule, your foreign Bachelor's degree (both from the EU/EEA and from a non-EU country) must be recognized in Germany. This is usually the case if you earned your foreign Bachelor's degree at a state-recognized university abroad.
Information on whether your foreign Bachelor's degree is generally recognized in Germany or how your foreign university is evaluated in Germany can be found at anabin.
You can also use the university check of uni assist e.V.
II. please note the two steps of the application procedure:
1. for all Master's programs you need a pre-assessment documentation (VPD) for the application. To get the VPD, you apply at uni-assist e.V. This is the the working service point for international student applications. Uni-assist evaluates Master's applications of applicants who have obtained a foreign university degree for many German universities, also for the University of Cologne.
You have to apply for the VPD directly at uni-assist in addition to an online application at the UzK. The VPD for applications for Master's programmes indicates whether you meet the formal requirements for a Master's programme at the UzK. For the VPD it is not necessary to name the chosen Master's programme. After your documents have been checked at uni-assist and you have received the result (VPD), you create an online application in the UzK application portal Klips 2.0.
2. You apply online through KLIPS 2.0. This application is mandatory in addition to the VPD received from uni-assist.
First you register at KLIPS 2.0. Then you will be guided through the application procedure. For the individual steps of the online application you will find help here.
As a rule, the "consecutive Master's program" must be marked. Only if you have already completed a Master's degree elsewhere, you have to select "second degree".
Second, you upload the requested documents.
It is not necessary to send your documents by post - in case of admission, the documents will be checked before, during or, if applicable, after enrollment.
Please note possible changes of the websites during the whole application and enrollment process!
Which documents do I need?
The following documents are required for all Master's degree programmes. Without uploading these documents, the application cannot be sent (be careful to meet the deadline!):
* School leaving certificate (or equivalent university entrance qualification)
* Transcript of Records (presentation of the course of studies) in ECTS credits/credit points (CP). The transcript should be certified or contain a verification code for applicants with national and international certificates. If the previous study programme has not yet been completed at the time of application, at least 80% (usually 144 LP) of all achievements must have been proven (exceptions: see submission of documents).
⇒ internal students who are thus completing or have completed their Bachelor's degree at the University of Cologne must also upload the transcript, but it does not have to be certified.
⇒ students with an international degree: submission of the VPD issued by uni-assist. Also, the documents must be uploaded in original language and in certified translation. Proof of German language skills must be submitted for students who do not have German as their native language.
* Proof of the languages required for the language in which the programme is taught: English proficiency C 1 for the programmes which are taught in English (initially, B 2 may be sufficient to complete the application, but C 1 is mandatory for enrollment!) and for international applicants German proficiency at the DSH 2 level or at the language level that entitles them to participate in the German course.
Documents you also need to uploaded, but can upload later until the deadline of the application:
If you do not upload these documents at all, the chances of admission may be reduced:
If you have already finished your Bachelor’s degree: the Bachelor's certificate, if not, a preliminary overall grade must be shown on the transcript.
Besides the language in which the programme is taught (German or English), some further language certificates may be required. You will find these in the admission regulations. You will also have to upload these.
Antike Sprachen und Kulturen: most profiles of this study programme require knowledge of Latin or Greek
Chinastudien and Regionalstudien China: HSK 5 or equivalent
Komparatistik: one foreign language B 2 and one A 2
Regionalstudien Lateinamerika: Spanish or Portugese C 1
Romanistik: French, Italian, Spanish or Portugese C 1
For some Master programmes you have to give further information or upload an additional document:
For Archäologie please name the profile you want to choose
For Culture and Environment in Africa you need to upload a motivation letter, a CV and a recommendation letter.
For Linguistik/Linguistics please hand in the topic of your Bachelor thesis and – if you already have decided – the profile you want to choose (only for Linguistik)
For Theorien und Praktiken professionellen Schreibens you need to hand in an essay (3000-5000 signs, written in German, it may be a literary or journalistic text), which will be graded for the Numerus Clausus (please check here).
Furthermore, it is helpful if you named the topic of your Bachelor thesis.
How do I hand in the documents?
When applying online through KLIPS, you will be asked for the documents you need for the respective study programme. Please upload them. For external applicants, the transcript of records must be certified or contain a verification code.
For the application, you do not have to mail documents.
If you get an admission and enroll at the university, the uploaded documents will be checked for authenticity before or after the enrollment. For that, you have to hand in the certified documents.
Please note the future updates of the homepage.
Having obtained my Bachelor's degree at the University of Cologne, do I also have to upload all documents?
Yes, also having obtained your Bachelor's degree at the University of Cologne, you have to upload all required documents as part of your application, including the Abitur/school leaving certificate, even if you had already submitted it during your BA enrollment and registration. However, unlike the other applicant groups, the trancript does not have to be certified, you can download it from your own KLIPS account. The verification is done by the Master's Admissions Office. Incomplete applications are excluded from the procedure.
Most of the language requirements of most Master's degree programmes are part of the Bachelor's degree, so that then you do not have to upload the transcript as evidence for the language twice. Only the language proof English C 1 for study programme North American Studies requires an explicit proof, the study is not sufficient as a proof.
The programming language for the programme Informationsverarbeitung, if shown on the transcript, has not to be uploaded again.
How do I handle foreign language documents?
If the requested documents are in English, you do not have to hand in a translation. Documents, which are neither in German or English, must be uploaded in the original language and in translation.
Do I have to mail my documents in hard copies?
For the application, you do not have to mail your documents in hard copies. But please keep in mind, that applications not made online via KLIPS 2.0 by the deadline with an upload of all required documents will not be accepted.
⇒ For external applicants with a national degree, the uploaded documents will be checked for authenticity after you have got an admission and want to enroll. This is done by mailing the certified copies to the Master Admissions Office.
⇒ If you are an internal applicant, you do not have to mail any documents, neither for the application nor for the enrollment. Only the Abitur/school leaving certificate - in case you were not enrolled permanetnly at the UzK - has to be submitted to the Registrar's Office in case of a re-enrollment, if applicable.
⇒ For international applicants, the International Office will check the documents after admission and during enrollment. You will be informed about this in due course.
Can I submit documents later?
You can only submit the application via KLIPS when you have uploaded all mandatory documents. These documents cannot be changed or submitted later through KLIPS. If you need to complete or change a document for an urgent reason, you can contact us by e-mail (masterzulassung-philfak@uni-koeln.de) till July, 31 (deadline of the application) and send us the corresponding document. It is not guarenteed, that we will accept this change or later submission. To inform yourself which documents are mandatory, see above under "What documents do I need?"
In the case of admission-free subjects, it is also possible, if you have not yet achieved 80% of your credit points, to send proof of the 144 LP directly to the Master's Admissions Office at a later date (no later than 25.8. if applying for the winter term and 10.3. if applying for the summer term). Such a late submission is only possible if the credit points were achieved before the application deadline but were not registered on your transcript. In such a case, please send us these renewed document by e-mail.
In exceptional cases, the language certificates required by the admission regulations can also be submitted at a later date e.g. when an examination is not scheduled earlier. Please clarify this with the Master Admissions Office. Language certificates corresponding to the language of study cannot be submitted later.
Can I hand in my Bachelor's diploma later?
If you do not have your Bachelor's certificate at the time of application, you can submitt it by July, 15 for the summer term and by January, 15 for the winter term. But please keep in mind, that all exams have to be completed before the start of the Master's semester (if applying for the winter term, by September, 30 at the latest; if applying for the summer semester, by March, 31 at the latest). The assessments can also take place at a later date, but must be within the above-mentioned deadline for submitting the Bachor diploma.
⇒ internal applicants (graduation at the UzK): Please note that the Bachelor Examination Office may not accept any application for the Bachelor thesis at short notice before the end of the respective term. Since you have to hand in the thesis by the end of the semester, please inform yourself at the website: Bachelorprüfungsamtes/der Anmeldung zur Bachelorarbeit!
Do I need additional languages?
The admission regulations mention the language requirements you must submit for application. These are mandatory for the application.
In addition, almost all degree programmes require further language requirements that do not have to be presented for the application, but you should acquire them in the first 1-2 semesters of your Master's programme. You have to submit proof of these when you register for your Master's thesis (usually in the fourth semester). For a list of these language requirements, please refer to the module handbooks of your degree programmes, ask the collegues of your institutes or see here Tabelle.
I have already completed a Master's degree and would like to study a second Master's degree
If you have already completed a Master's degree in another programme and would like to study a second Master's degree, please note the following:
- You have already completed your first Master's degree at the time of application and have a Master's certificate
- Your Bachelor's degree is relevant to the degree programme for which you wish to apply for a second Master's degree and you meet the relevant admission requirements including a possible minimum grade
- You enter "Zweitstudium” (second degree program) - not "konsekutives Masterstudium" (consecutive Master's degree programme) in the evaluation portal
- When applying, you submit the Bachelor's certificate - to check whether you meet the admission requirements - and the Master's certificate - to calculate the score in the ranking for admission-restricted degree programmes
- You also submit a letter of motivation explaining your desire to study a further Master's degree programme
- For open-admission degree programmes, you will receive a place if you meet the admission requirements.
- For degree programmes with admission restrictions, a ranking will be compiled based on the grade of your Master's degree and the score of your letter of motivation. If there are several applications for a second degree in the same admission-restricted degree programme, 3% of this applicant group will be admitted.
You can also find information, including information on the allocation of points, on the website of the Studierendensekretariat.