Application and admission
In order to be able to study at the Hochschule Bremen, you must prove that you are qualified and formally entitled to do so on the basis of your previous school education or professional qualification, i.e. that you have the required higher education entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, HZB). You can prove your higher education entrance qualification in various ways.
The Abitur (general higher education entrance qualification) and the Fachhochschulreife (vocational baccalaureate diploma) are the most common qualifications for studying at the HSB. They are obtained after graduation from a German secondary school. Both these qualifications and also the rarer Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (subject-linked higher education entrance qualification) entitle you to study at HSB for all subjects.
Some school-leaving certificates only provide proof of the academic part of the Fachhochschulreife. However, only proof of practical experience leads to a fully valid Fachhochschulreife.
If you have completed vocational training, please submit proof of this together with your school report when enrolling at HSB. If you have completed a work placement of at least one year without interruption as the practical part of the Fachhochschulreife, the responsible district government or your school will determine whether that is sufficient and then issue a so-called Certificate of Equivalence.
In Bremen, the Praktikantenamt Bremen am Schulzentrum Utbremen decides on whether the placement you undertake entitles you to a certificate of equivalence.
Under certain circumstances, you can also study at the Hochschule Bremen without having an Abitur or Fachabitur, provided you have completed a vocational training or have gathered corresponding occupational experience.
You are also considered to have earned a higher education entrance qualification if you:
(as regulated in § 33, paragraph 3a of the Bremen Higher Education Act)
Any of the above mean that you have a direct higher education entrance qualification equivalent to the Fachhochschulreife and that you can apply directly to the Hochschule Bremen for admission.
The placement examination as a substitute higher education entrance qualification for persons qualified to pursue a professional occupation is regulated in § 33, paragraph 5 in conjunction with § 57 of the Bremen Higher Education Act:
Applicants may be admitted to the placement examination if, at the time of application, they
Periods during which you independently managed a family household with at least one person in education or care, as well as periods during which you were in service (for example, community service, military service, voluntary social year, development aid work, etc.) are also counted towards the duration of employment. The same applies to periods of unemployment of up to one year certified by the job centre (Arbeitsamt), provided that you participated to a reasonable extent in measures of further and continuing education during the period of unemployment.
The period of vocational training may be replaced by activities comparable to a skilled occupation which have been pursued for a total of at least five years. Activities comparable in terms of time and performed functions which do not necessarily require relevant vocational training (for example artistic or literary activity, social activities) or a comparable qualification which is specifically proven can also be recognised in this context.
Relevant further and continuing vocational training measures carried out in connection with the previous occupational activity shall be taken into account; they shall demonstrate that knowledge and skills have been acquired which, in relation to the chosen field of study, enhance the qualification required for enrolment in the desired degree programme.
Applications for the placement examination must be submitted by 15 February at the latest for the following winter semester. Please use the corresponding form and submit it together with the following documents:
Send the documents in paper form to the following address:
Hochschule Bremen
D3 Herr Feidicker / Frau Krebs
Neustadtswall 30
28199 Bremen
In your application, please explain in detail how, in your opinion, your professional activity and your further education and training have created the prerequisites for studying at the Hochschule Bremen.
Passing the placement exam does not automatically entitle you to a place on a degree programme subject to limited admission: you must first apply for a study place.
The allocation of study places is carried out according to the Study Place Allocation Ordinance (Studienplatzvergabeverordnung). An admission quota is reserved for applicants solely with professional qualifications (at least one study place per degree programme).
If you have appropriate professional experience, you can also be admitted to so-called trial studies (Probestudium) with temporary registration (Kleine Matrikel), even if you do not have a formal higher education entrance qualification. The prerequisite for applying for temporary registration for trial studies is that you have completed formal vocational training and at least five years of professional activity or corresponding substitute periods.
Trial studies as HSB for vocationally qualified persons is regulated in § 35, paragraph 2 of the Bremen Higher Education Act in conjunction with § 12 of the Admission Regulations.
What does “trial studies” mean?
Admission or enrolment in trial studies is for the first semester of the desired degree programme and is limited to a maximum of two semesters. As a student, you will take part in the modules taken by regular students in the first year of studying the programme.
In order to successfully complete trial studies, you must, among other things, complete at least five modules (corresponding to 30 credits) by the end of the first year (i.e. before the start of the third semester).
You can find more detailed information in the Regulations on Trial Studies.
Hochschule Bremen
D3 Herr Feidicker / Frau Krebs
Neustadtswall 30
28199 Bremen
In addition, you should apply in our online application portal CampInO by the end of the application deadline.
Trial studies do not automatically entitle you to a place on a degree programme, subject to limited admission.
The HSB allocates study places in accordance with the Study Place Allocation Ordinance (Studienplatzvergabeverordnung). A quota is reserved for applicants solely with professional qualifications (at least one study place per degree programme).
For some degree programmes you have to fulfil further admission requirements in addition to the higher education entrance qualification. These can be, for example:
You can find the admission requirements on the respective programme page. On the programme pages you will also find the details of the person to contact at the Registration and Examination Office should you require additional information.
For a consecutive Master's programme, you must have obtained a first academic degree, which is usually a Bachelor's degree.
There are also additional admission requirements specific to Master's degree programmes.
You can find these on the respective programme page.
