Admission procedure: hochschulstart.de

Who applies through hochschulstart.de?

German prospective students and those with equivalent status apply through hochschulstart.de (foundation for university admissions) if they are applying to the first semester of Universität Hamburg's programs in medicine, dentistry or pharmacy. Applicants deemed “equivalent” to German applicants are:

• applicants with a German higher education entry qualification (“Bildungsinländer/innen”)
• citizens of member countries in the European Union or Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway
• applicants who are not citizens of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, or Liechtenstein but whose family members are and who are employed in Germany

International prospective students not deemed equivalent to German applicants apply directly to Universität Hamburg. You can find detailed information here.

Applicants with dual citizenship may not choose an application procedure. They must apply through hochschulstart.de.

If you want to apply for advanced semesters, or a Hauptstudium, you must apply directly to Universität Hamburg.

Selection procedure

The selection for 30 percent of the study places is based on the grade point average of the high school leaving certificate rate. Another 10 percent of the places are allocated via an aptitude quota which is independent of school grades. For the remaining 60 percent of the study places, the universities can choose the students according to their own criteria. The selection process for medicine, dentistry and pharmacy  in the latter quota and in the aptitude quota at Universität Hamburg is described on the website of the Faculty of Medicine.

Lottery procedure after the hochschulstart.de selection procedure

The higher education institutions initiate a lottery procedure if hochschulstart.de notifies them that university places are still available. The lottery procedure can therefore only begin after the succession procedure has ended. This is generally in mid-October for winter semesters and in mid-April for summer semesters. As a rule, it is not possible to predict whether a lottery procedure will take place—it depends how many applicants turn down a place.

If you have higher education entrance eligibility, you can participate in the lottery procedure even if you did not apply through hochschulstart.de. To participate in the lottery procedure at Universität Hamburg, send a postcard stating: “I would like to be considered for the lottery procedure for the degree in XXX starting in the Winter Semester 20XX if a lottery is held after the hochschulstart.de procedure has ended.” Remember to include your address, telephone number, and email. Universität Hamburg must receive your postcard by 1 October (for the winter semester):

If Universität Hamburg holds a lottery procedure, you will only be informed if you are allocated a place at the University.