FAQ on the DoSV procedure

It is very important to ensure that you have Internet access during your vacation so that you can monitor the status of your applications and act accordingly. You can review your applications online from any location and make changes (e.g., to your priorities). You can also accept an offer online via hochschulstart.de.

Important note: We advise against authorizing another person to act on your behalf—see here.

Important note: When you accept an offer or are admitted due to a coordinated succession rule, you will receive an acceptance letter in your STiNE account just a short time later. When the acceptance letter is issued electronically, you have 7 days to enroll—be sure to remember this if you actively accept an offer! However, you may be admitted automatically because of a coordinated succession rule (see Step 3). In this case, although you do not have to actively accept the admission offer, the enrollment period still begins from when the acceptance letter is issued. Bear this in mind when planning your vacations and remember to check your accounts regularly. However, you maybe be admitted automatically because of a coordinated succession rule (see Step 3). In this case, although you do not have to actively accept the admission offer, the enrollment period still begins from when the acceptance letter is issued. Bear this in mind when planning your vacations and remember to check your accounts regularly.

Important note: You must complete, sign, and mail back the enrollment application—this was sent to you as an attachment to the acceptance letter—together with the requested proof (where required, with official certification) within the 7-day enrollment period. The date on which Universität Hamburg receives your application is decisive and not the postmark! See documents you must submit within the 7-day enrollment period.

We advise against this as you have various options during each phase that you really need to decide for yourself to ensure that no errors occur or offers are lost (e.g., due to incorrect prioritizing). Furthermore, the person you would appoint would need access to 2 portals and potentially to your email account.

If you have Internet access where you are, you can coordinate the individual phases from abroad and set priorities for yourself.

Important note: When you accept an offer, you will receive an acceptance letter in your STiNE account just a short time later. Once you receive the acceptance letter electronically, you have 7 days to enroll—be sure to remember this if you plan to accept an offer! Es kann aber durch die Koordinierungsregeln (siehe Schritt 3) eine automatische Zulassung erfolgen. In dem Fall müssen Sie das Zulassungsangebot zwar nicht aktiv annehmen, aber die Immatrikulationsfrist beginnt trotzdem ab der Zustellung des Zulasungsbescheides. Bedenken Sie dies in Ihrer möglichen Urlaubsplanung und schauen Sie unbedingt regelmäßig in Ihre Accounts.

Multiple registrations are not permitted on hochschulstart.de. If you register more than once, only the applications you submit via the most recent account will be considered in the application procedure.

Your older account will be deleted—you will be informed of this via email. Deleted accounts cannot be reactivated. All applications already submitted via this account will be lost. Applications submitted via a hochschulstart.de account that has been deleted therefore cannot be considered during the awarding of university places.

If you forget your username or password, do not create a new account! Instead, request your username / reset your password or contact hochschulstart.de.

Be aware that different deadlines may apply at other universities that award places via hochschulstart.de (deadlines for Universität Hamburg.) You can create an online application account on Universität Hamburg’s portal in advance, but can only apply during Universität Hamburg’s application period.

Prioritizing allows you to order your preferred degree programs on hochschulstart.de.

Example: If you apply to study psychology (Bachelor of Science) at several universities, you can prioritize your applications during the application phase. If you have applied to study psychology at universities in Hamburg, Greifswald, and Berlin, you can now order these by preference—that is, determine whether Universität Hamburg is your priority 1, 2, or 3.

We recommend you set your priorities as soon as possible. If you have not prioritized your applications, they will be ordered according to the submission date. This means that the application you submit first will have the highest priority.

Note: Prioritizing does not affect the likelihood that you will be offered a university place. Universität Hamburg does not receive any information on your personal priorities.

Your rankings are fixed; a cut-off ranking is also determined based on the number of places that Universität Hamburg can award. This indicates the ranking up to which an offer can currently be made. While your rankings remain unchanged, the cut-off ranking is likely to change several times during the coordination phase. Because the cut-off ranking is continuously adjusted during this phase, your chances of admission cannot be reliably predicted from the ranking list—it only provides a rough estimate.

Example: An applicant with a better ranking than you has also applied to another university for which they have received and accepted an offer of admission. The cut-off ranking will then move one place down the ranking list.

Alternatively, you can check the admission restrictions for your chosen program from last semester (NC values)—listed here—to determine the likelihood that you will be offered a place. Be aware that the admission restrictions change every semester. Even if your grades were sufficient last semester, this does not mean that they will be in the current semester. Last semester’s admission restrictions merely serve as a guideline to determine the likelihood that you will be offered a place.

You are able to apply for a maximum of 3 degree programs at Universität Hamburg at the same time via the DoSV procedure. However, you cannot simultaneously apply for different degree programs at Universität Hamburg using different procedures: you must either submit via the DoSV procedure or not.

Universität Hamburg will publish the ranking lists and begin issuing offers during the first week of February (admission to the summer semester) and the first week of August (admission to the winter semester). From this point onwards, you can view the ranking lists in your account on hochschulstart.de.

Simply click on Meine Bewerbungen > Übersicht der Bewerbungen (My Applications > Application Overview). The maximum number of places available and your rankings can be viewed under Ranglistendetails (Ranking List Details).

Prioritizing allows you to order your preferred degree programs on hochschulstart.de.

Example: If you apply to study psychology (Bachelor of Science) at several universities, you can prioritize your applications during the application phase. If you have applied to study psychology at universities in Hamburg, Greifswald, and Berlin, you can now order these by preference—that is, determine whether Universität Hamburg is your priority 1, 2, or 3.

We recommend you set your priorities as soon as possible. If you have not prioritized your applications, they will be ordered according to the submission date. This means that the application you submit first will have the highest priority.

Note: Prioritizing does not affect the likelihood that you will be offered a university place. Universität Hamburg does not receive any information on your personal priorities.

Your rankings are fixed; a cut-off ranking is also determined based on the number of places that Universität Hamburg can award. This indicates the ranking up to which an offer can currently be made. While your rankings remain unchanged, the cut-off ranking is likely to change several times during the coordination phase. Because the cut-off ranking changes continuously during this phase, your chances of admission cannot be reliably predicted from the ranking list; which only provides a rough estimate.

Example: An applicant with a better ranking than you has also applied to another university for which they have received and accepted an offer of admission. The cut-off ranking will then move 1 place down the ranking list.

Alternatively, you can check the admission restrictions for your chosen program from last semester (NC values)—listed here—to determine the likelihood that you will be offered a place. Be aware that the admission restrictions change every semester. Even if your grades were sufficient last semester, this does not mean that they will be in the current semester. Last semester’s admission restrictions merely serve as a guideline to determine the likelihood that you will be offered a place.

If you only apply for 1 degree program at 1 university via the DoSV procedure, this application is automatically designated Priority 1. If you are ranked high enough, you will automatically be admitted because of coordinated succession rule 1 (see Step 3) and receive an acceptance letter. The 7-day enrollment period begins for you when the acceptance letter is issued.

Therefore, be sure to check your account on hochschulstart.de regularly.

Universität Hamburg issues all acceptance letters electronically and sends these to your STiNE account. A notification will also be sent to the email address on file in your applicant account. Acceptance letters are not issued by post.

See here for details of when acceptance letters are issued.

Note: Be aware that the enrollment deadline is 7 days after you receive the acceptance letter.

The ranking value is the position of your application in the ranking list.

hochschulstart.de issues the rejection letters towards the end of the coordination phase. They will be sent to your user account on hochschulstart.de—you will be notified of this via email.

Given that the rejection letters are issued by hochschulstart.de, Universität Hamburg can neither provide information any sooner nor any details.

Read about applying for deferred admission. 

Your notification of deferral will be sent to your account on hochschulstart.de. This information will also be sent to the email address on file in your account. Notifications are only sent by post if you selected this option when you set up your user account.

Keep your notification in a safe place as you will need it when you apply for deferred admission.

More information about applying for deferred admission

This status means that no offers could be made by the end of coordination phase or an application has a higher priority than the offer issued.

This status means your application has been excluded from the admission procedure for one of the following reasons:

• You have actively accepted another offer.
• You have been admitted for another application (see Step 3: Coordinated succession rules).
• The admission offer for this application has been withdrawn as an admission offer has been issued for an application with a higher priority (see Step 3: Coordinated succession rules).
• You have applied for deferred admission for another application.

You have been excluded from the admission procedure for formal reasons.

Universität Hamburg has informed hochschulstart.de electronically that it has received your application for Universität Hamburg via the STiNE application portal—see Step 2.

Universität Hamburg has informed hochschulstart.de electronically that all mandatory sections of your application have been completed correctly and your application can be considered in the admission procedure on hochschulstart.de.

Universität Hamburg only awards this status AFTER the application phase (Step 2) has ended.

A member of staff at Universität Hamburg has determined that at least one mandatory section of your application submitted via STiNE has been completed incorrectly—see Step 2.

This status confirms that you have actively accepted an admission offer or automatically been admitted.

Your current ranking means that you cannot yet be made an offer—that is, you are ranked below the cut-off ranking.

This status indicates that you have been made an offer. It does not mean that you will be admitted immediately.

Your application for deferred admission submitted via hochschulstart.de has been accepted. The condition for deferral is an offer or admission.

More information on deferred admission

You have decided to no longer participate in the admission procedure. You can withdraw your application via your account on hochschulstart.de or STiNE. You will be excluded from the application procedure and can only participate if you “reactivate” your application. This function CANNOT be used to edit an application that you have already sent. Only applications for which you have not yet received an offer can be withdrawn. If you delete your account on hochschulstart.de, the system will automatically set the status of all pending applications to “Zurückgezogen” (Withdrawn) if you have received an offer.