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Special admissions for people who are working

In accordance with § 38 of the Hamburg Higher Education Act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG), working people without Abitur (German secondary school leaving certificate) may apply for admission to Universität Hamburg by taking an aptitude test:

  • If you do not have a higher education entry qualification, you can register for a University entrance examination - provided that your work experience and general qualifications indicate that you are sufficiently qualified.
  • An aptitude test allows you to apply for a specific University degree program.
  • Admission to the test does not require any connection between your prior line of work and the desired University degree program.

Important information

For detailed information, please see the brochure "Informationen zum Besonderen Hochschulzugang für Berufstätige" (PDF, in German only).

Admission requirements

  • completed vocational training
  • three years work experience after completion of vocational training

Application deadline

The higher education entrance examination is offered once a year. The application period is from 1 February to 1 March.

You can apply using an online application form for the university entrance exam. A link to the form can be found via the Geman version of this page within the application period only.

Required documents

Please upload the following documents for admission to the higher education entrance eligibility test in the approriate fields of the form as PDF:

  • completed and signed entrance exam application form
  • certified proof of completed professional training
  • certified copies of references or similar documents attesting to your employment history
  • CV
  • proof of particpation in academic subject advising
  • examination fee transfer receipt
  • letter of motivation (Please note: this is counted as part of the examination!)

We do not provide specific bibliographies for exam preparation; however, we strongly recommend that applicants keep up with current events.

Exception Socioeconomics [Sozialökonomie]

Please note that the department of Socioeconomics has its own application process as well as different application periods for people who are working. You can find detailed information about the process at https://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/fachbereich-sozoek/studium/ohne-abitur.html [only available in German].