Photography (Bachelor of Arts)

_Evidence of qualification for entry (general university entrance certificate). Official database on the equivalence of international educational achievements: http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html)

_Evidence of artistic aptitude or outstanding artistic talent respectively by passing the aptitude test at the Folkwang University of the Arts.

_Applicants without a general university entrance certificate may also be admitted, provided that they exhibit outstanding artistic talent (see "Rahmeneignungsprüfungsordnung" Nr. 494, §9). In this case, you must have at least an intermediate school leaving certificate (equivalent to the German ‚Mittlerer Schulabschluss‘).

_If you did not obtain your university entrance qualification at a German school, language level C1 is to be proven at the time of enrolment.

_The required levels of language skills at Folkwang University of the Arts are in accordance to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR).

_No tuition fees are charged at Folkwang.

_Each semester all students have to pay a social contribution for the services of the Student Union, a student contribution for the work of the AStA (General Student Committee) and the Deutschlandsemesterticket. A breakdown of the amounts plus information on how to pay is available here.

_Please note: In the study course Photography you will likely be facing costs for production material.

Folkwang actively supports the call of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to train people with disabilities as artists and therefore particularly welcomes applications for the guest student programme, regular study courses and requests for inclusive cooperation projects. Prospective students should make use of the possibility of a counselling meeting with the  Representative for students with disability or chronic illness in advance.

Applications must be submitted via the Folkwang Application Portal by the end of the application period on 15 March (for the following winter semester). The portal is open for applications from 15 January to 15 March.

For the application you have to upload the following in the portal:

_Curriculum Vitae in tabular form (desired)

_Passport photograph (optional)

_School-leaving certificate from the last school attended

_If applicable, degree certificate, transcript of records and/or certificate of enrolment from the university(ies) attended to date

_If applicable, certificate of foreign university entrance examination such as APS certificate / American College Test (ACT) / College Scholastic Ability Test / University Entrance Examination Center Test or other international educational achievements that constitute a university entrance qualification for Germany such as completed periods of studies; country-specific information: http://anabin.kmk.org/anabin.html

_Portfolfolio with at least 25 photographic work samples from the last two years as PDF, ideally smaller than 25 MB but maximum 100 MB.
_if applicable, time-based works such as videos and films as file format MP4, ideally less than 25 MB but maximum 100 MB. Bigger files can be included in the PDF as a link to a corresponding video platform. For work samples exceeding a length of 2 minutes, the commission must be given a preferred excerpt of 2 minutes. (Example: Start at 00:30 | Stop at 02:30 min).
_The folder must show an intensive examination of the self-chosen topics. The works must reflect one's own artistic interests, one's imagination and ability to present as well as one's ability to perceive independently.

_A declaration that the submitted works have been created autonomously.

Your aptitude is determined in a two-stage process. A first selection is made on the basis of your portfolio. All applicants who are deemed apt, will be invited to take part in an interview in person on-site or digitally via video conference. As a preparation for the interview you will be given a homework to be solved photographically and a questionnaire. The homework assignment and the questionnaire must be submitted as PDF documents before the main interview. The deadline for this will be provided with the invitation.

The main procedure consists of an approximately 15-minute interview with the examination board. The topics of the interview are mainly the homework assignment and the questionnaire. The interviews serve to better assess the photographic work, the ability to reflect, rhetorical expression, and interest in the programme and subject area. The interviews also offer applicants the opportunity to get a first impression of the programme's teaching staff. The interviews also offer applicants the opportunity to gain a first impression of the programme's teaching staff.

Prospective students have the opportunity to register for a subject and portfolio consultation. They are given the opportunity to discuss their work with a lecturer before applying. It is advisable to have all available work ready without pre-selection. The subject consultation generally takes place from November to February.

Sonja Zenker
Department Studies and International Affairs
Examination office & Office of Student Affairs | FB 4
+49 (0) 201_6505-1410
sonja.zenker(at)folkwang-uni.de

From winter semester 2026/27

No. 521 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor's degree programmes in Photography, Intermedia Design and Product Design from 14.01.2026

From winter semester 2025/26

No. 502 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor's degree programmes in Photography, Communication Design and Product Design from 15.01.2025

Module catalogue for B.A. Photography for examination regulation No. 502

From winter semester 2024/25
Nr. 464 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor study courses Photography, Communication Design and Product Design from 13.12.2023

Module catalogue for B.A. Photography for examination regulation No. 464

From winter semester 2022/23

Nr. 423 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor study courses Photography, Communication Design and Product Design from 27.07.2022 - current

Module catalogue for the study course Photography, B.A. to examination regulations No. 423 of 27.07.2022

From winter semester 2019/20

Nr. 353 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor study courses Photography, Industrial Design and Communication Design of 26.06.2019 - expiring

Module catalogue for examination regulation No. 353

From winter semester 2018/19

Nr. 341 | Examination regulations for the Bachelor study courses Photography, Industrial Design and Communication Design of 12.09.2018 - expiring

Module catalogue for examination regulation No. 341