Folkwang

Target groups

Service

Applying for a study place

The Folkwang University of the Arts offers you a wide range of subjects in the areas of Music, Theatre, Dance, Design and Academic Studies to choose from. An overview of all undergraduate and post-graduate study courses is available on the website of the study courses on offer.

Requirements

The basic entrance requirement for our artistic study courses consists of a university entrance qualification (or a first higher education degree) as well as evidence of artistic or study course-specific aptitude. As part of the application process, you must provide evidence of this by passing an aptitude test at our university. Details on the further entrance and language requirements for the individual study courses are available on the respective study course website under "Basic info & Application"

We charge an application fee for your application for all study courses – with the exception of the study courses offered by Faculty 4 (Design).

We have compiled for you an overview of application deadlines. Your application must be received in full by the university before the deadline. Otherwise it cannot be considered.

Processing of your application

The application process for a study place in an undergraduate or post-graduate study programme at the Folkwang University of the Arts consists of several steps:

1. Application via the Folkwang application portal

All applications must be submitted via our online application portal. Applications for the summer semester can be submitted from October 1st until November 15th. Applications for the  winter semester can be submitted from January 15th  to March 15th (or – for some courses – May 31st).

2. Timely & Complete submission

Your application, including all required documents, must be submitted within the application deadline. A list of the documents required for each course is available on the website of the respective study course under "basic info & application".

 

For study courses with multi-stage aptitude tests, the first stage usually takes the form of a "digital preliminary round". In this case, a link to the relevant content (e.g. an application video) must be given in the application portal within the application deadline. Information on the content of the aptitude test can be found on the "basic info & application" page of the respective study program website.

 

If you have to submit a portfolio in paper form for a study course in Faculty 4 (Design), you may hand this in personally (during the period specified for that course) or send it in by post. If your portfolio is sent by post, it must be received by the university within the deadline; the date of the postmark is not relevant.

 

3. Confirmation of receipt

Following the submission of the online application, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt by e-mail. You can still view your application, as well as the current status, in the online portal. If applicable, you will be notified of any missing documents. Missing documents can only be submitted within the application deadline!

4. Aptitude test

Depending on the study course, the aptitude test may include several stages (usually with a "digital preliminary round"). For more information on this, check the "basic info & application" page of your chosen study course.

 

In the case of aptitude tests with a "digital preliminary round", you will be notified of the results of this round approximately 4-5 weeks after the application deadline. If you have passed the preliminary round, you will be invited to the second stage of the aptitude test, which - for most study courses – must be attended in person on campus. For single-stage aptitude tests that are held on-site, you will receive an invitation a few weeks after the application deadline. 

 

Single-stage aptitude tests that do not require your presence on campus (only for certain degree courses in Department 4 "Design") are evaluated on the basis of the work submitted through the application portal.    

 

If you have been invited to take part in the aptitude test on campus, you will find more information on the time and place in the application portal. The aptitude test may consist of several parts, some of which may take place on separate days.

5. Admission procedure

Following participation in the aptitude test, the Central Examinations Committee will decide on the awarding of study places based on the evaluations made by the subject-related aptitude test committees. This process can take a few weeks. Please refrain from making any enquiries in the meantime.

6. Notification of result

You will receive a written notification of the result of your aptitude test – i.e. either the offer of a place in your chosen study course, a waiting list notification or a rejection of your application. Please refrain from making any enquiries in the meantime.

7. Accepting the study place

If you are offered a study place, you will be requested to accept (or refuse) the study place in writing and – in the former case – submit further documents required to prepare your enrolment within a specific period.



8. Enrolment

The final step is enrolment as a student at Folkwang. For general information on the documents that you will need to submit at enrolment, check our website. Enrolment takes place at the end of September (for the winter semester, which begins in October) and the end of March (for the summer semester, which begins in April). Please refer to your letter of admission for the exact period and information on the procedure.

Important: please note

Please refrain from making enquiries in the meantime concerning the receipt and processing status of your application.
 

_International applicants

International applicants undergo the same application procedure as applicants made by German nationals. The application shall directly ensue to the Folkwang University of the Arts. Please note that with regard to visa matters, we are only able to certify the current status of your application.

Further information is available on our website for international applicants.

_Cooperation study courses

If you apply for the cooperation study courses Teacher Training or a B.A. in Musicology with an academic subject, then you must apply both to us and the cooperating university. Please send applications for the M.A. in Professional Media Creation only to the SAE Institute Bochum. For the Art and Design Studies cooperation study course, it is sufficient to send your application to one of the participating universities.

_Returning of portfolios

Portfolios submitted for study courses in Faculty 4 (Design) are not automatically returned. They may be picked up in person at the end of the application process or returned by post if you include an appropriate package stamp. To collect your portfolio or to ask for it to be returned, please contact the Department of Student Affairs (faculty 4). 

_Junior students, guest & visiting students

Different application and enrolment procedures apply to the taking up of a study place as a junior student and to the application for a guest student programme. Further information on this is available on the 'Admittance as a junior student' and 'Guest student programme' pages.

Depending on the type of visiting student programme, there is a supplemented or differing application or enrolment procedure. Further information on this is available from the Central Student Advisory Service.

Change of university, higher study semester & recognition

Students changing university and re-entrants undergo the same application procedure as applicants for the first study semester. An application for the recognition of examination performances achieved elsewhere – as well as an application for the upgrading of a study semester – can only be made after obtaining a study place and after enrolment.
Please note that the entitlement to major subject instruction provided for in the course study plan in the major and subsidiary artistic subject is accordingly reduced if you have already studied in a study course with the same major and subsidiary artistic subject or instrument(s). Further information is available on the Recognition of examination performances page.