Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Bachelor and Staatsexamen: international applicants

Applicants without German nationality or a German university entrance qualification apply directly to FAU through the online portal campo (maximum three applications). Applicants who need a decision on their foreign school-leaving certificate are assessed by the admissions office in line with the recommendations of the Kultusministerkonferenz. Certificates that give direct access may be limited to certain subjects or require a minimum grade. FAU has no Studienkolleg of its own; the Studienkolleg of all Bavarian universities is in Munich and FAU allocates applicants to it. Admission to the Studienkolleg requires German at B2 level, and after passing the Feststellungsprüfung applicants must apply again for a degree place.

Documents include a tabular CV without photograph, all pages of the school-leaving certificate, and German language certificates. Foreign documents not issued in German, English or French need a certified translation, and copies must be officially certified. Where applicable, a Voruniversitätsjahr, a home-country university entrance examination, the Feststellungsprüfung certificate or earlier transcripts are added. Applicants with Indian, Chinese or Vietnamese qualifications must upload the APS certificate. Applications to subjects with a local admission restriction are signed and posted to the admissions office (Zulassungsstelle, Freyeslebenstraße 1, 91058 Erlangen) with the required documents.

Application periods (Bachelor and Staatsexamen)

• Admission-free programmes: 15 October to 15 January for the summer semester and 15 April to 15 July for the winter semester (Artificial Intelligence B.Sc.: until 31 May for international applicants).
• NC programmes, first subject semester: winter semester only, 4 May to 15 July. Higher subject semesters: 15 October to 15 January and 4 May to 15 July.
• Medicine, Medizin Erlangen-Bayreuth, Pharmacy and Dentistry: applicants from EU states apply 4 May to 15 July (winter) and 15 October to 15 January (summer, where offered), through the Stiftung für Hochschulzulassung; non-EU applicants apply directly to FAU on dates announced by the university.
• German course or Studienkolleg: 15 October to 15 January and 15 February to 15 July.

Almost all Bachelor programmes start in the winter semester only. International Business Studies, International Economic Studies, Lebensmittelchemie, Molekulare Medizin and Psychologie also require registration through the DoSV procedure of hochschulstart.de for EU applicants, Bildungsinländer and similar groups. Medicine, Medizin Erlangen/Bayreuth and Pharmacy are nationally restricted and allocated centrally. Applicants for Lebensmittelchemie, Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry must submit proof of DSH-2 or an equivalent examination.

Bachelor: German applicants and applicants with a German qualification

The allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur) entitles holders to study any subject. Other routes include a completed degree of at least six semesters, the Begabtenprüfung, or a Meisterprüfung with a counselling interview at a Bavarian university. Bildungsinländer, who obtained their entrance qualification in Germany or at a German school abroad, apply as German applicants do.

German language

German is the language of instruction for almost all programmes. Accepted certificates for matriculation include DSH (level 2 is sufficient for all programmes), TestDaF (level 4 in each of the four parts), Goethe-Zertifikat C2, ÖSD C2, DSD II of the Kultusministerkonferenz (at least B2 in all parts), the German language examination II of the Sprachen- und Dolmetscher-Institut München, telc Deutsch C1 Hochschule, telc Deutsch C2, and the German part of the Feststellungsprüfung. Applicants with good German at B2 may apply and take the DSH at FAU immediately before the semester starts (the preparatory course costs 160 euros and the examination 80 euros); this is excluded for Medicine, Medizin Erlangen/Bayreuth, Dentistry and Pharmacy. The purely English-taught Bachelor programmes Artificial Intelligence, Autonomy Technologies, Clean Energy Processes, International Business Studies and International Economic Studies require no proof of German; students whose first language is not German must show A1 German or equivalent during the first year.

Master

Admission requires a first degree (for example a Bachelor) from a state-recognised higher education institution. Applications go through campo, with all documents uploaded as PDF and no postal submission. Applicants from non-EU countries who cannot yet present the degree must submit it on enrolment; provisional certificates are not accepted. Faculties set minimum credits at the time of application, usually about 135 to 150 ECTS from completed modules (for example 140 ECTS in the Philosophische Fakultät und Fachbereich Theologie and Technische Fakultät; 135 to 189 ECTS in the Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät depending on the length of the Bachelor; 135 to 150 ECTS in the Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät). Many programmes use a Qualifikationsfeststellungsverfahren, and application documents may include a motivation letter, internship evidence and language certificates. Application windows differ per programme: for example 15 February or 15 April to 15 July for the winter semester and 15 September or 15 October to 15 January for the summer semester in the Philosophische Fakultät und Fachbereich Theologie. Required German and English levels differ per programme. The APS certificate is mandatory for applicants whose degree is from China, Vietnam or India.

Doctorate

Doctoral candidates first agree a topic with a supervisor (Betreuerin or Betreuer), register the project in the database docDaten, apply for admission to the doctorate within three months, and are encouraged to enrol as doctoral students. They may join a structured doctoral programme or pursue an individual doctorate; cooperative doctorates with universities of applied sciences and external doctorates are possible. The PhD programme Advanced ImmunoMedicine requires a master's degree in a medical or natural science subject, a supervision commitment and a selection interview.

Visa

EU students need no visa and must register with the local registration office within seven days of arrival. Students from non-EU countries must apply for a visa at the German embassy or consulate before travelling; processing can take six to eight weeks.

Fees at application

From winter semester 2026/27 FAU charges applicants from non-EU states 100 euros per application, up to three applications per application phase. Applicants with German nationality, a German university entrance qualification, a Feststellungsprüfung from a state-recognised Studienkolleg, EU or EEA nationality, a German Bachelor degree of at least six semesters, or a consolidated domestic connection are exempt.

• Erlangen, city centre (Campus Erlangen Mitte): Kollegienhaus at the Schlossgarten (humanities and law seminars and lectures), the Philosophentürme and Audimax between Bismarckstraße and Kochstraße (humanities institutes, branch libraries, Theology, Juridicum and Sprachenzentrum), Langemarckplatz with the city-centre canteen of the Studierendenwerk, the main library and the Medical Faculty nearby.
• Erlangen, Röthelheimpark: optical technologies (SAOT) and bioprocess engineering.
• Erlangen, Campus Süd: many institutes of the Technische Fakultät and Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät, libraries, lecture halls, a large canteen, the computing centre, the university administration, and the Department of Sport Science and Sport with halls, sports rooms, a swimming pool, a climbing tower and playing fields.
• Erlangen-Tennenlohe (Am Wetterkreuz): Institute of Geography.
• Nuremberg: Lange Gasse (WiSo, with library and cafeteria), Findelgasse (Ludwig-Erhard-Gebäude, lecture and seminar rooms), Insel Schütt (Interdisciplinary Centre for Human Rights Research), Regensburger Straße (educational sciences, Centre for Teacher Education, Department of Education and most subject didactics, with library and canteen), and the former AEG site (Helmholtz Institute, Energie Campus, Hydrogen Centre for Bavaria, business informatics, engineering design and production automation).
• Fürth: the Technikum in the Uferstadt, with the Institute for Learning Innovation, the Central Institute for New Materials and Process Technology and several chairs.
• Bayreuth: Medizincampus Oberfranken, offering Medizin Erlangen/Bayreuth since winter semester 2019/20 in cooperation with Klinikum Bayreuth and the University of Bayreuth.
• Bamberg: Dr. Remeis Observatory (astronomy and astrophysics, part of Physics), part of FAU since the 1960s.
• Pleinfeld (Brombachsee) and Schlungenhof (Altmühlsee): the water sports centre of the Department of Sport Science and Sport, and the Seezentrum, home of the FAU Roman boat F.A.N.

The University Library (ub.fau.de) serves research, teaching and study with learning spaces, databases, e-journals and the open-access repository OPEN FAU. The Studierendenwerk Erlangen-Nürnberg provides student housing and canteens; payment in canteens is cashless with the FAUcard.