Student at h_da

Applicants with foreign university degrees are requested to apply via Uni-Assist Berlin.

After your online-registration on http://www.uni-assist.de/bewerberportal.html and transfer of the handling fees to Uni-Assist, you have to send your complete application documents to Uni-Assist Berlin: 

Hochschule Darmstadt

c/o Uni-Assist e.V.

Geneststraße 5

10829 Berlin

A detailed list of the required application documents can be found at our application website and at http://www.uni-assist.de.

A submission of your documents to h_da is not necessary, Uni-Assist will submit your dossier after examination to the MBA Examination Board at h_da for further processing.

Application deadlines for applicants with foreign University degree
Admission for the winter semester (which commences in October):  1 June

Tip: Initiate your admission process as soon as possible. The recognition of foreign diplomas, visa issuance procedures, and the relocation from one country to another are all time-consuming.

Admission requirements:

• Graduation from a first degree programme/an above average economics or non-economics university degree
• An equivalent of 210 credit points (CP) according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS).
• Applicants with less than 210 CP are expected to take preparation courses. In certain cases appropriate professional experience can be recognized up to a maximum of 30 CP.
• Adequate basic knowledge of Business Administration. Applicants, who do not have adequate basic economic knowledge, are expected to take preparation courses.
• A minimum of three years of professional experience after graduation.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the the English language and a corresponding test certificate.

Important note for applicants from China: all students from the P.R. China will have to obtain a certificate of academic screening issued by the Academic Evaluation Centre (APS) of the German Embassy in Beijing before being allowed to enroll at Uni-Assist. More information on APS can be found at their website www.aps.org.cn.

You need different documents to get the permission to enter Germany. The most important one is the visa. You should apply for it in advance, because the processing of your documents takes a while.

You can apply for it at the German embassy or consulate in your home country. You can find the addresses of the German embassy and the consulate in your home country on the website of the Federal Foreign Office (http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de)

For your MBA you will need a National Visa:

Visa is issued for stays lasting longer than three months (for example, to attend a preparatory course at a Studienkolleg or to study a full programme). If you wish to study or do a doctorate, you must make sure right from the beginning that you apply for a national visa for the purpose of studying (student visa). As a rule, you will have to present the following papers and documents to the relevant German mission abroad (e.g. embassy or consulate in your country):

• letter of admission from the German University
• health insurance policy
• proof of any academic credits gained or examinations passed
• proof of any German language skills you may have or of your plans to take a language course in Germany
• documents that prove how you intend to finance your living expenses while you are studying

Tip: Student applicants who have not yet been admitted to a German university or Studienkolleg can apply for a Student Applicant Visa. It is valid for three months and can be converted into a residence permit for the purpose of studying once you have been admitted to a higher education institution. Please note, that not every country issues a Student Applicant Visa.

 You must, after arriving in Germany and having reported to the registration authority, go to the foreigners authority in your university town to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying. 

Tip: study in Germany provides detailed information about how to apply for the correct visa. Find out more

Generally speaking, all other foreigners require a visa for stays in Germany. A visa is not required for semi-annual visits of up to 90 days for nationals of those countries for which the European Community has abolished the visa requirement.

Bodies responsible for issuing visas

Responsibility for issuing visas lies with the missions of the Federal Republic of Germany, i.e. its embassies and consulates-general. In principle, the Federal Foreign Office is not involved in decisions on individual visa applications, nor does it have any knowledge of the status of individual applications being processed by the missions.

Local responsibility for issuing the visa lies with the mission responsible for the area in which the applicant has his/her ordinary residence or domicile.

Subject-matter responsibility lies with the mission of the Schengen state in whose territory the sole or main destination is situated.

Visa fees: Since 14 May 2008, the fee for all types of visas has been EUR 60.

Time required to process a visa application

As a rule, missions require between two and ten working days to decide on an application for a short stay visa. Applications for visas entitling the holder to a longer stay or to take up gainful employment may take several weeks or months to process.

During the peak travel season there may be a waiting period for making an application to a German mission. Persons requiring a visa to enter Germany should therefore submit their applications in good time.

Application procedure

As a rule, applicants must submit visa applications, together with all necessary documents, in person at the German mission responsible for their place of residence. In order to avoid time-consuming requests for additional information or documentation, applicants should consult the website of the respective mission well in advance of their departure date to find out about the visa procedure and about the documentation which has to be submitted.

Visa application forms can be obtained from the mission free of charge (in the local language). The forms submitted must be original versions in the appropriate language of the mission in question. Application forms may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the competent mission.

Requirements for the issue of visas for longer stays and/or stays entitling the holder to take up gainful employment

As a rule, all foreigners require visas for stays of more than three months or stays leading to gainful employment.

Russian and Chinese citizens of all other countries planning a longer stay in Germany must apply for visas at the competent mission before arriving in the country. Such visa applications must be approved by the relevant foreigners authority in Germany, i.e. the foreigners authority in the place where the applicant intends to take up residence. If the approval of the foreigners authority is necessary before a visa can be issued, the procedure can take up to three months, in some cases longer, since the foreigners authority will often consult other authorities (e.g. the Federal Employment Agency). Missions may only issue visas once they have obtained the approval of the foreigners authority.

Visa application forms for a long-term stay (longer than three months) can be obtained from the relevant mission free of charge. Please contact the mission beforehand to find out exactly which forms are required.

The foreigners’ authorities are also responsible for measures and decisions pertaining to residence law for foreigners already residing in Germany. Foreigners authorities are not subordinate agencies of the Federal Foreign Office, and the Federal Foreign Office cannot influence their decisions. They are in fact accountable to and operate under the supervision of the respective interior ministries and senators of the Länder (federal states).

It is now possible for anyone in possession of a national visa (D visa) and a valid travel document to move freely in the Schengen area up to three months in any six-month period.

Source: www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/visabestimmungen-node

The language of instruction at the MBA Programme is English. You therefore do not need to be proficient in German to study here. But it is always useful to be able to speak and understand German in order to cope with your everyday life. You can make friends more easily, settle in more quickly and have a better chance on the job market. Please feel free to contact us in case you want to take up a language course. The language center at h_da offers a variety of those. We would be pleased to support you!

Our MBA student coordinators will be pleased to support you whenever you need help. Please feel free to contact one of the following regarding your issues:

Department of Advanced Education

Schöfferstraße 10

64295 Darmstadt

Phone: +49.6151.16-38420

E-Mail: mba@h-da.de

We give all students of the MBA programme at h_da the option to contact the MBA-Buddy. The MBA-Buddy is a german Student of your age who will try to help you in all cases that are not directly connected to your studies.