FAQs

From the year 2022 onwards, our programme can be started exclusively in the winter semester (mid of October). The exact date will be in your admission letter.

The official start of the winter semester 2024/25 is 1 October 2024. Lectures will start on 14 October 2024.

The programme will be taught in the newly founded Faculty of Life Sciences which is located in Kulmbach (around 25 km away from the main campus of the University of Bayreuth). Our study and research facilities on Campus in Kulmbach combine industrial charm with modern well-equipped teaching rooms and laboratories.

Kulmbach is home not only to several internationally operating food companies, but also to the Max Rubner Institute, the Bavarian Control Authority for Food Safety and Veterinary Medicine, the State Technical College for Food Technology, the Competence Centre for Nutrition, and the Kulmbach Clinical Centre. All these bodies are involved in various research projects and in the Faculty's teaching activities.

There are no tuition fees for this study programme. However, in Germany, students at all higher education institutions must pay a semester contribution. This payment (at the University of Bayreuth: about 150 EUR per semester) has nothing to do with tuition fees; rather, it covers your contributions to student services and the student government. At the University of Bayreuth, it includes a "semester ticket" that allows you to use public transport in the region and entitles you to eat at reduced prices in the university canteen.

Further information on living costs can be found here.

An introductory presentation of the study programme and mini-lectures about typical study contents can be found here.

Before starting the degree programme: No pre-study internship is required for admission to the study programme. However, if you already have relevant vocational training, other practical work experience or additional qualifications specific to the study programme, you can submit evidence of this with your application. This will be taken into account in the aptitude procedure.

During the degree programme: A compulsory internship is integrated into the curriculum of the study programme; it comprises 12 weeks (15 ECTS points). The aim of the internship is to give you an insight into an area of your study programme that is relevant to your professional career. Internships can take place, for example, at public authorities, companies, political parties, associations, media and research institutions related to the topics of your study programme. Students are responsible to find and apply for a suitable internship place independently. We recommend completing the internship in the 3rd semester, so that you should have enough time to find a suitable place after the start of your studies.

Please note that depending on the internship provider, German language skills at level B1 may be required.

All courses are taught exclusively in English. In addition to your knowledge of English (level C1), you must also prove your knowledge of German for daily life (level A1). If you have no knowledge of German at the time of your application, you are required to provide proof (German level A1) by the end of the 2nd semester. Moreover, knowledge of German can be a real asset, especially if you would like to complete your compulsory internship in Germany (rather than abroad). German courses are offered at the University of Bayreuth’s Language Centre. More language courses in Bayreuth can be found through the IIK or the Volkshochschule.

Applicants should hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Food Sciences or a comparable degree in the field of Life Sciences. Applicants should possess knowledge in mathematics and data analysis, experimental physics, chemistry, human biology, animal and plant physiology, genetics, cell biology, microbiology, ecology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics.

List of possible Bachelor study programmes (depending on their profile):

• Biology
• Biochemistry
• Biotechnology
• Agricultural Sciences
• Food Sciences
• Food Technology
• Health Sciences
• Ecotrophology
• Bioanalytics
• Nutrition Sciences
• Food Chemistry

Please submit your official transcript of records showing that you have completed at least 135 ECTS credits. If you can obtain a confirmation of your university that you have completed your coursework and are waiting for your certificate, you may also submit this as additional document. The Bachelor certificate has to be handed in at latest at the end of the first semester.

Applicants must hold an official transcript of records (including subjects and grades) showing that they have completed at least 135 ECTS credits.

English skills must be proven at the level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), Ideally, proof is provided by submitting a recognised language test:

• UNIcert III: Pass
• Cambridge Proficiency: Pass or better       
• Cambridge Advanced: Grade B or better
• Cambridge First:Grade A
• IELTS: Band 7.0
• TOEFL iBT: 95
• TOEFL ITP: 627

We also accept Internet based tests (such as iBT, IELTS Academic, and CAE computer-based test). 

If your first study programme or your high school diploma was completed in English, an official certificate/ English proficiency letter from your university stating that English was the medium of instruction is also sufficient evidence.

For applicants with the German Abitur: Your "Abiturzeugnis" is considered proof if it lists language level B2+/C1 or better.

State in max. two pages in English the skills and expertise that qualify you for the study programme according to the following criteria:

• Verbal skills: showing that you are able to express yourself precisely and comprehensibly in the English language.
• Interest: explain the connection between personal interest and the interdisciplinary character of the study programme.
• Interdisciplinary study skills: study specific professional training or internships, periods abroad, awards such as scholarships etc.

There are no formal specifications such as font type or font size.

Yes, please use the following link: https://campusonline.uni-bayreuth.de/ubto/webnav.ini. A submission of printed (certified) copies by mail is not necessary.

We are sorry, but we can only accept applications through our online portal which is open from March 1 to June 15 (for a start in the winter semester).

We are sorry, but we cannot do any pre-evaluation. Please check out carefully the entry requirements listed on our webpage as well as the assessment procedure. If you think, you fulfil all requirements and would like to be admitted to our programme, please submit all required documents exclusively through our online portal. E-mail attachments cannot be considered for evaluation.

A brief application guide can be found here. For all other technical problems (unusual error messages, page cannot be loaded, etc.) with CAMPUSonline, please contact the CM Help Team.

If you have specific questions regarding your application, please use the Team Incoming Degree - FAQ and contact form.

In general, students from India, Vietnam, and mainland China are required to apply for the APS certificate. If your application for the APS certificate is successful, you will receive the certificate with which you can apply for a German student visa and for German universities. The APS certificate is valid for an unlimited period of time. Please note that the APS certificate is required for the document check by uni-assist. You can find further information about the APS certificate here.

Applicants from outside the EU who have obtained their Bachelor degree abroad have to upload their application documents via uni-assist and undergo a fee-based special procedure.

You can find the relevant information about the document checking process here.

In the following cases, an application via uni-assist is not necessary:

• You have a German, EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship
• You are already enrolled as a student at the University of Bayreuth
• You have already obtained your entrance qualification for master's programmes (usually your first degree) at an accredited university in Germany

If you have acquired your higher education entrance qualification in a non-EU country, you must request a VPD via uni-assist. Since the admission criteria may vary from university to university, it is imperative that the higher education entrance qualification of each applicant be checked, regardless of whether he or she has already been enrolled at a German university.

Exception: A VDP is not required if you have already obtained your entrance qualification for master’s programmes (usually your first degree) at an accredited university in Germany.

Please request your VPD (preliminary review documentation) as early as possible (at least 6-8 weeks before the application deadline for the desired degree programme at the University of Bayreuth). We can only accept your VPD if it has been issued for an application to the University of Bayreuth. You can have your documents reviewed by uni-assist any time of the year. If the portal for the desired semester has not yet been opened at uni-assist, simply select the current semester. It does not matter whether you apply for the summer or the winter semester at uni-assist. Please note, however, that the application deadline at the University of Bayreuth (15 June) must be met.

Your VPD will remain valid for two years as long as there have been no changes to your higher education entrance qualification (in the case of an application for Bachelor's degree programmes) or your Master's entrance qualification(in the case of an application for Master's degree programmes), or the admission requirements.

If you do not have a final VPD yet and are waiting for uni-assist to process it, you need to provide confirmation that you have applied for a VPD for the University of Bayreuth in due time and with all required documents. Otherwise, your application will not be processed.

You can apply for all programmes with a single VPD as long as it is not older than two years and has been issued for an application for the University of Bayreuth.

All documents except for the Bachelor certificate need to be submitted before the application deadline (June 15). In case you have not received your Bachelor certificate yet, you can submit an official transcript of records (including subjects and grades) showing that you have completed at least 135 ECTS credits.The Bachelor certificate/ the transcript of records can be uploaded latest by July 15.

Yes, it is possible to apply for more than one master's programme. However, you must write a separate letter of motivation for each study programme in which you explain why you are applying for the respective programme.

Yes, our master's programmes are subject to limited admission.

After we receive your application, two members of our selection committee will rate it in a 2-step aptitude assessment process (step 1, evaluation of submitted application documents; step 2, interview).

You can find more information about the application by clicking here.

We try to assess as many interviews as possible before the application deadline. Please understand that due to the large number of applications the process might take a while. We therefore ask you to refrain from asking about the status of your application. If you have specific questions regarding your application, please use the Team Incoming Degree - FAQ and contact form.

If you are invited for interview, you will be informed by email.

Applicants from foreign countries do not have to travel to Kulmbach to participate in the interview. Instead, we will arrange an online interview (preferred) or a telephone interview in English. Please note that travel expenses such as travel costs, accommodation or food, which arise because of participation in the selection process, cannot be refunded.

It is not mandatory to submit the master's certificate. However, we strongly recommend enclosing it, as it represents a valuable piece of information for our selection committee and might prove the information about your master's study in your CV.​

Please open your CAMPUSonline account and accept the study place.  After accepting the study place, you will find in the self-service portal the application for enrolment and a list of documents that need to be submitted for enrolment.  Please note that students must be registered for compulsory insurance in the German public health insurance system.  You can find more information about compulsory insurance here.

If you have specific questions regarding your admission, please use the Team Incoming Degree - FAQ and contact form.

We recommend that you enrol by the start of the semester on 1 October 2024 to enable us to send you all the information you will need for a successful start to your studies (e.g. preliminary courses, information events) and to provide you with access to our campus management system in good time.

In the Winter semester 2024/25 lectures are held from 14 October 2024 until 7 February 2025. In exceptional cases, the University of Bayreuth may allow you to enrol up to 11 November 2024. However, late enrolment may result in various disadvantages, such as a limited selection of courses and seminars and possible delays in the organisation of your studies.

We are sorry, but this is not possible.  Please send all required documents by post to the address provided on the enrolment application form or drop your documents in the mailbox at the office door of the Student Administration Office (room 1.09, ZUV building, Universroom 1.09, ZUV building, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447 Bayreuth). Detailed information on the enrolment process can be found on the website of the student administration office.

Click here to find detailed information about visa requirements for your country and tips on applying for a visa.

Yes, it is possible. If you decide to take up the offered place at a later time point, you do not need to take any further action at this stage. Once the application portal for your preferred study start opens, you only have to upload your admission letter again in CampusOnline at the section:

“Admission from the University of Bayreuth for this course of study from a previous semester (and possibly a letter of requirements)”.

You can simply skip all other requested documents if they have not changed. You will then receive your “new” admission letter as soon as possible without a further aptitude test.

For further information regarding the application period, please click here.

Your campus card (including the semester ticket for public transport) will be sent to you by post. Please make sure that your actual address is entered correctly in your CAMPUSonline account and that your full name can be found on your letterbox. Further information on use and data security can be found on the website of the Student Administration Office.

Since all lectures will take place at our faculty in Kulmbach, we highly recommend looking for accomodation in Kulmbach. Further information can be here.

Prices for accommodation, food and leisure activities are moderate compared to other German student cities. Nevertheless, prospective students should consider early on how they will finance their studies. Students in Germany spend an average of €850 on living expenses. Of course, these costs can vary considerably, depending on your lifestyle and the place of residence. The following information provides an initial overview of the costs that students in Kulmbach will definitely have to pay:

• Semester Fee: ca. €110/semester
• Health Insurance (if you do not have a European health insurance policy): ca. €105/month
• Licence Fee for Public Broadcasting (GEZ-Gebühr): €17.50/month
• Internet Access: ca. €20/month
• Groceries: starting at €150/month
• Furnished Accommodation (rent including utilities):
  • SWO student dorms: €200 - €300/month (depending on dorm and the type of room)
  • Private student dorms: €300 - €550/month
  • 1-room apartment: starting at €400/month
    
  • Room in a shared apartment: starting at €280/month
    

Further information about scholarships can be found here.