Ap­plic­a­tion Pro­ced­ure and Doc­u­ments

Concerning applications for SoSe 2026:

In order to apply directly at Paderborn University please apply for a preliminary examination of your school and/or university certificates with the “Application for university entrance examination” (?Antrag zur Prüfung des Hochschulzugangs“). You can then apply directly via the Paderborn University application portal during the application phase with the preliminary examination report. It is not possible to apply without the preliminary examination report. 

The application for preliminary examination of your certificates must be submitted via the PAUL application portal. 

Please create a user account and submit the request for preliminary review by uploading all required documents by the deadline. 

Deadlines for the application for the preliminary examination

Please note the following deadlines for the application and the preliminary examination:

  • Winter semester: application by May 31
  • Summer semester: Application by January 15

We recommend submitting your documents as early as possible, as processing can take several weeks. 

Unfortunately, applications sent by e-mail cannot be accepted for organizational reasons.

What has to be submitted?

For the preliminary assessment, please upload the following documents in full in the application: 

  • Graduation certificate from a secondary school that entitles you to study at the university (please ensure that your final grades are listed!)
  • If you have taken part in a university entrance examination, these results are also required (e.g. for applicants from Bosnia, Korea, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and the USA).
  • If applicable, university certificates and lists of subjects and grades of your previous academic achievements (Transcript of Records)
  • Notarized translations (if originals are not available in German or English)
  • proof of the required language skills

 Please note: Only complete applications can be processed

Processing time

Your documents will be processed within the deadlines and can take up to 6 weeks depending on the volume of applications. Please submit your documents in good time.

Important information: Notarization of documents is not necessary. You may be asked to present your original documents after your arrival on campus. In this case, the university will contact you. Please note our rules for dealing with translations (see below).

Study programs with application via Uni-Assist

NOTE: After the online application (via uni-assist) it is no longer necessary to send physical documents to uni-assist. The application process is now completely digital!