Admission requirements
Your way to your studies

IU deliberately does not have a numerus clausus (NC) - instead, we talk to you personally and find out together with you where your talents and strengths lie and what goals you are pursuing with your studies. 

You can study either with or without an Abitur. The admission requirement is a general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) or a technical college entrance qualification (Fach-Abitur). If you have completed at least two years of vocational training and have at least three years of work experience in your chosen profession, you can enter the programme without a school-leaving certificate. Alternatively, you can present a master craftsman's certificate or a successful completion of an educational programme in the subject area of the respective degree programme.  

As a foreign student applicant, you must have a higher education entrance qualification that is equivalent to the German qualification. When applying, you must provide proof of German language skills with a level of B2 (exceptions: for the degree programmes Applied Psychology, Psychology, Communication Psychology and Health Psychology, the language level C1 is required) and additionally pass the University's internal admission test. 

For English-language degree programmes, you need one of the following proofs of your English language skills: 

• TOEFL (min. 80 points) or 
• IELTS (min. Level 6) or 
• Duolingo English test (min. 95 points) or 
• Cambridge Certificate (min. overall grade B) or 
• Equivalent proof, e.g. through the free IU English course (min. B2.2), further information can be obtained from our student advisory service.  

For more information on who can study at IU, click here. 

In further education programmes, we offer you the opportunity to qualify for a Master's degree programme even without a Bachelor's degree: through many years of professional experience as a manager or expert.    

Requirements for admission are:   

• (Technical) A-levels or completed vocational training of at least 2 years' duration   
• At least 10 years of professional experience related to the intended degree programme, at least 6 years of which must have been in a management or expert position.   
• Successful Master's degree qualifying examination at IU  

You can find more information about the Master’s degree for Professionals here.  

Yes, in addition to the "classic" entrance qualification for a University degree in the form of an Abitur or Fachabitur, many interested students without an Abitur also have the opportunity to enter our Bachelor's degree programme. You can find more information on this in the 'Admission' section of the respective degree programme.  

Here you will find further information on how you can study at IU without an Abitur.  

You can complete your University education with us. If the admission requirements fit, simply select your desired degree programme in the online application. In some cases, we can even credit you for previous achievements. This not only shortens your study time, but also saves you money: 30 euros per recognised ECTS point! We will be happy to check your options individually. 

At IU, you can register online for a degree programme at any time via the website. We will then check your admission and your documents. You can find all information about application and enrolment here. 

Directly after your online application, we check your admission and your documents. If everything is in order, we will immediately send you a study contract by email. As soon as you have signed and returned it to us, you are officially enrolled and will receive all the necessary documents and access for your studies at IU.