Application and enrollment

If you are a German citizen or have obtained your school leaving certificate from a German language institution, please, click here for application: online application

For all other applicants: Please, submit your application via the Uni-Assist Online Portal. For further questions concerning the application procedure please consult with the international office of Paderborn University or check on the website of the International Office.

For a successful application, you need to fulfill the academic prerequisites as well as the language requirements.

Please prepare the following supporting documents (for details, check this page):

  • Your secondary school leaving certificate which qualifies you to study at university level in your home country (please make sure that you provide proof of all grades you obtained).
  • All other relevant documents such as academic transcripts, final degree certificates, etc.
  • Proof of English language proficiency.

Officially certified copies of documents

For the application for admission there is no attestation of your documents necessary. The university might check the original documents after your arrival on campus. Please check the rules for translations below.

Please note:

  • Translation of documents
    If your supporting documents are written in a language other than English, French or German, you must include an officially certified translation into either one of these languages.
  • Acceptance of documents
    Only complete applications will be accepted. Incomplete sets of documents will not be processed while documents arriving after the deadline will be considered for the next admission phase. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to have his/her documents completed and sent in time. For foreign applicants, please visit Uni-Assist for further information.

We would like to ensure that you will be able to start your studies without any delays. After an acceptance from the University of Paderborn many of you will have to apply for a visa which can be a time-consuming process.

Enrolment for the Master's degree program "Optoelectronics & Photonics" is possible for winter (program start in October) and summer (program start in April) terms. The application deadline for the winter term is May 31 for international applicants and Sep 21 for applications from Germany. For the summer term November 30 for international applicants and March 21 for applications from Germany.

The University of Paderborn will inform you about the decision of the evaluation team. You will receive this written notice approximately 1-2 months before the start of the program.

The notice of admission

  • is only valid for the specified course and semester,
  • contains information regarding further requirements such as language tests, etc.,
  • contains an acceptance form. You must complete this form to state whether or not you intend to enroll in the course. Once you have received the notice of admission, you must accept the offer until a specified deadline specified on the admission documents.

Please allow enough time for any correspondence to be forwarded to you and notify us if your correspondence address changes.