WHO CAN APPLY?
OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Typically, applicants have a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or a related field (e.g. Software or Medieninformatik/Computer Science for Digital Media), but Mathematics and Engineering are also possible.
When we review your application, we will check if you have completed a sufficient number of Mathematics and Computer Science courses:
** Mathematics and Computer Science amounting to the equivalent
of at least 90 ECTS points (approx.)
** Mathematics amounting to at least 15 ECTS points
** Computer Science amounting to at least 45 ECTS points
We also consider the specific courses you have taken; have you acquired certain core competences that we consider vital for you to succeed in our programme? These include solid programming skills and basic concepts in Discrete Mathematics, Software Engineering and Theoretical Computer Science.
If you fail to satisfy these requirements only narrowly, we may still accept your application, but with certain stipulations - namely one or two supplementary courses in order for you to catch up with the other students.
Assuming you have met our basic requirements regarding the courses you have taken (see above), the uploading of the Bachelor's Thesis and the English certificate (see below), and your cumulative GPA (at least 2.2 or better in the German grading system), your application will be considered.
Otherwise, your application will be rejected without further consideration.
Then we first consider the following two questions:
1. Does your Bachelor's thesis (or some academic paper you have written) provide convincing evidence of your ability do perform independent academic work?
2. How many Computer Science courses did you take during your previous studies, how advanced where these courses, and what grades were you awarded for them?
After considering these two questions, we have often reached either a positive or a negative decision. If we are still in doubt, however, we will consider your references and letter of motivation (you are not required to submit these - see below), together with your English scores.
You are not required to do so. However, in some cases, it may help.
If we are on the fence in deciding about your application, convincing references, or a well-written letter of motivation may well work in your favour.
Yes, we do. For example, although we may reject your application if you have taken too few courses on Computer Science during your previous studies, you can compensate for this to some degree by proving evidence of some job experience closely related to Computer Science.
We require an overall score of at least 6.5 in the IELTS (the score of each test component must be at least 6,0). Applicants with a lower score will not be considered.
In general, we expect adequate passive and active language proficiency in both written and spoken English. You will need this to successfully follow the programme.
It goes without saying that your IELTS score must still be valid.
IELTS is the most commonly used language certification, but alternative language certificates are also possible. See the 'Application' information on our webpage.
We are sorry, but the teaching language is not sufficient for us. Only if the country where you studied is English-speaking is no language certificate needed. If in doubt (e.g. you have already studied for several years in an English-speaking country), please contact us.
If you have any further questions about language certification, please contact Johanna Merian at our Department of Studies and Education / International Applications: studium[at]uni-weimar.de.
We are sorry, but you are not eligible.
There is a threshold. If your cumulative GPA is worse than 2.2 (in the German grading system), we will not consider your application.
Beyond that, your cumulative GPA is of no relevance to your application.
Please bear in mind that deciding on eligibility is a time-consuming process, which we only perform for prospective students who actually apply.
We care more about the courses you have taken than about the title of the degree.
Please bear in mind that deciding on eligibility is a time-consuming process, which we only perform for prospective students who actually apply.
No, you don't need to do so. Please upload your original thesis in whatever language it was written.
However, if it was written in a language other than English or German, please also upload a meaningful abstract of your thesis.
From our point of view, an abstract is 'meaningful' if it we can read it (i.e. if it is written in English or German), and it gives us some idea of:
1. the scientific problems youtackled
2. the related work you considered
3. the results you achieved.
As a rule of thumb, a four-page abstract, including references to some of the related work, should suffice. A single-page abstract will not be enough!
Please don't violate any copyright laws! If you are prohibited from uploading your Bachelor's thesis, please upload a meaningful abstract (see above).
Yes, you can.
But please be aware that we will consider your report as if it were a thesis, i.e.we will not pay much attention to the practical progress you have made, but rather to the evidence of your ability to perform academic work.
Yes, you can.
We are looking for something *you* have written yourself and which provides some evidence of *your* ability to perform academic work. For example, an academic paper you have written or co-authored would be fine!
Please don't! Your application will be rejected.
We want our students to excel in our programme – not fail!
Bachelor’s degrees and the requirements they make can vary widely from country to country. We wish to be sure that applicants have a background which is relevant to the German academic system. They should be able to work independently in an academic context.
You can do so, but you don't need to. As a matter of fact, in Germany as in most other European countries, the core of a Bachelor's programme in Computer Science, Media Informatics and all related fields is an introduction to the basics of academic work. So we consider your Bachelor's degree per se as sufficient evidence for your basic understanding of this.
In order of relevance, the main criteria for accepting your application are:
Please log in to the uni-assist portal and start your application. Please direct all your questions regarding the application procedure to uni-assist after reading the webpage carefully.
You should apply as early as possible, especially if you need to obtain a visa for Germany.
It is necessary to be in Weimar when the semester starts as it is difficult to catch up otherwise. If you arrive more than 2 weeks late, you may not be able to join some classes anymore. Before the start of the semester, in order to find accommodation and deal with any official paperwork, so you can focus on your studies once teaching starts.
Your acceptance to the program usually is valid for a full year. This means that if your visa is delayed, you can still start in the following semester. Or you can apply well in advance.
Visa applications are sovereign matters and we are not in the position to interfere. Questions about visa should be directed at the German embassy that is responsible for your visa process.
This can take anything between days and several weeks, depending on the number of things that are being checked. We try to process as fast as possible, but there are several departments involved besides of the Uni-Assist portal.
You can only apply with your final certificate. We need your final grade for the evaluation of your application. If just one final semester is missing please send the academic transcript. But you will have to hand in the complete transcript and final degree right before enrolment in order to start studies.
You need to hand in your proof of English right before enrolment.
German students need to provide their 'Exmatrikulationsbescheinigung' as they can't be registered at two Universities simultaneously.
Foreign students should ask their home University if this proof can be provided. Often your bachelor certificate will be sufficient. If we need further documentation, you will be contacted.
You need the letter of admission (LOA) for your visa application. It is important to know that the scan of the LOA is sufficient for starting the procedure and get a first appointment in the German embassy.
[Similarly: ... apply for the Summer Semester yy, ... enroll for the Winter Semester yy/zz ...]
Of course! We are well aware that, depending on your country of origin and residence, the German visa process can be painfully slow, and new students are sometimes forced to delay their enrolment by one semester. We don't permit a longer delay; two semsesters (over half a year) should suffice for the visa application.
In other words, if you apply for the Winter Semester xx/yy, you can enrol in either that semester or in the following Summer Semester yy. [Similarly: if you apply for the Summer Semester yy, you can enrol in either that semester or in the following Winter Semester yy/zz.]
Please note that in some exceptional cases, we accept students on the stipulation that they take one or two specific courses which were not covered in their previous studies. If these courses are only offered in the Winter Semester, you must start your studies in the Winter Semester. Likewise, if these courses are only offered in the Summer Semester, you must start your studies in the Summer Semester. For example, assuming you apply for the winter semester xx/yy, we will accept your applicaton on the Winter Semester stipulations and allow you to enrol in either the Winter Semester xx/yy or the Winter Semester yy/zz, but not in the Summer Semester in between. If we accept you on the Summer Semester stipulations, you can enrol in the Summer Semester yy, and only in that semester. [The corresponding rule for Summer Semester applications accepted on Summer Semester stipulations is obvious.] We stress that this is a rare exception; if we accept an application, we prefer to avoid stipulations, if possible.
The masters program takes a minimum of 4 semesters (2 years). If you are admitted with stipulations of doing additional courses, this might extend your studies depending on the number of extra credits and your speed of studying. With more than one extra course, you will most likely need at least five semesters. Even without stipulations, do not assume you will finish within exactly four semesters, as something can always go wrong (e.g. failing exams and having to redo them, getting sick and needing an extension…).
There are no study fees in Germany. There is only an administrative fee per semester of about 200 € that each student regardless of origin has to pay.
The 4 semesters or 2 years of study are the normal length of study for a full-time student.
You can extend your visa in the Aliens Department of the City Administration Weimar. In the German embassy of your home country you will get a students visa for 3 month. After enrolment in Weimar you can extend this visa depending on the amount of money you can prove for your personal living expenditures.
From the very start of the course, you must be able and willing to work and solve problems independently, without constant supervision. Learning by heart / by rote is not sufficient - you need to be able to think on your own and to be self-organized. This can present a challenge for some of our students.
Later in the program, you will also work in small project-groups and work collaboratively. At the end of the programme, you must be able to work both self-contained and as part of a team. We also expect you to be able to read scientific literature in English, and to write reports according to academic standards.
Yes, the program is taught entirely in English.
These are classes that you need to do on top of the normal program. They should be heard and completed successfully as early as possible. They help you to catch up on topic areas that your education did not provide, but that we consider essential background before taking the more advanced master courses.
German students need to provide their 'Exmatrikulationsbescheinigung' as they can't be registered at two Universities simultaneously.
For German students, it is possible to start studies and to hand in final certificates of the prior bachelor degree up to 1 month after semester has started.
Changes from color to monochrome mode
contrast active
contrast not active
Changes the background color from white to black
Darkmode active
Darkmode not active
Elements in focus are visually enhanced by an black underlay, while the font is whitened
Feedback active
Feedback not active
Halts animations on the page
Animations active
Animations not active
