Admission limits and procedures
Degree programs may have restricted or open admission, depending on capacity and demand. You will only be able to enroll on degree programs with restricted admission if you have successfully applied for a place.
Information on whether your desired degree program is currently subject to admission restrictions and the relevant application procedure can be found on our Degree Programs page. Use the Application Guide to apply and register for your chosen degree program, regardless of any admission restrictions.
Admission procedures
The following admission procedures for undergraduate degree programs outlined below apply for all EU/EEA nationals and individuals with equivalent status.
Institution-specific admission restrictions (local numerus clausus)
After deducting upfront quotas (e.g. for foreign applicants), study places in degree programs subject to an institution-specific local admission restriction (local numerus clausus) are allocated applying the following quotas:
- 20% of study places are allocated based on the university entrance qualification, i.e. best Abitur grades. (Abiturbestenquote)
- 80% of study places are allocated applying the University Admissions Selection Procedure (Auswahlverfahren der Hochschulen, AdH).
Under the AdH, 20% of study places are only allocated according to the result of the university entrance qualification (AdH Leistung). The remaining 60% are allocated based on university entrance qualification grade applying a maximum seven semesters of waiting time (AdH Leistung und Wartezeit). Rankings are calculated for this purpose with a maximum 100 possible ranking points. Some degree programs may replace or supplement the waiting time with other appropriate selection criteria (e.g. aptitude test for university studies, existing professional qualifications), provided that they specify this in regulations specific to the degree program in question.
University Admissions Selection Procedure (AdH Leistung und Wartezeit)
Abitur grades converted to point values
Abitur grade = equivalent point score
1.0 = 70
1.1 = 66.7
1.2 = 64.4
1.3 = 62.1
1.4 = 59.8
1.5 = 57.7
1.6 = 55.2
1.7 = 52.9
1.8 = 50.6
1.9 = 48.3
Grade/point conversion, continued...
2.0 = 46
2.1 = 43.7
2.2 = 41.4
2.3 = 39.1
2.4 = 36.8
2.5 = 34.5
2.6 = 32.2
2.7 = 29.9
2.8 = 27.6
2.9 = 25.8
3.0 = 23.0
3.1 = 20.7
3.2 = 18.2
3.3 = 16.1
3.4 = 13.8
3.5 = 11.5
3.6 = 9.2
3.7 = 6.9
3.8 = 4.6
3.9 = 2.3
4.0 = 0
Waiting time converted to point values
Semesters waited = equivalent point score
7 = 30
6 = 25.5
5 = 21
4 = 16.5
3 = 12
2 = 7.5
1 = 3
0 = 0
What does “waiting time” refer to?
The “waiting time” (Wartezeit) is the period of time elapsed to date after obtaining university entrance qualification (e.g. German Abitur) without being enrolled at a German university. You are automatically credited 1 semester of waiting time per half-year of time elapsed.
Example: applicant applied for study place on July 15, 2023:
- Abitur completed in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on July 1, 2022: 2 semesters waiting time
- Abitur completed in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate on March 1, 2022: 3 semesters waiting time.
Example: AdH Leistung und Wartezeit (60%)
-
After deducting the preliminary quotas, we have assumed a total of 100 free places for our imaginary degree program, 20 of which have already been allocated to applicants by way of the Abiturbestenquote and further 20 by the AdH Leistung. This leaves 60 places to be assigned applying the AdH Leistung und Wartezeit.
-
The point score for 60th place allocated (i.e. the last study place to be allocated as part of this quota) represents how many points a candidate needed to secure a study place via this admission procedure.
-
Where multiple applicants have the same average Abitur grade (i.e. equal scoring), any service record (e.g. Federal Voluntary Service, community or social service) is taken into account and that person given priority. If ranking positions are still equal after factoring in the above, selection is made by drawing lots.
| Applicant no. | Point value | Service |
| Applicant 1 | 77.5 | - |
| Applicant 2 | 66.7 | Service |
| Applicant 3 | 62.8 | Service |
| [...] | [...] | [...] |
| Applicant 60 | 53.6 | Service |
| Applicant 61 | 53.6 | - |
Example table: selection within the AdH Leistung und Wartezeit
Example: Abiturbestenquote (20%) and AdH Leistung (20%)
Within this quotas, applicants are selected based on university entrance qualification results, i.e. their average Abitur grade or a (country-specific) equivalent. We are assuming that there are a total of 100 places available on an imaginary degree program. In other words, there are 40 places for the “top performers” in the Abitur:
- All applications are ranked by average Abitur grade.
- The point score for the 40th position in this ranking indicates the minimum grade required for admission (numerus clausus value) where this admission procedure is applied.
If several applicants have achieved the same average Abitur grade (i.e. an equal position in the ranking), any service record (e.g. Federal Voluntary Service, community or social service) will be taken into account and that person given priority. If ranking positions are still equal after applying this method, lots will be drawn.
| Applicant no. | Ø grade | Service |
| Applicant 1 | 1.0 | Service |
| Applicant 2 | 1.1 | - |
| Applicant 3 | 1.3 | - |
| [...] | [...] | [...] |
| Applicant 40 | 2.1 | Service |
| Applicant 41 | Note 2,1 |
Example table: selection within the quotas Abiturbestenquote und AdH Leistung
Legal information
See here for the relevant legal provisions.
Application submission options
There are two ways to apply for admission to degree programs subject to institution-specific admission restrictions.
01.
Local numerus clausus (DoSV)
Applicants begin by registering on the hochschulstart.de website before submitting their actual application via the University of Bonn’s application system. Applicants are automatically taken to the application system after registering and choosing their degree program at hochschulstart.de. The Dialogue-Oriented Service Procedure (DoSV) consists of several phases, in which up to 12 applications need to be submitted and ranked in order of priority. Within the individual phases, offers of admission are issued that can be accepted.
02.
Local numerus clausus (University of Bonn)
Applications are submitted directly via the University of Bonn’s own application system.
Numerus clausus values
The tables below show the NC values (limit values) for past admissions. These are of non-binding indicative value only, as the limit values change from semester to semester, and cannot be relied on regarding future applications. An explanation of how scores are calculated (Abitur grade and waiting time point scores) is provided in the section titled "University Admissions Selection Procedure".
Nationwide admission restriction
Central Admission Procedure (ZV)
Nationwide admission restrictions apply to the Human Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy degree programs at the University of Bonn. Study places are allocated via the Central Admission Procedure administered by the University Admissions Foundation. Three quotas with different applicant selection criteria are applied in the central admission procedure. The waiting time is no longer taken into account:
30%
Quota for admission by top Abitur grade
30% of study places are allocated based on university entrance qualification grades (top Abitur grade quota)—separately for the different German states.
10%
Additional Aptitude Quota (ZEQ)
10% of study places are allocated within the “additional aptitude quota.” Non-grade-based selection criteria are exclusively applied, thus secondary school grades are irrelevant for this quota procedure. Subject-related vocational training may be taken into account to an extent as well as subject-specific aptitude test results (e.g. Test for Medical Studies, TMS).
60%
University Admissions Selection Procedure (AdH)
60% of study places are allocated applying the University Admissions Selection Procedure (AdH). Subject-specific aptitude tests and relevant vocational qualifications, may be considered in this procedure too, as well as individual Abitur grades.
How does the University of Bonn select applicants for admission?
Pharmacy
Scholastic aptitude tests
We recommend all prospective students take the relevant scholastic aptitude test to increase their chances of admission. The following websites provide information on the scholastic aptitude tests:
- Human Medicine and Dentistry:
Test for Medical Studies (TMS) - Pharmacy:
Test for Pharmacy Studies (PhaST)
Legal information
See here for the relevant legal provisions.
No admission restrictions
Degree programs without restricted admission
Some degree programs do not have any admission restrictions. This means that anyone interested will be given a place on the degree program provided that they meet the admission requirements (with some programs also requiring an aptitude test). There will therefore be no need to apply in advance in the case of undergraduate degree programs. However, you will need to pre-register online before the mandatory enrollment process.
