Admissions Prep Guide
Knowing the deadline doesn't mean you're ready. Here's a step-by-step guide covering language tests, portfolios, and documents.
Prep Timeline
Reverse-planned from your application deadline · 6 steps common to music and art schoolsDeadlines vary by school by as much as 3 months, from late February to late May (most music schools' audition applications run late March–late May; most art schools cluster around late April–early May). The D-N-months markers below are a general baseline — check your target schools' actual deadlines first and work backward from those dates.
Narrow down eligible schools first by which majors they actually offer. At the same time, start German from A1 — with a full-time intensive course of 20+ hours a week, reaching B2/DSH-2 within 12 months is realistic; part-time study takes considerably longer.
Music applicants finalize their program around the required repertoire; art applicants settle on a Mappe theme and the direction of a cohesive series. Decisions made at this point shape the next 8 months.
How long apostilling your diploma and getting certified translations of your transcripts takes varies a lot by country — check your own country's foreign ministry (or equivalent) for the actual turnaround and start well before your deadline. Expect delays during school holidays. (If your country isn't part of the Apostille Convention, budget extra time for the equivalent legalization process instead.)
The unedited single-take requirement means retakes are common — budget at least two filming sessions. For art portfolios, keep color-correction consistent when photographing original works.
Leave enough time to create a portal account, upload documents, and send an international wire transfer. Server slowdowns on deadline day are common.
The in-person exam is usually scheduled 4–6 weeks after the deadline. You'll often need to book flights and accommodation before results are announced.
Language Test Comparison
Goethe · telc · TestDaF · DSHRun by the Goethe-Institut. Offered worldwide and the most broadly recognized certificate.
- Acceptance by music/art schools
- Accepted by nearly all music and art schools; B2 satisfies most application requirements.
- Fee
- approx. €160 (may vary)
- Frequency
- 1–2 times a month
More test dates and faster results than the Goethe exam, with a stronger focus on practical conversation.
- Acceptance by music/art schools
- Accepted by most schools; some Staatsexamen (state-exam) tracks do not recognize it.
- Fee
- approx. €130 (may vary)
- Frequency
- 2+ times a month
Designed specifically for university admission. TDN 4 generally corresponds to CEFR B2.
- Acceptance by music/art schools
- Accepted by every school. TDN 4 across all sections satisfies both application and enrollment; a few fields (medicine, law, etc.) require TDN 5.
- Fee
- €210–215 (may vary)
- Frequency
- 6 times a year
Administered directly by German universities. Passing it fully satisfies the language requirement.
- Acceptance by music/art schools
- DSH-2 is the de facto standard; required for tracks like music education and art education.
- Fee
- €100–300 (may vary)
- Frequency
- 1–2 times per semester (in Germany)
Document Checklist
0 / 8 checked · SharedGlossary
17 termsWhether a Numerus Clausus applies. NC-frei means every applicant who meets the requirements is considered; NC-beschränkt caps the number of spots by grades or audition ranking. For music and art schools, the audition/portfolio ranking is essentially the only quota that matters.
The core of music and art school admissions. Selection is based on artistic ability, not academic records — without passing this exam, even excellent grades won't get you in. It's split into a preliminary round (video/Mappe) and a final round (in person).
The first gate for art-school applicants. Schools ask for anywhere from 10 to 30 works, and reviewers weigh the development of your process and thematic consistency more than any single finished piece. The point count, format, and whether originals must be brought in person all vary by school.
A 1–2-semester program before starting a full degree. Sometimes offered to applicants who passed the audition/portfolio review but fall short on language or academic-qualification requirements.
The video/document stage before the in-person round. Breaking a format requirement — like the no-editing single-take rule — gets you eliminated regardless of how good the content is.
The in-person performance exam for applicants who passed the Vorauswahl (preliminary round). You'll need to prepare a 20–30 minute program, specified by the school, spanning different eras and styles.
A general term for a German-language certificate from a recognized test — Goethe-Zertifikat, telc, TestDaF, or DSH. Many schools require the equivalent of B2 to apply and C1 or DSH-2 to enroll.
DSH is administered by individual German universities, with DSH-2 as the standard requirement; for TestDaF, TDN 4 generally corresponds to B2.
Whether your high school diploma grants direct entry to a German university depends on your country — check the anabin database (anabin.kmk.org). H+ means direct access; H- usually means completing a Studienkolleg and its qualifying exam (Feststellungsprüfung) first. Music and art schools sometimes waive this for exceptional talent.
A mandatory academic-credential verification run jointly by German embassies and DAAD for applicants whose academic history is in specific countries — currently China, Vietnam, and India (the list changes over time: Mongolia was removed once its APS office closed in 2019). Without a passing APS certificate, neither the university application nor the student visa can proceed. Check the current official country list for your own case rather than assuming either way.
A third-party service that reviews foreign academic documents on a university's behalf before forwarding the application. Not every music or art school uses it, and which ones do varies, so check your target school's own instructions before applying.
The official process of certifying that a copy matches its original. You can typically get this done at the German Embassy or Consulate-General responsible for your country, or through the administrative office of the school that issued the original document. If you use a local notary instead, confirm with the recipient beforehand that they'll accept that form of certification — not all of them do.
A blocked bank account required for the visa. You must deposit a year's worth of living expenses, and the required amount is adjusted annually. It's needed at the visa stage, after you've been admitted.
The process of formally registering as a student after being admitted. Many schools require proof of your language certificate and health insurance at this point.
The highest performance-focused program, beyond a master's. A program unique to German music schools (not a degree), admission based purely on an audition.
Public music and art schools don't charge tuition, but do charge a per-semester administrative fee of €100–350 — often including a public-transit pass.
Winter semester starts in October, summer semester in April. Some music schools admit for both; art schools overwhelmingly admit for winter semester only.