Preferential Admission
What Is Preferential Admission?
You are entitled to admission if
- you have completed a period of voluntary service and were admitted to this degree program at the beginning of or during a period of voluntary service, or
- no admission restriction (NC) was set for this degree program at the beginning of or during voluntary service, or
- you are applying for a teacher training course with Music Education as a subject and have passed a music entrance examination.
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What Counts as “Voluntary Service”?
The following activities are recognized as voluntary service in the sense of preferential admision:
- Voluntary military service, military service for a period of three years,
- Community service as well as services abroad pursuant to Section 14 b Zivildienstgesetz (ZDG),
- A voluntary social year,
- A voluntary ecological year,
- European voluntary service,
- International youth volunteer service,
- Federal volunteer service or
- The funding programs Weltwärts and Kulturweit,
- At least two-year service as a development worker,
- Caring for or nursing a biological or adopted child under the age of 18 or nursing care lasting up to three years for another dependent in need of care.
Each voluntary service other than the last two points has to be of a duration of at least six month.
Application and Deadlines
Application
The application for preferential admission must be sent in the online application with the supporting documents by the application deadline. Applications for preferential admission can only be considered if they are submitted at the latest in connection with the second university place allocation procedure following completion of the period of voluntary service.
What Is the Latest Date by which an Application for Preferential Admission Can Be Submitted?
Applications can be made for two award procedures after the end of the voluntary service. For the question of how long this possibility passes is important ...
- ... in which allocation procedure places for the 1st semester are allocated.
At the University of Bremen, places in admission-restricted degree programs for the 1st semester for Bachelor's and Law are only allocated in the winter semester. The enrolment procedure for the summer semester is not taken into account when counting for preferential admission. - ... for which allocation procedures an application for preferential admission can be submitted at the latest. The application deadline - usually 15 July - is decisive, not the beginning of the semester. If, for example, the service ends after the application deadline in August or September 2020, an application for preferential admission can be submitted at the latest until the allocation procedure for the winter semester 22/23. If the service ends before the application deadline in June 2020, an application for preferential admission can only be submitted until the winter semester 21/22. Since an application can also be submitted during service, an application for preferential admission could be submitted as early as the winter semester 20/21 in both cases.
The following examples should help to explain the complicated deadlines:
Examples of Preferential Admission
Preferential Admission in Case of Voluntary Service, e.g. FSJ, FÖJ
Example 1: Max submitted an application for the winter semester 20/21 for the admission-restricted Bachelor's degree program in Psychology in summer 2020 and started his one-year FSJ (Freiwilliges Soziales Jahr = voluntary social year) in August 2020. He will receive a letter of acceptance for Psychology in September 2020. If he submits a so-called deferral application to Hochschulstart, his study place will be reserved for him for the duration of his service. This way, he does not have to interrupt his voluntary service. When he applies for the winter semester 21/22, he can apply for preferential admission - in this case, he will definitely get his study place in Psychology back.
Example 2: Eva does an FÖJ (Freiwilliges ökologischs Jahr = voluntary ecological year) from August 2020 to July 2021. In summer 2021, she would like to apply for a study place in the bachelor's degree program in Economics. The bachelor's major subject was free of admission in the application procedure for the winter semester 20/21 at the University of Bremen, but admission is restricted in the procedure for the winter semester 21/22. If Eva uploads her certificate of voluntary service in the online application, she will definitely get a study place for Economics at the University of Bremen in the winter semester 21/22 - even if she did not apply at all in the previous year.
Preferential Admission in Case of Military Service
Fred will complete his five-year military service in June 2021. Fred can now submit an application for preferential admission for the procedures for the winter semester 21/22 and winter semester 22/23 for degree programs for which admission was not restricted in the admission procedures for the winter semesters 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21, but for which admission is restricted for the winter semester 21/22. An application for preferential admission can also be submitted if it has already been granted admission once in the last three years.
Preferential Admission in Case of Child-Rearing
Example 1: Valentin is the father of a four-year-old child. He can submit an application for preferential admission for the winter semester 21/22 for degree programs for which admission was not restricted in the admission procedures of the winter semesters 2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21, but for which admission is restricted for the winter semester 21/22. An application for preferential admission can also be submitted if he/she has already been admitted once in a degree program with restricted admission in 2018 - 2020. Valentin can submit an application for preferential admission for a maximum of two award procedures after his child reaches the age of 18. In each case, the application relates to the period of award during the last three years of service.
Example 2: Yvonne has raised several children, the youngest child has his 19th birthday in September 2021. Yvonne can now submit an application for preferential admission for the procedures for the winter semester 21/22 for degree programs for which the admission restriction was lifted in 2017 - 2020 and applies again to the current procedure or if Yvonne has already received admission once in a degree program with restricted admission in 2017 - 2020. Yvonne can submit an application with proof of having children until the winter semester 22/23 at the latest.
Preferential Admission for the Care of Relatives
Example 1: Wilfried spent 10 years caring for his father, who passed away three years ago. Since two admission procedures have passed since then, he can no longer submit an application for preferential admission.
Example 2: Waltraud cared for her mother for two years before she went into a nursing home in May 2020. She can now submit an application for preferential admission for the procedures for the winter semester 21/22 for degree programs for which the admission restriction was lifted in 2018 - 2020 and applies again for the current procedure or if she has already received admission once in a degree program with restricted admission in 2018 - 2020. Waltraud can submit an application with appropriate proof of the years of care until the winter semester 22/23 at the latest.
Preferential Admission Music Education
Example: Yvonne applied for a teacher training programme with Music Education as a subject for the winter semester 2023/24 and passed the aptitude test. She was therefore given preferential admission. However, shortly before the semester starts, she wins the lottery and goes on a trip around the world. Yvonne plans to start her studies in the following winter semester. She must submit another application for the teacher training programme with Music Education as a subject no later than the second allocation procedure (winter semester 2024/25) and submit an application for preferential admission. The aptitude test is valid for the duration of 2 award procedures.