Application Period 2025/26 has started!

Start into Fall Semester 2025-26:

1st December 2024 until 30th June 2025 for International Students 

1st December 2024 until 31st August 2025 for EU Students

New students may start into fall semester only. Transfers into a higher academic semester may start into a spring semester depending on the compatibility of previous studies with our curriculum. BI offers courses on an annual basis.

To see all dates within the academic year, please view the Academic Calendar.

You will complete your application electronically through our online portal. You will first register, then enter your personal details, and finally upload the required documents. These are:

For all BA programs:

• Passport
• Official Senior High School diploma with transcript (German Abitur / Fachabitur or equivalent)
• Official University certificates and transcript of grades - if applicable
• English Language Test (CEFR level B2 or above)
• Portfolio with a minimum of 10 works - for Design and Architecture programs only
• Certification of the Academic Evaluation Center (APS) - for educational qualifications from China, India and Vietnam only

For the MA / MBA programs:

• Passport
• Official Senior High School diploma with transcript of grades (German Abitur / Fachabitur or equivalent)
• Official University certificates and transcript of grades
• English Language Test (CEFR level B2 or above)
• CV
• Letter of Motivation
• Portfolio with 10 works - related to your bachelor's degree and interior design, for the Faculty of Architecture & Design only
• Letter from employer confirming a minimum of 1 year continuous full-time employment, for the MBA program only
• Certification of the Academic Evaluation Center (APS) - for educational qualifications from China, India and Vietnam only

All academic records need to be submitted in their original language, and, if that language is not English or German, certified translations into one of those languages must also be submitted.

If you are still waiting for your final documents to be issued, then please submit your most recent transcript of grades as well as a statement of your predicted qualification and grades. This will allow us to process your application on a conditional basis. You will need to provide the official final certificate and transcripts when you receive them.

Once you have completed your online application, we will review it as soon as possible. An evaluation whether you meet the admission requirements for the desired program will be followed by the faculty selection process.

If you apply for a Bachelor in Business Administration, you should receive an answer within 1 week.

If you apply for any other program, the full application process should be completed within a maximum of 4 weeks.

To meet our admission requirements for the Bachelor degree programs in Architecture and Design, one needs to hold the German Abitur / Fachabitur or equivalent. Any foreign qualification will need to meet the equivalence criteria to these German certificates, which is set by the German Central Office for Foreign Education.

The requirements for equivalence vary from country to country. We have summarized a few of the most frequently asked about education systems:

1. US High School Diploma
2. IB Diploma
3. GCE A levels
4. Turkish Lise Diplomasi

To confirm whether you meet the requirements to study in Germany, the German Academic Exchange Service provides an English language resource here.

For the original German source, please check the homepage of the Kulturministerkonferenz here.

There are four admission possibilities:

Direct general admission – you are qualified to start undergraduate studies into any subject area.

Direct subject-restricted admission – you are qualified to begin undergraduate studies in the subject area you have previously studied.

Subject restricted admission to a preparatory course/the Feststellungsprüfung (university qualification exam) – you require additional periods of study before you can begin undergraduate studies in Germany, see more information below.

Admission is not possible without additional proof of education – the qualification you hold is not equivalent to a university entrance qualification in Germany. You will need to complete further qualifications to meet the admission requirements.

Preparatory Course / Additional Studies

If you current educational qualifications do not fully meet the Abitur/ Fachabitur-level in Germany, and you will need a Preparatory Course or additional studies, here are your 2 options:

Option 1: Study time

You can enroll at a university outside of Germany, and complete the first academic year of a bachelor´s degree successfully. In order to meet the admission requirements, the university and program must be fully accredited, you must choose the same or closely related subject you intend to apply for at BI, and you must complete the first academic year with all courses and credits successfully. For some countries, you may need to complete more than 1 academic year.

If you choose this route, you would be welcome to apply as a transfer student into a higher semester. Read more about this in the ‘Transfer students and course acknowledgments’ section.

Option 2: Studienkolleg

A 'Studienkolleg' is a university preparatory course to prepare you for German universities. There are different types of Studienkolleg programs, for architecture and design programs, you would need to choose the 'T' or 'G' course.

Since these programs usually prepare you for German-speaking universities, and due to a requirement of the Berlin Senate, knowledge of German is required.

For more information on Studienkolleg programs, click here.

Please note that Berlin International can only consider applicants who meet the admission requirements for the desired program.

All applicants who meet them will be subject to faculty selection and seat availability per program.

To meet our admission requirements for the Bachelor degree programs in Business Administration, one needs to hold the German Abitur / Fachabitur or equivalent. Any foreign qualification will need to meet the equivalence criteria to these German certificates, which is set by the German Central Office for Foreign Education.

The requirements for equivalence vary from country to country. We have summarized a few of the most frequently asked about education systems:

1. US High School Diploma
2. IB Diploma
3. GCE A levels
4. Turkish Lise Diplomasi

To confirm whether you meet the requirements to study in Germany, the German Academic Exchange Service provides an English language resource here.

For the original German source, please check the homepage of the Kulturministerkonferenz here.

There are four admission possibilities:

Direct general admission – you are qualified to start undergraduate studies into any subject area.

Direct subject-restricted admission – you are qualified to begin undergraduate studies in the subject area you have previously studied.

Subject restricted admission to a preparatory course/the Feststellungsprüfung (university qualification exam) – you require additional periods of study before you can begin undergraduate studies in Germany, see more information below.

Admission is not possible without additional proof of education – the qualification you hold is not equivalent to a university entrance qualification in Germany. You will need to complete further qualifications to meet the admission requirements.

Preparatory Course / Additional Studies

If you current educational qualifications do not fully meet the Abitur/ Fachabitur-level in Germany, and you will need a Preparatory Course or additional studies, here are your 3 options:

Option 1: International Year One

Through our brand new partnership with the Touro University Berlin, the International Year One is the perfect pathway to fulfill one year of university study after higher secondary education, ensuring a smooth transition into our bachelor programs in business administration.

Find out more here.

Option 2: Study time

As an alternative to our International Year One, you can enroll at a university outside of Germany, and complete the first academic year of a bachelor´s degree successfully. In order to meet the admission requirements, the university and program must be fully accredited, you must choose the same or related subject you intend to apply for at BI, and you must complete the first academic year with all courses and credits successfully. For some countries, you may need to complete more than 1 academic year.

If you choose this route, you would be welcome to apply as a transfer student into a higher semester. Read more about this in the ‘Transfer students and course acknowledgments’ section.

Option 3: Studienkolleg

A 'Studienkolleg' is a university preparatory course to prepare you for German universities. There are different types of Studienkolleg programs, for business programs, you would need to choose the 'W' or 'WW' course.

Since these programs usually prepare you for a German-speaking university, and due to a requirement of the Berlin Senate, knowledge of German is required.

For more information on Studienkolleg programs, click here.

Please note that Berlin International can only consider applicants who meet the admission requirements for the desired program.

All applicants who meet them will be subject to faculty selection and seat availability per program.

Applicants for our bachelor programs in Business Administration can join our International Year One, through our new partner Touro University Berlin, to meet the admission requirements mentioned above.

Find out more here.

MA Interior Architecture/Interior Design program:

This master's program is a consecutive program offered to graduates of Interior Architecture/Interior Design. A bachelor's degree in Interior Architecture/Interior Design is necessary.

MA Interior Design program:

This master's program is designed to specialize from your bachelor. A bachelor's degree in a closely related field to Interior Architecture/Interior Design is necessary and should include significant coursework dealing with spatial design. This can be a bachelor within Architecture or Industrial Design. 

Master of Business Administration (MBA) program:

A bachelor's degree is required, the field of Business Administration or a related field is preferred, however it is possible to apply with an unrelated field of study.

In addition, all applicants are required to have gained at least 1 year of full-time work experience after your bachelor's graduation. Ideally, you should have taken over managerial tasks already. If you have instead set up your own business, then proof thereof will be required.

In order to meet the 300 ECTS credit requirement for graduation with the title of ‘Master of Business Administration’, students who have completed a 3-year bachelor's degree will be accepted into the 2-year MBA program. Those who have a 4-year degree may opt for the 1 year MBA program and will have the opportunity to discuss the recommended option with the faculty during the interview.

Since all of our programs are fully taught in English, we will require a proof of your language skills. German knowledge is not required.

If your language skills are at CEFR Level B2 or above, one of the following currently valid language test certificates and scores can be accepted for your application:

• TOEFL ITP: 543
• TOEFL IBT: 74
• IELTS (Academic): 6.0 overall
• Cambridge FCE: B2
• PTE Academic: 59
• BI internal exam/ BAU 'English Language Proficiency Exam': 60/100
• IB Diploma: English A or B at HL or SL
• German Abitur

The score must be earned within the last two years.

If you have not completed high school in a majority-English speaking country (USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand) or a bachelor's degree fully in English, an approved language exam is required in order to qualify for admission.

If you don't have any of the above proficiency exams, you are welcome to attend our internal online English exam after submitting your application. Participation is free of charge and available on the following dates:

• 17th January (8:00-14:00)
• 13th February (8:00 - 14:00)
• 13th March (8:00 - 14:00)
• 10th April (9:00 - 15:00)
• 8th May (9:00 - 15:00)
• 12th June (9:00 - 15:00)
• 3rd July (9:00 - 15:00)
• 25th July (9:00 - 15:00)
• 14th August (9:00 - 15:00)
• 5th September (9:00 - 15:00)

All times given are Berlin local times.

Preparatory School:

If you do not yet have CEFR level B2 English, and you meet the admission requirements to study at BI, you can sign up for our English Preparatory School. Attend the 1-year intense English Preparatory Program before starting your degree.

A portfolio is required for applications to one of the programs at the Faculty of Architecture & Design. Feel free to check the portfolio guidelines below.

Portfolio Guidelines for the BA programs:

• BA Architecture
• BA Interior Architecture/Interior Design
• BA Graphic Design & Visual Communication

We are also offering webinars on the topic of ‘Portfolio Advice’ throughout the year. For information on upcoming dates and how to register, please visit our current dates page. 

If you have missed a recent webinar, then simply email us and we will be happy to send you the link to the recording.

Portfolio Guidelines for the MA Interior Architecture/ Interior Design and MA Interior Design programs:

• MA Interior Architecture/Interior Design
• MA Interior Design