FAQ

TUM offers a wide range of bachelor's and master's programs, as well as advanced degrees, certificates and many more. Visit our pages for more info.

TUM has a lot to offer - from international degree courses to exchange programs, mentoring programs, summer and winter schools .... visit our pages for international students to find out more.

For almost all programs at TUM, there is no specific grade point average (GPA) requirement. The offer of admission is based on several factors, and the grades only play a certain part. 

All applicants who complete the admission process successfully receive an offer of admission – there is no limited amount of places, and consequently there is also no waiting list or decision by lot. 

Detailed information on the admission process and the factors considered in it are described on our degree program pages. There, you will also find the contact details of the departmental student academic advisor if you have further questions about the admission process for a specific degree program.

Health and nursing care insurance are mandatory for all students in Germany. Therefore, proof of sufficient medical coverage and of regular contributions to a nursing care insurance plan must be submitted in order to enroll at a German university. In concrete terms, you should obtain proof of sufficient medical coverage before enrolling. Further details

The "Amt für Ausbildungsförderung" ("Educational Maintenance Office") is responsible for BAföG. Further information on applying for financial aid is also available from the Munich Student Union (Studentenwerk München).

• Exchange students can get in touch with the accommodation service for exchange and international program students.
• The allocation of rooms in the Munich student housing network takes place through the Munich Student Union.
• More information on accommodations (for German and international students)

For semester dates and deadlines, visit our pages.

Under certain conditions, you can study at the TUM without a general higher education entrance qualification. Further details

Admission to degree courses at TUM is handled by different admission procedures. There are degree courses with 

• unrestricted admission
• restricted admission - Numerus Clausurs (NC)
• aptitude test
• aptitude recommendation.

Click here to find out more.

TUM does not offer conditional admission.

If you intend to study at TUM, you need to fulfil all requirements for the program you apply for. This means that all documents proving all required qualifications, including the language skills, have to be submitted to TUM by the end of the designated deadline. If you are unable to prove sufficient language skills by then, we will have to reject your application. 

The qualifications you need to have for a certain program are listed on the degree program pages. There, you will also find the academic and examination regulations with more detailed information. 

TUM does not offer preparatory language courses.
 

For almost all programs at TUM, there is no specific grade point average (GPA) requirement. The offer of admission is based on several factors, and the grades only play a certain part. 

All applicants who complete the admission process successfully receive an offer of admission – there is no limited amount of places, and consequently there is also no waiting list or decision by lot. 

Detailed information on the admission process and the factors considered in it are described on our degree program pages. There, you will also find the contact details of the departmental student academic advisor if you have further questions about the admission process for a specific degree program.

Depending on the country in which you completed your A-Levels or IGCSE, certain preconditions apply. These are defined by the ministries of education. 

TUM is unable to offer any preliminary checks – we can only assess your qualification in the course of a regular application for a degree program. 

These are the general preconditions for applications with A-Levels or IGCSE. They are intended to provide an overview, and are in no way binding. More detailed about the specific requirements for your A-Levels or IGCSE is available in the ANABIN-database or via the office for certificate recognition. 

Graduation certificate

• General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level (GCE AL)

together with

• General Certificate of Education - Advanced Subsidiary Level (GCE AS)

or with

• Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)

or with

• Cambridge-PreU

enables direct, subject-specific university admission, provided that the basic requirements and subject-specific prerequisites are met:

1.1 basic prerequisites

You must provide proof of four examination subjects, which must be independent of each other and have general educational, non-vocational content. The following subjects must be included among the four examination subjects:

• a language
• mathematics or a natural science, e.g. biology, chemistry or physics.

at least three of the four subjects must be passed at the General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level (GCE AL), for the fourth subject the General Certificate of Education - Advanced Subsidiary Level (GCE AS) is sufficient.

1.2  Discipline-specific requirements for individual fields of study

• Humanities, law, social sciences, economics and art degree programs: a subject in the GCE Advanced Level corresponding to the chosen field of study
• for economics and social sciences, an additional GCE Advanced Level in mathematics
• Degree programs in natural science: two of the following GCE Advanced Level subjects: mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics
• Technical and mathematical degree programs: GCE Advanced Level in mathematics and one of the following GCE Advanced Level subjects: biology, chemistry, physics, informatics
• Medical degree programs: three of the following GCE Advanced Level subjects: mathematics, biology, chemistry, physics

If you apply with your SAT, certain conditions have to be met. These are defined by the ministries of education. 

To learn more about the specific requirements, please refer to the ANABIN-database or the office for certificate recognition. 

TUM is unable to offer any preliminary checks – we can only assess your qualification in the course of a regular application for a degree program. 

For some degree programs, the GRE or GATE is required for applicants with a qualification acquired in certain countries, for others it is optional but may boost your score in the admissions process. Please contact the departmental student academic advisor to learn about the specifics – the contact detail can be found on the degree program homepage.

Currently, the GRE and/or GATE are relevant for these programs: 

• All master’s degree programs offered by the Department of Informatics: GRE (general) or GATE, if you have completed your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. your bachelor’s) in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China or Iran. Minimum score: QR 164, AW 4.0.
• M.Sc. Mathematics in Data Science: GRE (general) or GATE, if you have completed your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. your bachelor’s) in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China or Iran. Minimum score: QR 157, AW 3.5.
• M.Sc. Materials Science and Engineering: GRE (general) or GATE, if you have completed your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. your bachelor’s) in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, China or Iran. Minimum score: QR 157, AW 3.0.
• M.Sc. Matter to Life: GRE (subject) with a score of at least 700.
• M.Sc. Computational Mechanics: GATE, if you have completed your qualification for postgraduate studies (e.g. your bachelor’s) in India.
• M.Sc. ESPACE and M.Sc. Environmental Engineering: GATE or GRE (general) may be submitted optionally to enhance your application 

Please note: This information is intended as an overview and non-binding. Detailed information on the GRE/GATE requirements are available in the academic and examination regulations of each degree program. 

The GRE at Home is also accepted.

To study at TUM, you need to be admitted to a degree course as well as enrolled as a student at TUM.

Admission is granted if you fulfil the formal criteria and/or pass the admission process for a degree program. This means that you are qualified for the degree program you applied for and are therefore offered a study place. Admission to a degree program is necessary to be enrolled. 

Enrollment (or immatriculation) means becoming a student at TUM. By being enrolled, you are granted student status, you can sign up for courses and exams, use the library etc. 

During the application process, a clear distinction is made between documents required for admission and documents required for enrollment. 

The exact nature of the documents required for each step may vary depending on your previous studies, qualification etc. TUMonline generates an individual list for you at the end of the online application process. 

Please note that the deadlines for the submission of the documents for admission and for enrollment may be different - for more information, please refer to the degree program you intend to apply for. 

Apart from a high motivation, there are several formal requirements you must meet in order to study at TUM.

The specific requirements vary depending on your personal background and the degree course you are interested in. To find out more about the specifics, visit our pages on application at TUM.

In general, TUM can only check your qualification in the course of a regular application – a preliminary check or assessment is not possible. Please note that TUM only checks compliance with the given standards for higher education - the decision whether a school leaving certificate is accepted as qualification for higher education in Germany is made by the ministry of education.

To find out whether your qualification (e.g. your school leaving certificate) qualifies you to study at TUM, online databases with further information are available. The DAAD offers information, and you can also refer to the ANABIN database.

If you are qualified for higher / university education in your country but not in Germany, you can acquire the necessary qualifications by visiting the Studienkolleg (preparatory study).

TUM does not offer preparatory language courses. You have to acquire the required language skills for admission at another institution or school. 

If you already study at TUM, i.e. are enrolled as regular student, you can use the services offered by the TUM language center. 

TUM only offers the second stage of studies in medicine - clinical work. This means that you can not start your medical studies at TUM.

Concerning the first stage of medical studies – pre-clinical work – we cooperate with LMU Munich. At LMU, you can apply for medical studies. Students having completed the first part of their medical studies at LMU can choose to continue their studies at TUM. 

Students having completed the first part of their medical studies at a different university can only be accepted if study places remain available after accepting all students from LMU. This is why we have been unable to accept external (non-LMU) applicants for several years. 

Medicine is exclusively taught in German. 

The purpose of the aptitude test is to evaluate your suitability for the desired degree program based on certain criteria (e.g. certain subject-specific grades from your university entrance qualification report).
More information

• If you wish to apply for a bachelor's degree program and you have a foreign university entrance qualification, you must first have your documents reviewed by uni-assist(service centre for international students)

• Under certain circumstances, you may be required to enroll in the Studienkolleg (preparatory studies program)..

Click here for further details on international applications.

Each master's program has specific requirements your bachelor's degree needs to meet in order to qualify. Executive master's degrees also require professional experience. 

Please be aware that we are unable to check your qualification beforehand – we can only make a valid assessment during a regular application, i.e. when all of your documents are available. To read up on the requirements of a particular program, you can check out our degree program pages. There, your will also find the academic and examination regulations with more detailed information on the qualification requirements. 

Since the requirements vary depending on your degree as well as the degree you with to apply for, we advise you to contact Student Advising or the Departmental Student Advisor for your particular degree program. The contact details are also available on our degree program pages.

To find out more about the online application via TUMonline, please visit our pages on online application. 

The application period for each program is described in our degree program overview. Outside of these periods, an application is not possible. In our degree program overview, select the program you intend to apply for and refer to the section “what application deadlines do I need to meet?”.

Most programs start in the winter semester (october), many programs also offer an application for the summer semester (april). This is also described in the degree program overview. If the possibility of applying for the summer semester is not explicitly stated, an application is only possible for a start in the winter semester.

If you are unable to select a program in the online application, please check whether the application period has already started. If not, an application is currently not possible. 

We strongly advise you to find out all about the specific requirements for your desired degree program before you apply. 

Starting an online application without having access to the required documents or grades is not advisable. We do not admit students based on how early they apply, but based on their suitability.

You will, however, have to comply with the application deadlines.  

Your applicant number is stated in your TUMonline Account.

Under “My Applications”, your applicant number can be found at the very top of the page. 

The applicant and application numbers are generated only when an online application is submitted. You can then enter these numbers in all documents if they are required. You can then upload the documents in your application. The documents can be submitted after the application has been sent until the application deadline. Please use the application status in TUMonline for this purpose.

In your document checklist provided in your TUMonline Account, you will find a list of all documents you need to submit to TUM and their respective status.

Here is what the status mean:

• not provided: This means that we have not yet received the document. Please be aware that due to the high number of applications we receive, it may take up to several weeks before we can process your documents.
• received: This means we have received the document, but have not checked it yet.
• incorrect: This means there is some kind of problem with the document. Be sure to check the document details to find out what you need to do to remedy the issue.
• ok: This document is ok, and you do not have to do anything else about it.

Overview of document status in TUMonline - Download as PDF (0.1MB)

If your citizenship changes, email the Citizenship Change Notification Form to studiumspam prevention@tum.de. 

Please note that we need a scan of an official document or identity document (e.g. ID card) as proof. 

Download: Form for notifying a change of nationality (PDF, 1.1MB)

Successful studies regularly require a computer with Internet access – ideally a laptop or notebook for mobile working. Without this technical equipment, e.g. participation in digital courses or digital exams, work on research projects, or even writing scientific papers is not possible or only possible to a very limited extent.

Students who do not own such a device or for whom the purchase represents too high a financial burden can obtain information about possibilities of financial support from the Munich Student Union or also from the advisory services of TUM. Please also note our job offers for student assistants.

The type and number of documents required for application depends on your personal background and the degree course you apply for.

TUMonline will generate a complete list for your individual application at the end of the online application process. 

To give you a first idea, these are some of the documents most frequently needed in an application: 

• Higher Education Entrance Qualification
• First University Degree (Bachelor's Degree)
• proof of internships or professional experience
• proof of language skills
• CV
• letter of motivation
• essay

The most important deadline is the application deadline. You will find the deadline for every program in our program overview.

Within the specific deadline, you need to submit your online application and upload all documents for admission as well as the application for admission.

The deadlines for the submission of documents can be found in the degree program overview. Generally, all documents have to be provided by the end of the respective deadline. The details regarding your individual case will be displayed in your TUMonline account.

If you are unable to prove the required level of language proficiency by the end of the designated application deadline, we will be unable to consider your application. After the deadline, no documents will be accepted. 

For admission, you do not have to submit any documents as hardcopies.

Only after you have received an offer of admission and accepted your study place will we require certain documents (e.g. diplomas or certificates) as certified hardcopies. Detailed information about the required documents will become available in TUMonline after you accept your offer of admission. 

Copies of certificates obtained outside of the TUM can be certified/norized by a public authority (e.g. at the municipal registration office), a notary or (in cases where a translation is needed) by a sworn interpreter. More information

• The diploma is an official document with a seal, confirming you have been awarded a particular academic title by a university.
• The certificate is an offical document verifying that you have successfully passed your degree program examination and indicates the overall grade earned on the examination. It also states the topic of and overall grade for your thesis. In some cases, the certificate may also list your final grades in individual components of your degree program.
• Both of these documents must be submitted when applying for a master's degree program (see your document checklist in TUMonline).You can submit the diploma/certificate up to five weeks after classes begin, but please note that you will not be fully enrolled until these documents have been submitted.

Please note: In some countries a single document may act as both diploma and certificate, i.e. confirming your academic title as well as stating your grades. 

Our glossary of documents explains every document you need for an application. You can also find out more about the required form of every document - i.e. simple copy, notarized copy etc.

No, we require a VPD issued specifically for TUM.

This is not possible, because the VPD for a application for a bachelor’s degree and the VPD for an application for a master’s degree are completely different documents:

• A VPD for a bachelor’s application checks your secondary school diploma and converts it into the German grading system.
• A VPD for a master’s application checks your undergraduate degree and converts it into the European ECTS-System.

The semester you select on the uni-assist website is not relevant for TUM. Please always choose the current semester, as this will enable you to apply for the VPD. It will remain valid regardless of the selected semester.

Please do not choose a specific program on the uni-assist website. Choose “TUM” and “all subjects”. 

• You can download your proof of enrollment directly from TUMonline. This document can be found under "Print Documents" in your TUMonline profile.
• Along with your proof of enrollment, you will also find a confirmation of enrollment to present to the Deutsche Bahn, as well as your enrollment record and verification of study periods for German Pension Insurance (DRV Bund) for download.

• You can only download your student documents for the upcoming semester once you have (re-)enrolled and paid your student fees in full. Once this has been done, the menu item "Print Documents" appears in your TUMonline profile.
• If the menu item still does not appear or if you are experiencing difficulties downloading your documents, please contact studiumspam prevention@tum.de, state your full name and application number, and provide a detailed description of the problem.

If the information in your student documents is incorrect, please write to studiumspam prevention@tum.de stating your full name, application number and a detailed description of the problem.

• Go to your profile in TUMonline, click on "Study status/Curriculum" and choose the desired examination from your schedule of courses.
• If you would like to sign up for an exam that is not part of your curriculum, click on "Exam Registration/Withdrawal" in your profile. Here you can search and register for the relevant exam by clicking on "Register".
• How-to register for exams (manual provided by IT-Support)
• If you are experiencing difficulties registering for an exam, please contact it-support@tum.de stating your full name, student ID number and a detailed description of the problem.

Go to your profile in TUMonline and click on "Student Performance Record". Here you can download and print out an examination record or grade report showing all your grades to date.
If you encounter problems or have further questions, please contact it-supportspam prevention@tum.de.

The most common reasons why exam registration does not work are as follows:
1. Exam details are incorrect (number, title, date).
2. The exam has not yet been created or released for online registration.
3. Deadlines for the examination have passed. In this case, the exam no longer appears in the system or the registration button is hidden.
4. The exam does not yet have a date and therefore does not appear in the system.

Solution:
Please contact the relevant Student Affairs Office and describe the problem.

There are no tuition fees per law in Germany. 

In order to study at TUM you do, however, have to pay the student union fee and a solidarity contribution for the Semester Ticket. To find out more about the current amount and methods of payment, visit our homepage.

Please note that some executive master's program charge additional fees. 

Yes, generally speaking you still have to pay your fees. Under certain conditions you can, however, apply for a refund. More information on fees

Students completing two degree programs (dual degree) at the TUM simultaneously are only required to pay their student fees once. Students enrolled at two different universities at the same time are also only required to pay the student union fee and the solidarity contribution at one university, but proof of payment must be provided to the other university.

Generally no. There are, however, exeptions for seriously handicapped students - find out more.

• Your fees should be paid as soon as possible after notification of admission. Only after our records show that we have received full payment may you enroll at the TU München and gain student status.
• More information on paying student fees

Your student fees account can be found in your TUMonline profile under "Tuition fees". (TUM Wiki: Manual provided by IT-Support)
Your account page gives you an overview of payments made, as well as outstanding payments, and provides information on how to make a bank transfer.

If you encounter problems or have further questions, please contact studium(at)tum.de.

The fee for the semester ticket ist automatically collected with the Student Union fees upon enrollment. The Semester Ticket authorizes students with a valid student ID to use all forms of transportation within the MVV network during the week from 6 pm to 6 am (during off-peak hours) and on weekends and holidays. For students wishing to use their Semester Ticket for dialy travel to and from the university, we recommend the IsarCard Semester.

The IsarCard Semester is a supplementary ticket which entitles students bearing a student ID and an official photo ID card to use all forms of transportation within the MVV network without restrictions.

You can purchase it at MVV sales pointes, for more info visit the MVV pages. 

TUMonline always shows your student status as of today. The enrollment in a master's degree course is only valid from the first day of the first semester of your master's degree - so the status is updated on the first day of the next semester. 

Winter semester starts on 01.10., summer semester on 01.04. 

The application “degree programs” in TUMonline lists all current degree programs. Via the applicable version of the Academic and Examination Regulations, you can view the course schedule and the semester plan. 

The term module describes a superordinate unit within a degree course. It consists of a specific set of separate courses which are related in terms of their content. 

A course is completed within a single semester, while a module may contain courses and examinations which are spread over several semesters.

To give an example: 

• Module A
  • Examination XY im winter semester 2
    • Result XY
  • Courses offered within the module
    • course 1 in summer semester 1
    • course 2 in winter semester 1

The name of the module and the courses offered within it may be the same, but this does not have to be the case.

The application "module catalog" in TUMonline shows all published module descriptions. You will find them under the appropriate school/faculty/department etc. 

How-to