Admission Procedures

Admission to degree programs at TUM is handled in several different ways. This page provides an overview of the admission procedures.

Be sure to inform yourself about the details of the procedure for a specific program in the academic and examination regulations or the regulations on the aptitude assessment or aptitude recommendation.

Applicants will be granted admission to a program with unrestricted admission when

• the online application was submitted in time and complete with all required documents,
• and your documents have been reviewed. 

Certain programs require that an internship be completed before the start of studies. When applying for a Master's program, the applicant's Bachelor's degree will be checked to confirm that it is accredited. This is especially true if the applicant is transferring from another university.

Unrestricted degree programs

First, the applicant’s grade point average and subject-specific grades will be evaluated using a point system. Which grades are evaluated and how they are weighted depends on the applicant’s chosen degree program. Each program has a set of statutes that define the formula to be used. Depending on the degree program and the amount of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted or invited to an admissions interview or written test carried out by the school. The interview or test helps determine if the applicant is capable of successfully completing the desired degree program. For certain programs, the interview or written test is also intended to determine whether the necessary language requirements are met. For some programs, applicants below a certain point threshold may be rejected without an interview or written test.

Please note: In contrast to the Numerus Clausus programs, the number of spots available (capacity limit) is not fixed. We accept all applicants we feel are qualified. As such, no lotteries will be held after final selections have been made, and there will be no list of alternatives for unsuccessful applicants to claim unwanted spots.

Degree programs subject to aptitude assessment

NC degree programs have a fixed number of spots available, awarded primarily based on the applicant's grade point average and the amount of time the student has been waiting for a spot. This amount of time is defined as the number of semesters that have elapsed since completion of secondary studies and in which the applicant has not been admitted to a German university. Periods in which the applicant audited classes or studied abroad also count as waiting time. Applicants who are not admitted are automatically put on an alternatives list. These students may be admitted at a later date in the event a spot is not accepted by another student.

NC program eligibility will be based solely on the results of the past years. The grade point average of the last person to have been admitted constitutes the current NC standard. Since the number of applicants and their criteria (grades, waiting time, etc.) are unpredictable, it is still possible to apply with a lower grade point average than the current NC grades.

Degree programs with restricted admission

Please note: The application and admission for NC programs is coordinated via the dialogue-oriented service procedure.

In the initial stage of this procedure, the grades you obtained during your Bachelor’s program, as well as your written documents, will be evaluated using a point system.

For some degree programs, the first stage of the aptitude assessment differs for applicants who have obtained their Bachelor’s degree in a country outside the scope of the “Lisbon Convention”: They have to take an online test. You can find out whether this applies to your desired degree program on the respective program page in the section “How do I apply?”.

Depending on the number of points accumulated, applicants are either immediately admitted, rejected, or invited to a 20 minute admissions interview carried out by the school. In some cases interviews by telephone or video for international students are common. The interview helps determine if the applicant is capable of successfully completing the desired course of study. For some programs offered by the TUM School of Engineering and Design and the TUM School of Management a written test or the assessment of your academic qualification and your essay replace the interview.

Degree programs subject to aptitude assessment