Applying with Certificates Issued Abroad – Work-Integrated Study Programmes

Applicants with certificates issued abroad who are not treated as German nationals* in accordance with Section 1(2) of the Ordinance on the Allocation of Study Places in North Rhine-Westphalia must request a VPD certificate from uni-assist before they apply to the company providing training and before they apply to HSBI. A request for the VPD certificate can be made throughout the year through the uni-assist website. Processing of the VPD request usually takes 4 to 6 weeks after receipt of your request and payment. For more information on the VPD certificate, please visit the website of uni-assist and our FAQ.

 

* Am I treated as a German national?

You are an applicant who is treated as a German national if at least one of the following statements applies to you:

 

1. You are a citizen of an EU or EEA country (all member states of the European Union plus Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway).
2. You live in Germany, at least one of your parents is a citizen of an EU or EEA country and works in Germany or has worked in Germany.
3. You live in Germany, your spouse or registered partner is a citizen of an EU or EEA country and currently works in Germany.
4. You have already completed a degree in Germany.
5. You have attended a German school abroad and have obtained a German university entrance qualification there.

If you are treated as a German national, you do not need a VPD certificate when applying through the university’s application portal.

 

If none of the statements above apply to you, you require a VPD certificate from uni-assist. Unfortunately, you will not be able to apply without the certificate.

Once you have your VPD proof, you can apply to the company providing training. Please find information on work placement offers and applications to companies in the company portal. For your application to HSBI, you will need a signed cooperation agreement. Please find the appropriate form in the download centre.

As an applicant with certificates issued abroad, you can apply through HSBI’s application portal. The application period is usually from 1 December to 15 July each year.  Please upload the application documents listed below to the university’s application portal:

• Proof of university entrance qualification (originals and certified translations into German or English produced by sworn translators),
• The VPD certificate from uni-assist (see step 1),
• Recognised language certificate,
• Copy of the cooperation agreement*.

*Please note: The work placement can be planned as an internship, part-time job or as an apprenticeship. Proof of this must be provided before registration through an agreement on the implementation of the work-integrated study (cooperation agreement) between the students, the company providing training and HSBI.

After you have applied, we need three physical signed copies of the cooperation agreement with the company providing training. Please submit these to HSBI by post or clarify with the company whether they will send us the documents.

Hochschule Bielefeld
International Office – Admissions
Interaktion 1
33619 Bielefeld

In the next step, we will review your application documents, the cooperation agreement and the suitability of your company. If necessary, you will be asked to provide further documents/proof. In order to ensure a smooth start to your studies, we kindly ask you, also in your own interest, to submit the requested documents in good time.

If everything is fine, we will send you:

1. A copy of the cooperation agreement signed by us by post. The company, too, will receive a signed copy of the cooperation agreement from us.
2. An admissions letter through HSBI’s application portal.
   In the admissions letter, which you can download from the application portal, you will find your personal registration deadline. You must have requested registration through the portal by the end of this deadline. Subsequently, you have 14 days to transfer the semester contribution and ask your health insurance provider to send the digital proof of your health insurance to HSBI.

 

Please find information on health insurance for students on our website. You will not be fully registered until the semester contribution has been booked in HSBI’s system and we have received all the required documents (including the digital notification of your health insurance).

After we have fully registered you, you will receive a letter with the credentials for our online campus. It may take a few days for you to receive the letter. Students who were already registered at HSBI in the past or still are keep their student ID no. and thus their credentials for HSBI’s online services.