• School leaving certificate that gives access to a German university
• Final grade that meet criteria for admission at IUBH
• TOEFL (internet based version, minimum of 80 points) or IELTS (academic version, minimum of 6.0 points)

Please read our Guidelines for International Applicants carefully. You find these guidelines in the following PDF download:

Document Application form and Guideline for international applicants

Visa & Entry Requirements

I. General information

Students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway do not need a visa or residence permit for Germany. They receive a “Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung” (i.e., freedom of movement certificate) upon registering with the local authorities.

Students from Andorra, Australia (including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island), Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau), San Marino, Republic of South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States of America (including the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands) do not need a visa to enter Germany. You will be required to apply for a residence permit upon enrollment.

All other students require a German student visa (issued by a German Embassy or Consulate) before entering Germany. Please note that even if you come from a country (apart from those already mentioned) whose citizens can enter Germany with a simple travel visa, you must possess a German student visa in order to apply for the residence permit. If you don’t have it, you will be required to return to your home country. This regulation applies both to holders of a residence permit from another EU country and to persons who entered Germany with a visitor’s visa. There is no exception to this regulation.

II. The process

You can apply for your VISA at the nearest German mission, your find your mission here.

A student visa (if applicable) is required in order to officially enroll at Path 2 University College and the International University of Bad Honnef.

According to German law, the VISA officer is to examine the sincerity of the wish to study. Therefore the applicant needs to prove this sincerity by documents and appearance.

Visa processing will usually take up to 3 months, depending on the quality of your preparation. Your visa will be valid for up to 90 days, after which you need get the prolongation (We assists you in this process). Some embassies issue a visa whose validity starts on the day it is picked up. In such a case, if the visa is picked up in May, for instance, it will have expired before you actually arrive in Germany. Please clearify this with the German embassy in your country.

Language requirements

If you enter the IUBH directly, you need to show an IELTS Score of 6.0 in English language. If you attend the foundation year, generally an IELTS score of 4.5 is sufficient as you learn English within the programme.

According to the law, no German is required as the language of instruction in all IUBH programmes is English. However, some knowledge of German facilitates your daily life in Germany and also the VISA process as it underlines your sincerity to study in Germany.

Financial information

As stated above, the VISA officer is to make sure that the student has the sincere wish and the means to study in Germany. Therefore international students in Germany are required to provide confirmation of funding (covering tuition and living expenses) in order to obtain a visa and/or residence permit.

Students participating in the Foundation year: The price of the first year covers tuition, accommodation, lunch and further acitivities.

Students in IUBH programs: Tuition covers the cost of studying, further expenses need to covered by student´s funds – and therefore the embassy needs a proof for this funding.

The German embassy calculates 8.000,-€ per year for student´s cost of living. This means that you need to shows funds for tuition plus 8.000,-€ for the first year and a plausible explanation for the funding of the following years.

Application and documents needed

You can apply for a student visa at the nearest German Embassy or consulate.
You will normally be required to submit the documents listed below. The embassy, however, can ask for additional documents or further clarifications. Please check your local embassy or consulate for details – these are valid for your application.

• Visa application form (available at the embassy)
• A valid passport
• Admission Letter and Registrar’s Office Letter
  (available upon admission to P2UC or IUBH)
• Proof of sufficient funding (see above)
• Two passport photos (special regulations):
       - Size of photo: 35mm x 45mm
       - Size of head from hairline to chin: between 32 and 36 mm
       - The face has to be centered and clear
       - The light should be smooth and even on the face – no shadows,
          reflexions, or red eyes.
       - The background should be single-colored and there should be
          contrast betwen face and background
       - The photo should have a good quality and display colors realistically
       - You should look into the camera with a closed mouth and
          a neutral face expression
       - Your eyes have to be visible
       - Headdress is only allowed for religious reasons. If you wear a headdress
         make sure that the face is clearly visible from hairline to chin

The IUBH has a process of rolling admission, i.e. there are no fixed deadlines for admission. Bet please note that international Non-EU students need more time for the application and visa process. They should send there application by June 1st for the start of studies in September or by December 1st for the start of studies in March.

You can apply for a study place at IUBH up to two years before the programme starts 

Yes, principally it is possible to recognise course achievements. In order to check the possibilities of a recognition, we need a detailed documentation of your previous achievements. Please find further information here:

• Recognition of Course Achievements - Guidelines 
• Recognition of Course Achievements - Application Form

• A form for enrolment at our university that needs to be completely filled in and signed by you
• A certified copy of your secondary school leaving certificate and eventually university certificates that entitle to study at university
• Original-Score-Report of your TOEFL or IELTS with a test result no older than two years
• 1 Coloured photograph (among other things, this photograph will be displayed on your Student-ID-card)
• Eventually a certificate of exmatriculation (this is exclusively necessary if you have already completed studies or have been studying at another university in Germany or abroad)
• Health insurance certificate (this is the certificate of students' statutory insurance. When applying for this certificate, please inform your health insurance that the certificate is to be issued for your registration at university)
• The application form for your requested language (only if another foreign language is a integrated part of the curriculum in your study course)
• A copy of your ID-card or your passport (if you have more than one nationality we need an appropriate certificate for each nationality. If you do not have the German nationality, we need a copy of your respective residence permit)

Please note: only if you have submitted all documents completely, you will be enrolled and receive your certificate of enrolment. Your certificate of enrolment will simultaneously be your semester ticket for public transport