FAQ for prospective students

Application and deadlines

How do I apply?

All applications are submitted through the application portal of the University of Münster, also with a degree from outside Germany. You do not need to apply via uni-assist and no VPD is needed.

What are the application deadlines?

The deadline is January 15 for the Summer Semester and July 15 for the Winter Semester. The deadline is the same for EU and non-EU applicants. The application portal for the Summer Semester opens at the beginning of November.

We recommend that international applicants apply by November 30 (Summer Semester) or May 31 (Winter Semester). In an earlier decision round the best candidates already receive an offer. This gives you more time to apply for your visa. All other applicants have to wait until after the general deadline, because we can only decide once we know who has applied for the very limited number of places. An early decision for individual applicants is not possible.

Is there an application fee? Are there tuition fees?

There is no application fee and there are no tuition fees, including for non-EU students. You only pay the semester contribution once you are enrolled. You also need valid health insurance in Germany.

Can I submit documents after the deadline?

No. All required documents, including your language certificate and, where applicable, your APS certificate, must be uploaded by the application deadline. You can submit your application before the deadline and update it later with missing documents, as long as this happens before the deadline.

Can I apply before I have finished my Bachelor's degree?

Yes. The admission decision is based only on the courses you have completed at the time of the application deadline. Your final degree certificate has to be available at the latest at the time of enrollment.

Can I apply to this program and another Master's program at the same time?

You can apply for up to three Master's programs at the University of Münster at the same time. Studying two programs at the same time may be possible under certain circumstances. If you have questions about this, please contact us at datascience@uni-muenster.de

The application portal says "Application not possible at the moment". What should I do?

The portal is probably not open yet. It opens at the beginning of May (winter semester)/November (summer semester). If it has not opened yet, please check again every now and then.

Admission requirements

Which Bachelor's degrees are accepted?

The requirements for your Bachelor's degree are set out in the admission regulations (Zulassungsordnung) of the program. Please read them there: Admission regulations (Zulassungsordnung). Whether a specific degree meets the requirements is decided by the Admission Committee as part of the official application process. 

Due to the high number of applications we receive, we are not able to offer preliminary evaluations of academic documents or applicant profiles prior to the official application process.

Are the requirements stated in the admission regulations strict?

Yes. The limits are strict. Missing credits cannot be made up after admission, and an admission with conditions is not possible. Only courses that are part of your completed Bachelor's degree and appear on your transcript can be considered. Bootcamps, online courses (for example NPTEL) and certificates cannot be counted. Credits from individual units of other courses cannot be counted either. A course can only be counted if its content completely covers the required topics.

Which courses count as Mathematics?

Only courses in Analysis, Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics or Numerical Methods count towards the 20 ECTS in Mathematics. Physics courses and Operations Research do not count as Mathematics. Discrete Mathematics is normally classified by the Admission Committee as part of the mathematical foundations. The final decision on individual courses lies with the Admission Committee.

Can master's modules be counted?

Master's modules can be taken into account if they contain new content that goes beyond your Bachelor's studies and covers the required mathematics. Normally, only credits from completed degree programs are considered. If you hold additional credits from an unfinished degree, you can upload the documents, and the Admission Committee decides whether to take them into account.

Is there a minimum GPA?

No. There is no minimum GPA/CGPA. However, the program has restricted admission with very few places and many applicants. Your grade plays a role in the selection. The depth of your studies, possible interdisciplinarity and project or work experience also count. 

Can you check in advance whether my degree is suitable?

Unfortunately, no. Due to the high number of applications we receive, we cannot offer preliminary evaluations of academic documents or applicant profiles. Eligibility is assessed by the Admission Committee as part of the official application process. Please compare your transcript with the requirements on this page and in the admission regulations.

What happens if I am on the waiting list?

You have to sign up to be on the waiting list: Being on the waiting list does not mean you will be considered automatically. If places are offered to applicants on the waiting list, you will receive an email. It tells you how long you have to state in the application portal whether you want to take part. If you do not respond by then, you are permanently removed from the admission process.

We cannot give applicants their exact ranking or position on the waiting list. Whether a waiting list procedure takes place depends on whether admitted applicants accept or decline their offers. Applicants must apply explicitly to a specific degree program, so it is not possible to be transferred to another program.

Degrees from outside Germany

How do I convert my credits into ECTS?

Calculate the average number of credits you completed per semester and divide this by 30, which is our standard number of ECTS per semester. This gives you a conversion factor that you can apply to your transcript. The official conversion is carried out by the Admission Committee, because no fixed factor can be given: it always depends on the study program and the university.

Example: Your Bachelor's degree has 8 semesters and 140 credits in total.

1. Average credits per semester: 140 / 8 = 17.5 credits.
2. Divide this by 30 (our standard ECTS per semester): 17.5 / 30 = 0.58. This is your conversion factor.
3. To convert a course into ECTS, divide its credits by this factor. A course with 4 credits corresponds to 4 / 0.58 = approx. 6.9 ECTS.

In total, your 140 credits correspond to 8 x 30 = 240 ECTS. The official conversion is carried out by the Admission Committee, because no fixed factor can be given: it always depends on the study program and the university.

(Mathematical and Computational Data Science Track) The online application and the self-disclosure form ask for credits differently. What should I enter?

The online portal and the self-disclosure form are two separate things. In the online portal, please enter ECTS points as the fields ask. A rough estimate is sufficient, and you do not need to correct the values later. In the self-disclosure form, please enter your credits according to your home university's credit system and do not convert them.

I am an applicant from India/China/Vietnam. Do I need an APS certificate?

Yes. Without the APS certificate, your application is not complete. It has to be uploaded by the application deadline. If your preliminary certificate already carries the note "Direct Access", you may not need to update it, but please check the current APS requirements yourself.

Language requirements

Which language is the program taught in?

The program is taught in English. Proof of English at B2 level is required.

Which English certificates are accepted?

• IELTS
• TOEFL iBT, including the Home Edition. We do not set a fixed minimum score.
• Oxford Test of English Advanced.
• A Medium of Instruction (MOI) certificate from your university confirming that your Bachelor's or Master's degree was taught entirely in English.

A course on your transcript that does not state a language level is not sufficient. The final decision on whether a document is accepted lies with the Admission Committee. All certificates must be available by the application deadline.

Do I need German?

German language skills are only required for the Pharmaceutical Data Science track. They must already be proven at the time of application, and it is not possible to be admitted first and learn German afterwards. The general admission pages of the university mention German requirements for some applicants. For this program, the track-specific rule above applies.

Study organization

Is the program a full-time program?

Yes. It is a full-time, on-campus program and is explicitly not designed to be studied alongside full-time employment. There is no part-time study option, but there is also no maximum duration of study. You can put together your workload individually and take fewer modules per semester. 

Can I study remotely or online?

No. The program is an on-campus program, and online participation from abroad is in most cases not possible.

Visa, late arrival and enrollment

Can I defer my admission to the next semester?

No. An admission cannot be deferred. To keep your place, you have to enroll for the semester you were admitted to.

What if my visa is delayed?

Your enrollment remains valid even if you arrive late. We can issue a Late Arrival Letter that you can use for the embassy. There is no fixed latest arrival date. However, we recommend arriving as early as possible and no later than four weeks after the start of the lectures. 

Do I miss anything if I arrive late?

If you are not present at the start of the semester, you may not be able to complete coursework or course achievements (Studienleistungen) during that semester. Please contact the lecturers directly and ask for course materials and whether this is possible. Whether lectures are recorded is up to each lecturer, and there is no guarantee that materials are provided in advance.

Who is responsible for enrollment, health insurance and the enrollment certificate?

The Studierendensekretariat and the Master's Office are responsible for enrollment matters. Please contact them directly with these questions.

Funding, housing and general advice

Are scholarships available?

Information on scholarships at the University of Münster can be found on the scholarship page. For DAAD scholarships, please contact the DAAD directly.

Where can I find housing in Münster?

The university does not offer apartments itself, but there is dedicated student housing. More information can be found on the housing page. The classifieds page nadann.de is only available in German but can sometimes be helpful.

Who can I contact?

All information on the admission requirements, the application procedure and the required documents is available at https://www.uni-muenster.de/Datascience/.

If you read everything carefully and have further questions please send your questions to datascience@uni-muenster.de.