Application

Application procedure

• It is only possible to apply for one of the concentrations (DCP or OBAC). Double applications may lead to immediate rejection.
• The application deadline for the MSc programme can be found here.
• The application takes place via online procedure (only unlocked during the application period). The online form must be completed, printed out, signed and then attached to the application together with the other documents. When submitting your documents, please note the sorting suggested in this overview.

Application requirements

Requirements include:

• Degree in a Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology for which a standard period of study of at least three academic years has been set, or a degree recognised as equivalent.
• At least 75 percent of the programme must consist of psychological content (i.e. in the case of a Bachelor's degree with 180 ECTS credits, at least 135 ECTS credits must be attributable to the subject of psychology).
• Average grade of at least 2.0 or ECTS Grade B

Not required are, among others:

• subject focus in terms of content (e.g. clinical psychology for the DCP focus) as well as.
• completed Bachelor's thesis

Further information from the Central University Administration on the application procedure can be found here.

Application documents

Please make sure that you do not submit any original documents, but only photocopies! These must only be certified in the case of international certificates, in the case of German documents/certificates simple copies are sufficient.

The necessary documents are listed on the pages of the Central University Administration. Only the information there is legally binding._ If these are not taken into account, your application may be rejected for formal reasons. The documents listed below are a recommendation of the Department of Psychology for the subject-specific application for the MSc Psychology:

1. the completed and printed online application form (only unlocked during the application period).
2. the Bachelor's degree certificate (if available at the time of application) or an equivalent certificate. If the degree has not been awarded by the end of the application period, a transcript of records from the university will suffice. The applicant takes part in the selection procedure with an average grade, which is determined on the basis of his/her previous examination results; the result of the degree is then disregarded, but must still have a grade point average of at least 2.0.

Due to the early application deadline, a completed Bachelor's thesis is not expected at the time of application.

Master's selection test

• The optional Master's selection test can be used to acquire additional points for the assessment of the application. Participation in the test is optional. You can only improve your score by taking the test, i.e. no minus points will be awarded. In the worst case, you will not receive any additional points (see below Evaluation of the test).
• If the test is not taken, only the Bachelor's degree grade (or the current grade average at the time of application) will be taken into account, as well as additional qualifications.
• The test result is only valid for one application procedure. If you apply again in the following year, you must take the test again.
• The test will test the basic knowledge of a polyvalent Bachelor's programme in psychology, according to the recommendations of the DGPs, as implemented e.g. in Heidelberg. You can view the contents of the Heidelberg Bachelor's curriculum using the [Module Handbook](https://www.psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/beratung/bachelor/files/MHB + PO/Modulhandbuch_BSc_Version_2016_05_17.pdf).
• The test lasts 90 minutes and is in multiple-choice format. There is a separate test for each focus.
• Registration for the Master's selection test is initially made via the online application form. Applicants who fulfil the formal entry requirements for the Heidelberg Master of Psychology will receive an e-mail with further information on test participation and a final registration option in the course of the application.
• Dates and deadlines for the Master's selection test can be found here.
• Information sheet on the test structure and sample questions (PDF)

Additional qualifications and special features

Additional documents that emphasise your own qualifications for the desired specialisation should also be enclosed as copies with your application. Please note that these can only be considered if evidence of type, extent and duration is enclosed. Additional qualifications include, for example, stays abroad, student assistant work, voluntary work, publications, conference contributions. More detailed information on additional qualifications can be found in the Checklist.

In the case of a change of name, please enclose appropriate proof.

Applications with a Bachelor's degree from abroad

Applicants from international universities are also welcome to apply. It is not always possible to predict with certainty whether your degree will be recognised by Heidelberg University, but a relatively good indication is provided by the "Informationssystem zur Anerkennung ausländischer Bildungsabschlüsse" (anabin). The grades are converted by the Department of International Relations without your intervention. Information from the Central University Administration on Application and enrolment for international students can be found here.

In the case of international applications, the following documents must be enclosed in addition to the documents specified above:

1. Certified copies and, if applicable, Translations (German or English) of the documents. Documents from abroad must always be certified, domestic ones not. Translations by state-certified translators do not have to be certified separately. 2.
2. for applicants without a German-language university entrance qualification: proof of German language skills.
3. if your previous degree was not a German Bachelor's degree in psychology: a short description (overview, approx. 1 page) of the previous degree programme, if applicable with reference to the relevant website of the degree programme.
4. for applicants from the PR China and Vietnam: APS original.

Application office

All prospective students with German nationality should send their application documents to:

Heidelberg University
Dept. 2.1 Student Administration
Seminarstr. 2
69117 Heidelberg

Email: studium@uni-heidelberg.de
Telephone: +(0)6221 - 545454
Fax. +(0)6221 - 543503 (0)
Office: Seminarstr. 2, Room 061

All prospective students with international nationality should send their application documents to:

Heidelberg University
Department of International Relations
Dept. 7.1
Seminarstr. 2
D-69117 Heidelberg

Website: www.uni-heidelberg.de/studium/kontakt/auslandsamt

University changers who would like to change to Heidelberg for the summer semester, please send their application documents to:

Heidelberg University
Dept. 2.1 Student Administration
Seminarstr. 2
69117 Heidelberg

Email: studium@uni-heidelberg.de
Telephone: +(0)6221 - 545454
Fax. +(0)6221 - 543503 (0)
Office: Seminarstr. 2, Room 061

Selection among applicants

The following sections are an excerpt from the [Admission Regulations](files/Psychologie MSc ZulO, 23.07.2020.pdf)

(1) If the number of applicants qualified according to § 3 exceeds the total number of study places available in each specialisation programme, the selection shall be made according to the following criteria.

(2) The selection shall be made on the basis of the written application documents and, if applicable, an admission test according to the following criteria:

1. Type, orientation and overall grade of the final examination, which is an admission requirement according to § 3 Para. 1 No. 1: The final grade (unrounded), determined to the first decimal place, of the first higher education degree qualifying the applicant for a profession or the calculated mean value of the graded certificate of achievement shall first be converted into a point value according to the formula "60 - 30 x grade". This calculated value can be changed downwards by five points by the admissions committee after taking into account the type and orientation as well as the relative grade of the (previous) degree. Point values below 0 points are set to 0 points.

2. If applicable, the result of an admission test. A separate admission test is offered for each specialisation according to § 2 Para. 1. The place and time of the admission test will be announced on the department's website with an appropriate lead time.
Applicants who take part in the admission test can acquire up to 20 additional points. A necessary condition for the award of additional points is that the proportion of correctly answered test items exceeds the level expected by chance. Therefore, additional points will only be awarded if the number of correct answers is at least 30% of the maximum number of points.
The number of additional points is determined on the basis of individual performance relative to the distribution of scores of all participants in a year whose number of correct answers corresponds to at least 30% of the maximum achievable score. For this purpose, the test performances of these participants are arranged in ascending order. The percentile ranks of the test performances are divided into 20 intervals corresponding to the best 5% (percentile ranks >95), the second-best 5% (percentile ranks >90 to 95), and so on. The number of additional points depends on the interval in which the individual partial performance falls:

If the scores achieved do not correspond exactly to the above percentage rank limits, the higher number of additional points will always be awarded for a score that lies on a percentage rank limit.

3. Other achievements that can provide special information about the aptitude for the chosen degree programme: An additional 10 points may be awarded for professional training or other achievements which provide special information about the aptitude for the chosen degree programme and which go beyond the usual skills to be acquired within the framework of the degree programme. 0 points are to be awarded if there is no professional activity or no other achievements or if the professional activity or the other achievements have no relation whatsoever to the intended degree programme. The maximum number of 10 points is to be awarded for professional activities or other achievements which can be ideally combined with the intended specialisation in the Master's degree programme in Psychology and show a high level of qualification. All other achievements that can provide particular information about the aptitude for the chosen degree programme and which are to be included in the assessment must be documented. This evidence must include the type, duration and scope of the activity. By awarding points in one-point increments, cases can be graded between the ideal-typical characteristics.

4. The addition of the points awarded under 1. - 3. gives the total number of points (0 to 60 points) decisive for the ranking list.

(3) The evaluation of the criteria is carried out by the admission committee in cooperation after consultation with corresponding subject representatives of the institute and a ranking list is drawn up for each of the focal points. According to this ranking list, the applicants with the highest rank shall be admitted up to a maximum of one, taking into account an appropriate overbooking factor to compensate for a probable non-acceptance of study places. In the event of equality of rank, § 20 Para. 3 HVVO shall apply.

Hardship case

For admission-restricted consecutive Master's degree programmes, Heidelberg University reserves up to five percent of the study places for cases of exceptional hardship. Before attaching this special application to your application, please read the following information carefully, as hardship applications are only approved in special exceptional situations, which are listed here as examples. Please note that even in the case of a hardship application, the grade criterion of 2.0 must be met, as well as a Bachelor's degree that consisted of 75% psychological content.

• Application and information sheet