Information on the NC and the allocation of study places (for German applicants and international applicants with equal legal status to German applicants)

What is an NC (Numerus Clausus)?

Literally translated, ‘NC’ means ‘limited number’ and refers to the fact that admission to certain degree programmes is usually subject to a capacity-based limit. The NC is sometimes mistakenly equated with the ‘grade point average’ (GPA) criterion used to determine admission.

The question is therefore not: What is the NC?

In fact, the NC represents the actual selection or admission threshold/rank of the last applicant to whom an offer of admission or admission was granted.

Selection thresholds vary from semester to semester, as they are always the result of supply (study places) and demand (the number of applicants with specific grades and waiting times).

What is waiting time and how is it calculated?

To calculate the waiting period, we need the date on which you obtained your university entrance qualification and the total number of semesters you have been enrolled at another higher education institution to date. The waiting period will be calculated automatically using this information.

Please note: If your university entrance qualification consists of both an academic and a practical component, the calculation of the waiting period depends on the date on which you completed the practical component.

Does a semester of leave count as a waiting period?

A semester of leave does not count towards the waiting period, as you remain enrolled during a semester of leave and therefore retain your student status.

How are places allocated for the first semester in Bachelor’s degree programmes with restricted admission?

1. Places are allocated to the following applicants before any others:

• Applicants with a prior entitlement to admission who were unable to take up their place due to performing military or civilian service
• Applicants who are members of an Olympic squad (OK), prospective squad (PK), supplementary squad (EK), junior squad 1 (NK 1), junior squad 2 (NK 2) or regional squad (LK) formed at national level (elite athletes).

2. The remaining places will be allocated according to the following priority quotas:

• 5 per cent for applicants for whom the rejection of their application for admission would cause exceptional hardship,
• 7 per cent for foreign nationals and stateless persons who are not treated as equivalent to German nationals,
• 3 per cent for applicants applying for a second degree,
• 2 per cent for applicants who are still minors at the start of the academic term and whose main residence is with their parents in the districts or independent cities associated with the place of study.

3. The remaining places are allocated as follows:

• 20 per cent based solely on the results of the university entrance qualification (HZB),
• 80 per cent based on the results of the university’s own selection process, with the following sub-quotas: 96.9 per cent based on a selection score derived from the HZB result and a grade improvement of 0.1 per waiting semester, with a maximum of 7 semesters.
• 3.1 per cent to vocationally qualified applicants who do not hold a general or technical university entrance qualification.

What criteria are used to allocate places to applicants for a second degree?

If you have already successfully completed a degree in Germany, you are considered an applicant for a second degree. Generally, 3 per cent of places are reserved for this group. Admission is based on a ranking list, which takes into account the final grade from your first degree and your reasons for pursuing a second degree. The following points are awarded for the final examination result of the first degree:

• Grades ‘excellent’ and ‘very good’ 4 points
• Grades ‘good’ and ‘highly satisfactory’ 3 points
• Grade ‘satisfactory’ 2 points
• Grade ‘sufficient’ 1 point

The following scores are awarded depending on the significance of the second degree:

1. ‘Compelling professional reasons’ 9 points:

Compelling professional reasons exist if the applicant is seeking a profession that can only be practised on the basis of two completed degree programmes.

2. ‘Academic reasons’ 7–11 points:

Academic reasons exist if, with a view to future employment in academia and research, a further academic qualification in a different degree programme is being pursued on the basis of previous academic and practical experience.

3. “Special professional reasons” 7 points:

Special professional reasons exist if the professional situation is significantly improved by the fact that the completion of the second degree programme usefully complements the first degree programme. This is the case if the career pursued through the second degree in conjunction with the first degree is to be regarded as a combination of two degree-specific fields of activity which, as a rule, cannot already be undertaken by graduates of either of the two degree programmes, and the applicant can demonstrate that they are aiming for this career. (Certificate from employer required!).

4. “Other professional reasons” 4 points:

Other professional reasons apply if the second degree is necessary due to the individual’s professional situation for other reasons, in particular to offset an unfair professional disadvantage or to expand the scope of the role performed with the help of the first degree.

5. “None of the above reasons” 1 point:

Where academic reasons apply, the score within the range of 7 to 11 points depends on the weight of the reasons, the achievements to date, and the extent to which the reasons are of general interest. If the second degree is pursued after a family break for the purpose of reintegration or re-entry into working life, this circumstance may be taken into account in the calculation of the score by awarding a bonus of up to 2 points, irrespective of the assessment of the project and its classification under one of the aforementioned categories.

How are university places allocated to those with vocational qualifications?

If the number of applications exceeds the number of places available under this quota, selection is based on the following criteria. To determine the ranking, the committee awards points as follows:

a) up to 3 points if the vocational qualification was obtained at a level exceeding the minimum requirements,

b) up to 3 points for professional experience corresponding to the vocational qualification,

c) up to 2 points for professional experience that is particularly relevant to the intended degree programme,

d) up to 2 points if there are other special reasons in favour of admission to the programme.

How are study places for Third-country nationals (non-EU/non-EEA nationals with a university entrance qualification from a non-EU/non-EEA country) allocated?

Applicants are selected primarily on the basis of their level of qualification, taking into account the diversity of the various nations. The level of qualification is determined by the grade point average of the grade reports for university admission in accordance with the assessment proposals of the Secretariat of the responsible Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB)).

Special applications (for German nationals and international applicants with equivalent status)

Certain groups of applicants may improve their chances in the admissions process or may even be allocated a specific quota within the admissions process.

Preferential admission following service

If you had already been admitted to the degree programme you applied for at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg but were unable to commence your studies due to service, you are entitled to readmission in the two semesters following the completion of your service. This entitlement is intended to protect you from any potential tightening of selection criteria and thus prevent you from suffering disadvantages regarding your educational opportunities as a result of performing such service.

‘Service’ in this context refers to voluntary service (Federal Voluntary Service, voluntary social year, etc.), service as a development aid worker, and the care or nursing of a biological or adopted child under the age of 18 or another relative in need of care for a period of at least 6 months up to 3 years. 
Proof of your previous admission and, consequently, the grounds for your preferential admission must be provided in writing.
Other humanitarian services or au pair placements do not fall under the recognised services. If in doubt, please clarify this with your organisation.
Further information can be found below under ‘Links’ in the section ‘Services (hochschulstart.de)’.

Hardship Cases

Places allocated under the hardship quota are awarded, upon application, to applicants for whom non-admission to a degree programme with restricted admission would constitute exceptional hardship.

The application is therefore only considered for a small number of people. Not every disadvantage, however difficult it may be perceived to be, justifies admission on the grounds of hardship.

Exceptional hardship exists where special reasons relating exclusively to the applicant – in particular health-related, social, disability-related or family-related reasons affecting the individual – make it imperative that the applicant be admitted to the programme immediately; reasons external to the individual (e.g. caring for a family member or close relative) are not taken into account.

Special health circumstances requiring immediate admission include, amongst others, a progressive illness or disability that makes a prolonged waiting period unreasonable and/or the fact that the chosen degree programme specifically promises successful professional reintegration.

The hardship and thus the grounds for the hardship case application must be substantiated in writing. The specialist medical report must provide sufficient commentary on the individual criteria. The report should contain information on the origin, severity, progression and treatment options for the illness, as well as a prognosis regarding the further course of the illness. It must also be comprehensible to medical laypeople. Suitable additional evidence includes, for example, a severe disability card or the assessment notice from the pension office.

A severe disability alone does not, as a rule, justify immediate admission under the hardship provision.

Compensation for Disadvantage: Application to Improve Your Average Grade

An application for compensation for disadvantage regarding your average grade takes into account particularly serious personal circumstances, for which you are not responsible, that have had a negative impact on your average grade.

Any factors that have hindered your performance and prevented you from achieving a better average mark would have a negative impact on the allocation of university places. If such circumstances and their effects are proven, your application for admission will be included in the allocation process with an improved average mark. The factors affecting your performance should have occurred in the three years prior to obtaining your university entrance qualification.

These circumstances must be justified in writing in the application for compensation for disadvantages and supported by a school report. This school report must state the average mark – which must also be specified to one decimal place – that you would have achieved without the impairment. Request the report as early as possible so that your school can prepare it before the application deadline. Further information on the content of a school report will be provided after you have submitted your application, along with a printout of your application form at the end of the application process. You must also enclose with your application all documents on which the school report is based, e.g. school reports and specialist medical reports

Compensation for Disadvantage: Application to Reduce the Waiting Period

An application for compensation for disadvantage regarding the waiting period takes into account particularly serious personal circumstances, for which you are not responsible, that have had a negative impact on the waiting period.

In the selection process based on waiting time, the number of half-years that have elapsed since the applicant obtained their university entrance qualification (e.g. A-levels) is taken into account. However, there may be circumstances that have delayed the acquisition of the university entrance qualification. The applicant will then have a shorter waiting period. In this case, the selection based on waiting time will be based on an earlier date of obtaining the university entrance qualification. The applicant therefore participates in the selection with a waiting period that would likely have been achieved without the delays.

If you wish to apply for an adjustment to your waiting time, you must also provide evidence that the acquisition of your university entrance qualification (e.g. A-levels) was delayed due to adverse circumstances. These adverse circumstances must have arisen during your school years.

These circumstances must be justified in writing in the application for compensation for disadvantage and supported by a school report. The school report should provide details of the reason for and duration of the delay in obtaining university entrance qualifications. Request the report as early as possible so that your school can prepare it before the application deadline. Further information on the content of a school report will be provided after you have submitted your application, along with a printout of your application form at the end of the application process. You must also enclose with your application all documents on which the school report is based, e.g. school reports and specialist medical reports.

Elite athletes

If you are a member of a national squad (German Olympic Sports Confederation) within a national governing body – whether as an Olympic squad member, a prospective squad member, a reserve squad member, a team sports squad member or a junior squad member – your application may be considered separately. A portion of the study places is reserved for such elite athletes. Please note that you are only eligible for this quota if your sporting career requires you to remain in a specific location.

How are university places allocated to third-country nationals (non-EU/non-EEA nationals with a qualification for university admission from a non-EU/non-EEA country)?

Applicants are selected primarily on the basis of their level of qualification, taking into account the diversity of the various nations. The level of qualification is determined by the average mark on the school-leaving certificates required for university admission, in accordance with the assessment guidelines of the Secretariat of the Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder (ZAB).