How high is the Numerus Clausus (NC)?
Source: https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/study/before-your-studies/apply/numerus-clausus Parent: https://www.hu-berlin.de/en
How does the NC work?
The following information applies to applicants with a German university entrance qualification. International applicants please look here.
If you apply for a degree programme with NC, it will only become clear after the application deadline whether the available places are sufficient for all applications received. If yes, all applicants will receive a letter of admission and can enrol, the tables linked below will then show "all admitted". If not, there are three selection procedures that are independent of each other:
- University selection procedure (AdH),
- average A-level grade or final degree grade and
- waiting semester.
Various selection criteria are used. One of these is the average grade in the Abitur for undergraduate degree programmes and the final grade for Master's degree programmes. According to these criteria, the applicants are ranked for each selection procedure, which means that you will receive a place in each ranking. The highest-ranking applicants will receive a place on the degree programme. You can see from the tables linked below at which position in the ranking the last admission was made (including the 1st succession procedure).
If you are applying for an undergraduate degree programme, waiting semesters are the half-years since your Abitur during which you were not enrolled at a university in the European Economic Area (EEA). A maximum of ten waiting semesters are taken into account here. When applying for a Master's degree programme, semesters in waiting are only the half-years after the first university degree in which you were not enrolled at a university in the European Economic Area (EEA). A maximum of 12 waiting semesters are taken into account here. Contrary to rumours to the contrary, waiting semesters are automatic; you cannot be put on a "waiting list".
Enrollment quota for winter semester 2025/26
Master's degree
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Not barrier-free
Please note
The selection procedures take place separately. Grade and waiting semester are different procedures that have nothing to do with each other.
Explanations of the NC limit value table
Using the example of the Business Administration programme (BWL)
- 60% of the places ( university selection procedure column) were awarded according to a mixed grade calculated from the following three criteria:
- Average A-level grade (50% of the total),
- study-relevant practical work experience of 1800 hours (accounted for 30%),
- previous education based on successful attendance of a special preparatory course at a school or university (accounted for 20%).
- 20% of the places were then allocated according to the average grade of the Abitur (Abi ∅ grade column), with the last admission being a grade of 2.1.
- Finally, 20 % of the places were allocated according to semesters of waiting time (Waiting semester column). The last admission was two semesters of waiting time. Anyone who had less than two semesters of waiting time was therefore not allocated a place in this ranking.
Criteria 1.2 and 1.3 are not admission requirements, but can improve the ranking. The last admission was granted with a weighted mixed grade of 0,95.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find out in advance whether I will be offered a place?
No, this is not possible in NC degree programmes. The following tables only provide an indication of whether you would have been offered a place in the previous selection procedure. In the future, application behaviour as well as capacities and selection criteria may change in unpredictable ways.
Can I still apply to other universities to be on the safe side?
Yes, in any case! Please enquire about the modalities there, for example on the Hochschulkompass platform. You may even find a university that offers your desired degree programme without an NC!
To be on the safe side, can I apply for several degree programmes at the HU at the same time?
Yes, this is possible. However, please only apply for subjects that interest you and that you want to study. All information on applying to HU can be found on the Application page, specifically on the number of applications at HU. If you are not sure what you would like to study, you can make use of the study programm, also in preparation for a counselling interview.
This might also interest you
[### Change degree programme or subject
The explanations on the Numerus Clausus also apply if you are considering changing your degree programme or subject at HU for the first semester. Find out about the regulations here.](https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/study/during-your-studies/change-degree-subject)
[### Change university
Would you like to change universities? Here you can find out what you need to bear in mind.](https://www.hu-berlin.de/en/study/during-your-studies/change-university)