Design PF
DE
Picture: girl working on painting

You'd like to study design?

Welcome to Design PF!

 

Below you will find a description of the application process for the Bachelor programs at the School of Design. If you are interested in a master's program please go to that specific page.

 

Gather information

Visit our school and/or portfolio advising appointments, come to the Werkschau, talk to professors, research assistants and students. You may also have some very individual questions: If I can't finish my pre-study internship, what then? If my Abitur is postponed, will it all still be possible to start my studies?
No matter what is bothering you: Send an e-mail to our StudiCenter or call us at +49 7231 - 28 6724 or 28 6718, we will be happy to help. We also continue to offer information events and portfolio consultations (online and on-site).

Compile your application documents

For a Design PF application you need the following:

  • a certified copy of your certificate as proof of your university entrance qualification: Abitur certificate, Fachhochschulreife or Fachgebundene Hochschulreife (see FAQs).
  • International applicants please note our requirements for certificate recognition 
  • Curriculum vitae 
  • letter of motivation (max. 1 page) 
  • a selection of artistic works (the 'portfolio') 
  • international applicants: a German language certificate 

Everything there? Then you are ready to go!

Important steps in the application process

Application periods

Application period for BA in Accessory Design, BA in Jewellery:
April 15-30.

Application period for BA in Fashion, BA in Industrial Design, BA in Visual Communication, BA in Transportation Design:
April 15-30 and October 15-30.

Application periods for the master programs are stated on the respective program pages.

Upload of your application documents

Icon for a box with link and text

Please note: For a complete application, you must use our application portal AND our portfolio portal!

1) In the application portal you submit your personal data, your university entrance qualification, and, if necessary, your language certificate. 
Details about the application portal

2) Then you go to the portfolio portal and upload your CV, your letter of motivation and your artistic works (portfolio) as one pdf file.
Details about the portfolio portal and the artistic works

...and that's it!

The test of artistic aptitude

 

As soon as the admission committee has assessed your application documents (approx. 14 days after the application deadline), you can check in the application portal whether you will be invited to the artistic aptitude test. 

The aptitude test usually takes place on our premises and lasts one to two days. You will be given artistic tasks and subject-specific tasks to complete within a certain time frame. We also have a personal interview with you to get to know you a little better.

About two weeks after the aptitude test, you can read the results of the artistic aptitude test in the application portal.

More about the aptitude test

 

 

The start of studies

The Industrial Design, Fashion, Visual Communication and Transportation Design programs start every semester, the Accessory Design and Jewellery programs start only once a year in the winter semester. Please note that your admission letter is only valid for the immediately following semester and plan your application accordingly: if you have to do a pre-study internship, you must prove that you have completed or started the pre-study internship by the time you enroll in the first semester at the latest.

For enrollment, you will need proof of the semester fees paid, proof of existing health insurance, and, if applicable, a valid visa for Germany.
Read more in our FAQs

 

 

The preliminary internship

For a few of our degree programs, you will need to provide proof of a pre-internship when you enroll in your first semester:

BA in Accessory Design: 3 months pre-internship externally, or 3 weeks at our school*.

BA in Industrial Design: 
- with major 'Classic': 6 months pre-internship
- with major 'Digital': no pre-internship
More info

BA in Fashion: 3 months pre-internship externally, or 3 weeks at our school*.

BA in Jewelry: 12 months pre-internship externally, or as a technical pre-course for a fee at our school

BA in Transportation Design: 3 months pre-study internship

BA in Visual Communication: no pre-study internship

The preliminary internship has to be coordinated with our examination and internship office as well as with the study program. Here you can find all further information.

* Prerequisite for the 3-week pre-study internship at our school: admission to the program and sufficient places.

Further information

Please keep all notifications you receive from us carefully, as you may need them years later as proof (e.g. for child benefits or health insurance). This includes postal letters, but also digital communications such as emails.

Our FAQs contain answers to the questions most frequently asked by our prospective students.

This link will take you to our information events.

The contact addresses of the contact persons in the study programs can be found on the corresponding program pages.

The admission statutes, the study and examination regulations (SPO), the curricula of our study programs as well as the module handbooks can be found on the page 'Study and Examination Regulations'.