Master's admission procedure

We are pleased that you are interested in the Master's programme in Chemistry in Göttingen! The programme is limited in admission. Therefore, a prior application to the faculty is necessary. Here you will find the most important information about the application as well as the corresponding forms.

Please be sure to submit your application documents by the deadline. You are also welcome to submit your application for admission early. This will make it easier for us to organise your application.

Application deadline for the winter semester 2024/25: 15 July 2024


  • The admission requirement is the successful completion of a subject-relevant Bachelor's degree with a standard period of study of at least 6 semesters and a scope of at least 180 ECTS credits.
  • The subject relevance is given if at least 126 credits have been acquired in the subjects chemistry, biochemistry, mathematics or physics, including at least 63 credits in chemistry. Of the 63 credits in chemistry, at least 6 must come from the areas of inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry.
  • The application can also be made if the Bachelor's degree programme has not yet been completed. However, at least 150 credits must have already been acquired at the time of application. In case of admission, the completion of the Bachelor's degree programme must be proven by 31.3. for admission to the winter semester and by 30.9. for admission to the summer semester.
  • Applications of foreign nationals and stateless persons with a recognised previous education certificate who are neither equivalent to Germans according to legal regulations nor nationals of another member state of the European Union or another contracting state of the Agreement on the European Economic Area nor have acquired their Bachelor's degree or an equivalent degree at a German higher education institution or at a higher education institution of another member state of the European Union or another contracting state of the Agreement on the European Economic Area additionally prove the subject-related relevance of the previous studies by completing an eAssessment of the Faculty of Chemistry.


Sufficient knowledge of German OR English must be demonstrated.
This can be demonstrated as follows:
  • German or English is the native language
  • Successful completion of a German or English-language degree programme
  • Language certificates:
    • For proof of German language skills: Level DSH-2 or TestDaF 4 x 4 or examination part "German" of the Feststellungsprüfung (assessment test) of the Studienkolleg.
    • For proof of English language skills at the level of CEFR C1, IELTS Band 7.0 or comparable according to the list in the Admission Regulations §2 (5).
The proof of language proficiency must usually be submitted with the application, but at the latest by 15.11. for admissions to the winter semester and by 15.05. for admissions to the summer semester.


Application documents must be submitted to us by post and with certified or electronically verifiable copies. If very long postal routes are to be expected, you can send us your documents in advance by e-mail in order to meet the application deadline. However, you can only receive a letter of admission as soon as we have received the printed documents.

The following must be submitted:
  • Application form
  • Proof of achievements from the Bachelor's programme (Transcript of Records, Bachelor's degree certificate, if applicable)
  • Proof of language proficiency, if applicable
  • If applicable, further documents that provide more detailed information on the subject relevance (e.g. module descriptions, information from the university on the conversion of local credits into the ECTS system).


After the application deadline, the selection committee for the degree programme meets and checks the applications received for formal criteria and the relevance of the previous studies. Decisions on the admission or rejection or necessary participation in the eAssessment of individual applicants are made accordingly. If there are more applications than places available, selection interviews are also held (this was not necessary in the last semesters).
The results are communicated to the Dean's Office, which issues the decisions. The notifications are sent out as soon as possible after the commission's decision, usually within 3 weeks after the application deadline. For those who still have to complete the eAssessment, the notification may be sent a little later, as soon as the result is available.
The notifications are sent by post. Admission notifications for applicants residing abroad are usually sent in advance by e-mail.


The admission letter describes the further procedure. Students who are already enrolled at Göttingen University apply for a change of course. Students from other locations have to re-enrol.
For the newly admitted Master's students, the Faculty offers an event shortly before the start of the semester, at which information on the structure of the study programme as well as various practical tips on studying are given. The event is aimed at all newly admitted students, but is especially important for students who come to Göttingen from other locations.
For international students, a student buddy is available to accompany them on their way into the degree programme and to assist with questions during the first weeks of study. The Dean's Office also offers individual advice to all new Master's students. To contact the student buddy and to make an appointment for counselling, please contact dekanat@chemie.uni-goettingen.de .

The Göttingen chemistry programme already includes extensive practical laboratory teaching in the Bachelor's programme. The practical skills acquired there are required for most of the practical courses in the Master's programme, especially in the field of inorganic and organic chemistry. We therefore recommend that you only apply with corresponding previous knowledge or plan enough time to catch up on the competences.
The following list gives you an overview of the practical laboratory skills acquired in the Göttingen Bachelor's programme. Our videos from the Virtual Lab support you in your considerations.

List of important practical laboratory skills:
If you are applying for a Master's programme in Göttingen and would like to choose inorganic, organic or biomolecular chemistry as your focus, you should be able to independently master the following laboratory techniques, among others: In addition, you should be able to handle alkali metals, hydrides and self-igniting substances such as metal organyls with confidence, as well as apply and evaluate common analytical methods (IR, MS, NMR, UV/Vis) for characterising substances with confidence.