Faculty of Business and Economics

Admission requirements

The following list provides an overview of the admission requirements for doctoral study. Please also read the document Regulation on Particular Qualifications for Entry.

  • 1. Successful completion of a master's programme with a standard period of study of at least one year (in addition to a bachelor's degree with a minimum of 300 ECTS credits) or an equivalent degree from a German institute of higher education, or from an institute that is a signatory of the Bologna Accords. The master's degree must also be in, or related to a field of study represented at the Faculty of Business and Economics. The master's degree must also be considered as particularly suitable for completing a doctoral degree in accordance with paragraph 5 of the Regulation on Particular Qualifications for Entry.

  • 2. Deviating from requirement 1 (above), a total of 240 ECTS credits from a master's degree, bachelor's degree, additional study or exam credits will be accepted as long as the grade point average is at least a 1.5 for the respective degree.

  • 3. If your degrees are from a country that is not a signatory of the Bologna Accords, you must provide proof of the degree's equivalency. For this process, we will consider the advisement of the Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) of the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Federal States of the Federal Republic of Germany (KMK) for recognition and evaluation of the qualification to be considered. The grades of the foreign degrees must also be translated into the German grading system.

  • 4. Grades / Transcripts

    • a. Proof of grades (such as a transcript) of bachelor's, master's, or comparable degrees totaling at least 100 credits in the field of study that you will be pursuing doctoral studies, or
    • b. Proof of grades (such as a transcript) of bachelor's, master's, or comparable degrees totaling at least 30 credits in the field of study that you will be pursuing doctoral studies; and proof of grades (such as a transcript) of bachelor's, master's, or comparable degrees totaling at least 70 credits in other subjects, that your primary advisor considers useful in terms of your intended dissertation topic. In this case, a declaration of the relevance of the previous studies must be submitted by the respective first supervisor.


  • 5. Applicants who neither have a German higher education entrance qualification nor have acquired their Bachelor's or Master's degree or an equivalent degree at a German higher education institution must have sufficient knowledge of the German language. Proof is provided by passing the examination in accordance with the examination regulations for the German Language Examination for the Admission of Foreign Study Applicants (DSH) at the DSH-2 level.
    Applicants who have proven the required knowledge of the German language through the successful "Test Deutsch als Fremdsprache" (TestDaF) with at least four times TestDaF level 4 (TDN 4) or through the "Prüfungsteil Deutsch" of the "Feststellungsprüfung an Studienkollegs" do not have to take the DSH examination.

  • 6. Applicants who demonstrate a very good knowledge of the English language are exempt from providing proof of German language skills. Applicants whose native language is not English must have a very good knowledge of English. Very good knowledge of English must be proven with standardised or accredited certificates at least at level C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (CEFR) or comparable achievements:

    • a) Proof of achievement of at least one (business) English course at level C1 from an accredited university,
    • b) Cambridge English Scale: at least 180 points,
    • c) "International English Language Testing System" (IELTS Academic): at least band 7.0,
    • d) "Test of English as a Foreign Language, internet-based test" (TOEFL iBT): min. 95 points,
    • e) Global Scale of English (Pearson Academic): at least 76 points,
    • f) UNIcert, at least level III,
    • g) NULTE* certificates at level C1: Acert (Poland), CertACLES (Spain), CLES (France), UNIcert®LUCE (Czech Republic and Slovakia), UNI-LANG (United Kingdom). *Network of University Language Testers in Europe,
    • h) At least two years of schooling, study or professional experience in an English-speaking country within the last five years prior to receipt of the application for admission,
    • i) Successful completion of a degree programme taught entirely in English,
    • k) An education equivalent to the German higher education entrance qualification obtained at an English-speaking school.


    Other proof according to the "Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" (CEFR) may be admitted by the selection committee after a professional opinion by the Central Institution for Languages and Key Qualifications (ZESS) of the University of Göttingen.

    As a rule, the successful completion of the test (a-g) may not be more than three years prior to the date of application for admission to the doctoral programme.


  • 7. Master's degrees or equivalent degrees must have a final grade of at least 2.5, as well as proof of suitability and relevancy for the doctoral programme. The suitability should be outlined in the expose. Also, the final grade will be weighted less strictly if you are ranked as having:

    • a. outstanding suitability for the programme (1.0)
    • b. very good suitability for the programme (0.7)
    • c. good suitability for the programme (0.3)


    The graduate committee will evaluate suitability.


  • 8. Written confirmation or declaration by a faculty member (that is also a member of the examination board) of the Göttingen University Faculty of Business and Economics that they will supervise your doctoral studies pending acceptance to the programme.

  • 9. Admission is only provided when:

    • a. No intermediary (third-party) has been paid to suggest how to begin doctoral studies;
    • b. If in the context of the academic and administrative process of completing doctoral studies, no financial payments were made nor paid services were rendered nor unpaid services were used whose intention and purpose violate the doctoral examination process;
    • c. There are no grounds to justify revocation of the doctoral degree; and
      the above conditions are assured by the applicant.




Admitted candidates will receive written confirmation of their admission by the Dean's Office. The admission letter includes a date by which the applicant must declare their acceptance in writing. If the Dean's Office does not receive confirmation within the stipulated time frame, the offer of admission will expire. Applicants who are not admitted will receive a rejection letter.

Note that once you begin doctoral studies at the University of Göttingen, you must enroll (matriculate) yourself at the Registrar's Office.