Procedure
Table of contents
Online application
Click here for the online application
German applicants can find further information on the online application under Admissions Office and international applicants under International Office.
Here you can access the TU Dresden's study information system with an overview of the Bachelor's degree program in International Relations.
The application
Would you like to apply for a place on the Bachelor's degree program in International Relations? Then please read the information on the following page carefully. It provides information on admission requirements and deadlines, important notes, information on the application process and links to the online application portal and further information.
We look forward to receiving your application!
General information
We carry out a two-stage selection process to allocate the 39 places for the Bachelor's degree program in International Relations. This is divided into a written application section and a selection interview as well as a written language test in English.
Admission to the program is only possible in the winter semester.
The written application of German citizens with German university entrance qualification or Bildungsinländer must be submitted to the Admissions Office in due form and time. Applicants from EU and non-EU countries or German citizens with a foreign university entrance qualification should apply via the uni-assist online portal. In the case of an application via uni-assist, the processing fee must also be received by the application deadline.
Please also note the further information from the Admissions Office and the International Office.
Admission requirements
- the general higher education entrance qualification, which is proven by the Abitur certificate (for foreign applicants by a comparable certificate);
- for foreign applicants, additionally very good German language skills, which must be proven by the German Language Test for University Admission (DSH: level 2), the Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDaF: 4x4) or a comparable certificate. Please note that the certificate of German language proficiency must be enclosed with the application and cannot be submitted later.
Application deadlines for the academic year 2025/26
The application deadline is July 15 , 2025.
We ask all applicants who apply via the uni-assist applicant portalto submit the required application documents in full six weeks before the application deadline if possible, as the preliminary review of the documents takes some time.
These application deadlines apply to all applicants, i.e. also to former high school graduates. Further information can be found on the pages of the Study Information System (SINS) and the other pages of the ZIS.
In addition, we also ask you to pay the processing fee to uni-assist by July 01, 2025.
Application via the uni-assist applicant portal is already possible from April 01, 2025.
German applicants with a foreign university entrance qualification can find information on the application process at: www.tu-dresden.de/studium/organisation/bewerbung_und_immatrikulation
The selection interviews will take place digitally from July 30 to August 6, 2025. Please keep these dates free. Dates outside the specified period are unfortunately not possible!
The English language test will take place as an online test on July 29, 2025. Unfortunately, an alternative date is not possible.
Important information about the application process
The written application
We look forward to receiving your application. Please remember that we can only assess your suitability for the degree program in the written selection process on the basis of the documents you submit. We would be pleased if you would enable us to get to know you well, which is why we ask for complete documents. Please submit the following documents:
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form, preferably with a photograph
- A one- to two-page description of your motivation for your application
- Copy of your most recent certificate: general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur) or comparable higher education entrance qualification
- Supplementary application form (completed in full)
- Proof of all acquired knowledge, internships, stays abroad, internal and external commitments, honorary positions, memberships, activities with an international focus, language skills, voluntary services, etc.
- For foreign applicants: Proof of German language skills (e.g. DSH, TestDaF or comparable certificates; further information can be obtained from the International Office)
The written application of German citizens must be submitted to the Admissions Office in due form and time. Applicants from EU and non-EU countries should apply via the uni-assist online portal. If you apply via uni-assist, the processing fee must also be received by the application deadline. To ensure that your application is processed promptly, please upload your application documents online to the uni-assist applicant portal in good time. Please also note the further information from the Admissions Office and the International Office).
The applications received are usually evaluated within 2 weeks of the application deadline. The relevant provisions and criteria for the selection procedure can also be found in the Regulations on the Implementation of the Selection Procedure for the Allocation of Study Places in the Bachelor's degree program "International Relations" by the Center for International Studies (ZIS)
A very good knowledge of English is required - a corresponding test will take place in the 2nd part of the selection procedure. If you choose French or Spanish as your second language, you should also have knowledge of the respective language at around A-level; if you choose Russian as your second language, no previous knowledge is expected.
The selection interview
Based on the evaluation of the written documents, the selection committee will normally invite 80 - 110 applicants to a selection interview. These interviews will take place from July 30 to August 6, 2025 in a digital format. The invitation to the interview will be sent no later than July 23, 2025.
In addition to the presentation of personal motivation for the application, the subject of the interview is the examination of solid general knowledge with an international reference, special questions on the political systems of other countries or on current topics.
Admission letters will be sent out in week 33. Please refrain from making any inquiries before this deadline.
The language test
The mandatory language test in English will take place on July 29, 2025 as an online test. Unfortunately, an alternative date is not possible! A very good knowledge of English (level C1 according to CEFR) is required.
In order to be able to take the language test without any problems, you should at least have a tablet or laptop/PC and Adobe Acrobat Reader. A cell phone is not sufficient. You will receive more detailed information with the invitation to the selection interview.
There is no separate language test in Spanish or French for applicants who wish to complete their compulsory language training with us. However, a placement test is offered, which can be taken from home on a voluntary basis. Applicants can thus check for themselves whether they are up to the requirements of the subject-related language training. Applicants who choose Russian for their compulsory language training do not have to take a language test in this language, as no basic knowledge is required.
If you have proof of your language skills, please enclose this with your documents. However, you will not be at a disadvantage if you are unable to provide proof!
FAQ
No, an A-level average of 1.0 is by no means a necessary requirement for a successful application.
Although the Abitur average is by far the most important individual criterion, the fact that numerous other criteria are also taken into account in the written part of the procedure means that, depending on the respective annual field of applicants, there is always the possibility of being invited to the selection interviews with a (very) good Abitur and gaining one of the coveted study places. Conversely, depending on the respective field of applicants, an Abitur average of 1.0 in no way guarantees an invitation to the selection interview, let alone a successful application overall.
In accordance with the admission requirements of the Center for International Studies, other criteria are decisive in addition to the Abitur average, such as commitment within and outside of school with an international focus, foreign language skills and the motivation of the applicant. Please note that you must provide proof of the information you have provided.
Detailed information on the selection procedure can be found here.
The selection procedure for the International Relations degree program is not a classic NC procedure, as other selection criteria are important in addition to the average Abitur grade (for more information, please refer to the selection regulations). However, the average grade in the Abitur is relatively the most important of all the criteria.
The NC of 1.0 shown in the table of NC threshold values for undergraduate degree programs published on the Admissions Office website does not mean that an average grade of 1.0 is a necessary prerequisite for an application.
12% of study places are allocated in legally defined preliminary quotas (hardship cases, second degree applicants, top athletes, professionally qualified students and foreign applicants [non-EU]). In addition applicants who were unable to start their studies due to service (e.g. FSJ) will be admitted (preferential admission).
The remaining places are allocated as follows:
- 10% of the best A-levels
Places are awarded to the applicants with the best average grade in their Abitur. In the event of a tie, the waiting time or a service (e.g. FSJ) are decisive factors. - 10% waiting time
The applicants with the longest waiting time are selected. In the event of a tie, the average grade in the Abitur or a service (e.g. FSJ) are decisive. - 80% Selection procedure of the university
Detailed information on the selection procedure can be found here.
Applicants are selected in a two-stage selection process based on the applicant's aptitude and motivation for the International Relations Bachelor's degree program.
In the first stage, applicants are pre-selected based on the documents submitted in writing. Decisive for the selection are the average grade of the Abitur and additional qualifications that provide information about the applicant's suitability. These include activities with an international focus, practical work experience, foreign language skills, social and socio-political commitment both inside and outside of school, voluntary work, stays abroad, voluntary service (e.g. FSJ), etc. Please remember to provide proof of all details.
In the second stage, the personal selection interview, the applicant's analytical thinking skills and strong knowledge of current developments in international relations will be assessed. In addition, the applicant's communication skills and motivation are decisive. A very good knowledge of English and a good knowledge of another language (French or Spanish) are required. If Russian is chosen as a second language, no previous knowledge is expected.
The following documents must be submitted:
- University entrance qualification (high school diploma or equivalent)
- Curriculum vitae in tabular form, preferably with a photograph
- Brief description of the motivation for the application as well as relevant previous knowledge and interests (1 to max. 2 pages, typed)
- Supplementary sheet to the application
- Proof of additional criteria (single copy), e.g. additional foreign language skills, stays abroad, memberships, etc.
- for foreign applicants: Proof of German language skills
Important notes:
- German Bachelor applicants please note the information on page 2 of the confirmation of receipt of your online application.
All applicants should apply online.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to postpone the selection interviews for the Bachelor's degree program in International Relations.
If you are only able to attend an interview on a certain date within the period of our selection interviews due to a stay abroad (e.g. FSJ/voluntary service) or internship, please make this clear in a separate letter with a short note and a corresponding explanation in your application. Although we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your preferred date, we will try to take it into account.
In principle, all successful applicants begin in the winter semester, but can have previously obtained academic performances recognized upon application to the Examination Board. The decisive factor here is the structural equivalence of the proven performances. Examination performances are equivalent if their content, scope and level of requirements correspond to (or exceed) those of the International Relations Bachelor’s degree program at TUD Dresden. The Examination Board decides on the recognition of credits in individual cases.
Students can only be admitted to the degree program as lateral entrants in a higher semester if
a) a place has become available in this semester and
b) the previously obtained academic performances are fully equivalent to those of a student in the semester in question.
The requirement for placement in the desired semester must be confirmed by the Center for International Studies.
As part of the selection process, a very good command of English is required. You do not have to present a language certificate or similar; an English test is usually held the day before the selection interviews. However, if you have a certificate (such as CAE or TOEFL), you do not - as things stand at present - have to take part in the English test of the selection procedure, although you can take it on a voluntary basis and thus possibly leave an even stronger impression of your English language skills.
In principle, applicants should have at least a good knowledge of a second modern foreign language (in addition to English). With regard to the foreign language training in French and Spanish integrated into the study program, you should have a good general language level in one of these two languages, i.e. have a good command of the grammar and be able to communicate confidently orally and in writing on non-subject-specific topics. Russian, on the other hand, can be chosen as a second foreign language without any previous knowledge. The subject-related language training begins in the first semester.
Foreign students should have a very good knowledge of German, which must be proven by the German Language Test for University Entrance (DSH: level 2), the Test of German as a Foreign Language (TestDaF: 4x4) or a comparable certificate. Please note that the certificate of German language proficiency must be enclosed with the application and cannot be submitted later.