The well-known way to get a place at a university or college is to take the high school diploma.
The Abitur is the highest school-leaving qualification in Germany, which can usually be obtained at Gymnasiums and comprehensive schools after 12 to 13 years of schooling. This qualification entitles the holder to admission to all university places, at all universities throughout Germany, provided that one is accepted.
In this context, the high school diploma is therefore considered a university entrance qualification.
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If you have the high school diploma in your pocket, then you have the so-called university entrance qualification. This simply means that you are able and permitted to study. The word university is used as a collective term for all universities, universities of applied sciences and academies where you can study.
But not only a high school diploma is considered a university entrance qualification! You can also gain access to higher education without a high school diploma in alternative ways.
In summary, the following degrees, some with additional aptitudes, lead to the following degrees:
| Degree | Additional eligibility | University admission |
| High school diploma | - | University entrance qualification |
| Subject-related university entrance qualification | - | Subject-related university entrance qualification, only subject-related courses of study |
| Fachabitur | - | Subject-related university entrance qualification |
| Mittlere Reife | Completion of a technical school or a technical academy | general university access with counseling interview or similar |
| No school-leaving qualification | - | - |
| Vocational training (min. 2 years) | Min. 3 years of work experience or master craftsman's examination or an equivalent vocational training examination | Subject-linked university entrance, after passing the regular examinations in the first two semesters or similar |
The possibility of studying without a high school diploma opens up a wide range of educational opportunities for those who do not have a traditional school leaving certificate. In Germany, there are various ways to gain access to higher education without having completed a high school diploma. These alternatives, such as vocational qualifications or a successfully completed aptitude test, enable people to pursue their academic goals and illustrate the increasing diversity of educational pathways in modern society.
You can study without a high school diploma in a few different ways. A lucrative route for those already in employment can be via their vocational training.
Anyone who has completed at least two years of training and has subsequently worked full-time in this occupation for at least 3 years can obtain subject-related university admission.
This means that you are entitled to study the subject that fits the job description and that you have learned at a university. In this way, you can study with training. Sometimes, however, interested students have to pass exams before they are admitted to a university.
At Munich Business School, for example, you have to prove your suitability for studying by passing the exams of the first two semesters. This makes it easy to start studying in Bavaria without a high school diploma.
As an alternative to the 3 years of professional experience, a master craftsman's examination or equivalent further training with subsequent examination such as technician and business administrator also counts. This then provides interested parties with general university access, which is equivalent to the high school diploma.
At MBS, only a pre-study counseling interview is required for admission to the desired course of study. However, such requirements vary greatly between the universities, as each establishes its own regulations. However, such requirements often apply to high school graduates as well.
You have no vocational training? No problem! Without training, you can also gain admission to a university.
First of all, it depends on the school-leaving qualification, even without an Abi. With a specialized baccalaureate or a specialized university entrance qualification, you automatically have a university entrance qualification. However, this is usually subject-specific and only valid at certain universities.
A general, i.e. not subject-specific, university entrance qualification can also be obtained without a high school diploma. This requires a degree from a technical school or a technical academy. At the university of your choice, you will then have to prove your suitability for the course of study in an interview or other tests that show that you are up to the requirements of a course of study.
Each federal state has its own regulations and requirements. In addition, each university can often determine its own tests. These can vary from a simple aptitude interview, to an examination, to a trial study.
DID YOU KNOW?
Munich Business School offers the Pre-Bachelor International Business Program as an optimal preparation for the Bachelor's Program, which guarantees you Business Studies at MBS without a high school diploma.
You can expect these challenges
during your studies
| Academic challenges | Demanding courses, complex subjects and the pressure to achieve good grades can present academic hurdles. |
|---|---|
| Time Management | Organizing time effectively can be difficult, especially when taking multiple courses or when students are working simultaneously. Time management is crucial to meet the demands of study. |
| Financial burden | The cost of tuition, living expenses, course materials and other expenses can be a financial burden. Students may have difficulty meeting their financial obligations. |
| Internship and work experience | It may be challenging to find relevant internships or work experience, especially in highly competitive industries. |
| Personal challenges | Personal problems such as stress, anxiety, personal crises or health problems can have a negative impact on study. |
| Social adjustment | Students moving to a new city or country may find it difficult to integrate socially and make new friends. |
| Technological challenges | Especially in online courses or in study programs that require digital technologies, technical problems or a lack of digital literacy could pose challenges. |
| Workload | A heavy workload due to various obligations such as study, work and personal commitments can lead to stress and exhaustion. |
| Loss of motivation | At certain stages of study, motivation could wane, especially when students are faced with difficulties or when the study does not meet expectations. |
| Considering dropping out | Some students may consider dropping out of their studies or changing subjects, especially if they are faced with several challenges at the same time. |
It's important to emphasize that these hurdles are usually surmountable, and many colleges offer support services, including counseling, tutoring, financial aid and more. Seeking help in a timely manner, whether through communication with faculty, academic advisors or other support services, can help students overcome challenges and successfully navigate their studies.
If none of this applies to you, then you can always take the second educational path. What is the second educational path?
You can easily catch up on your high school diploma. Often this is offered at night schools, which is why you can even do it while working.
Once you have earned your high school diploma this way, it is considered a full-fledged high school diploma. This gives you the same general access to higher education as anyone else with a high school diploma and you can study anything you want throughout Germany, provided you are admitted.
These are the basic steps of the second educational path in Germany:
However, the exact requirements, prerequisites and options may vary depending on the federal state and educational institution.
Getting into study without a high school diploma can come with some challenges and potential problems, aside from the additional qualifications often required as mentioned earlier. Here are some possible difficulties that may arise:
Prejudices may occur: There may be prejudices or stereotypical assumptions about students without a high school diploma, which could lead to social challenges.
Possible study preparation courses: Those without a high school diploma may find that they need to take additional study preparation courses to prepare for their studies and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills. At MBS, for example, such a course is called a pre-bachelor course and is voluntary but very helpful.
Higher barriers to student funding: In some cases, those without a high school diploma may have difficulty applying for student funding opportunities, as certain grants or scholarships may be tied to formal educational qualifications.
Limited choice of courses: Not all degree courses are open to people without a high school diploma. The choice of courses may be more limited and it may be more difficult to gain access to certain subjects.
It is important to emphasize that these potential problems are not insurmountable. There are various routes and programs that allow people without a high school diploma to gain access to study, including study qualifying examinations, work experience or further education. It is advisable to find out about the specific requirements of your chosen university and course and seek advice from academic advisors if necessary.
The requirements of studying without a high school diploma don't look that much different than the requirements with a high school diploma. The following graphic shows the difference:
IMPORTANT:
It is important to note that in Germany, responsibility for education lies at state level. Due to this fact, education systems vary, and accordingly, the requirements associated with a specific educational qualification often differ from state to state.
University admission without high school diploma in Bavaria differs in some aspects from the regulations in other German states. The federal states have the autonomy to set their own regulations for university access without high school diploma, and therefore the requirements and conditions may vary from state to state. Here are some differences that may occur in Bavaria compared to other states:
Since the regulations for admission to higher education without a high school diploma are federally regulated in Germany, prospective students who do not have a traditional school education with a high school diploma should check the specific requirements and conditions in the federal state in which they wish to study. The respective universities and the relevant authorities in the federal states can provide detailed information and advice on admission requirements.
At Munich Business School you can prove your university entrance qualification without high school diploma in the Pre-Bachelor International Business Program.
In this preliminary course, you learn in advance what studying at MBS is like. In addition, you learn many useful skills that you will need later in your studies. For example, you will improve your math and English skills, gain initial Business Studies knowledge, get used to studying in English and take the TOEFL test, which you need for admission to the Bachelor's Program at MBS.
After the pre-bachelor program or even without the program, you can study Bachelor International Business at Munich Business School with a university entrance qualification without a high school diploma. However, this degree program is more than just a classic study of business administration. What makes it special is the prospect of the best career opportunities abroad, which come about through the following advantages of the MBS degree program:
Yes, you can. In fact, there are many successful people who never graduated from high school. From Charles Dickens to Quentin Tarantino to Henry Ford, many famous and rich personalities didn't even have a high school diploma in their pockets and yet they became successful.
But if you still want to catch up on your high school diploma or even study without a high school diploma, you can always do that. There are different ways to achieve this:
So without a high school diploma, you can definitely become successful in your studies and afterwards.
Of course, it always depends on what you want to do professionally with this degree. Basically, a high school diploma takes longer than a secondary school diploma, you learn more and therefore it is often more prestigious. But a good degree is always more impressive than, or at least not as daunting as, a bad degree of any kind.
Good grades show commitment and perseverance, which is what any company or college is looking for. Poor grades, on the other hand, can come about for many reasons, but usually make the future employing company or university suspect laziness or even little intelligence, which is something no one wants to convey about themselves.
Ultimately, everyone must decide for themselves. However, if you still want to get a good high school diploma or to study without a high school diploma, then there are several ways to do this.
For example, you can get a specialized high school diploma or a specialized university entrance qualification and thus study without a high school diploma. But also an apprenticeship can help you to study without high school diploma or with a bad high school diploma. Learn more in the text above!
No, not fundamentally. The difference between the two is simply the focus. The goal of a high school diploma is to teach you as much knowledge as possible so that you can then freely choose your further educational path from all the offers. A vocational baccalaureate, on the other hand, trains you in a specific subject that you have chosen in advance, so that you get as much insight into the subject as possible.
Thus, your choice is narrowed down after the Fachabitur. You can either continue studying your subject or a very similar subject at a university or you can look for a profession that suits your subject.
However, if you know exactly what you want early on, a specialized baccalaureate can save you a lot of unnecessary learning and hopefully bring you more joy in learning than the conventional high school diploma. In the end, you have to choose a field of study anyway. The only question is when you do it.
Yes, absolutely. However, depending on the choice of studies, this is either somewhat easier or more difficult to achieve.
There are subjects that do not have an NC. Which means that you simply have to have a high school diploma to qualify for them, no matter how good or bad that high school diploma is. Roughly speaking, the NC indicates the final grade that interested students must meet or exceed in order to be admitted immediately. If this does not exist, then you do not have to meet any expectations in this regard.
However, if your desired field of study has an NC, then you have to expect waiting semesters. Waiting semesters are the semesters in which you prepare for a course of study. This means that you must not study another subject, but actually wait to be admitted. The rule of thumb is usually: the longer you wait, the higher the chance of being admitted. But as always, it takes a bit of luck, and of course it also depends on the state and the university.
Otherwise, you can also secure a place at university by other means. For example, you can do a vocational training and ultimately start a specialized study without high school diploma. More possibilities are explained in the text above.
At Munich Business School, we offer a variety of bachelor's and master's degree programs tailored to your individual interests and career goals. Discover our practice-oriented degree programs that enable you to gain in-depth knowledge and prepare you for a successful career.
