Photovoltaics Engineering Science (M.Sc.)

Deadlines

Pre-assessment (strongly recommended for all applicants):

• for winter semester: currently closed for winter semester 2026/27; but you can still apply at Uni-Assist
• for summer semester: Friday, November 27th (yet not started)

The pre-assessment period starts on April 1st (winter semester intake)/ October 1st (Summer semester intake), respectively.

The purpose of the pre-assessment is to avoid to pay the Uni-Assist fee if it is clear that we would not admit you. In addition, it accelerates the application process, because all applications documents have been checked in advance, and after uni-assist approval you will be directly admitted without further delay.

Uni-assist (for applicants from abroad, especially non-EU countries):

• for winter semester: July 15th
• for summer semester: January 15th

The application period starts 4 months before the deadline.

To have a realistic chance of getting your visa (if needed) in time, we recommend that you apply as much in advance of these deadlines as possible!

SSC application portal (for applicants with a German bachelor's degree):

• for winter semester: July 15th
• for summer semester: January 15th

For applicants from Germany later dates can also be made possible in exceptional cases; in this case please contact the Degree Program Coordinator or the Degree Program Advisor by email.

The winter semester starts on the first working day in October, the summer semester starts on the first working day in April.

Fees

A service fee of €304.80 (including semester ticket for public transport) is charged per semester for the Students Services Agency (Studentenwerk). The Studentenwerk supports you in social aspects free of further charges (e.g. administration of students' accommodation, cheap meals in the students' refectory, free legal advice and other kind of social support).

No tuition fees are charged.

Uni-assist charges a fee of €75 for its assessment of your documents (€30 for every additional application if you apply for more than one program).

Prerequisites for the program

- Completed bachelor's degree program of at least 7 semesters (equivalent to 210 ECTS points) in:

• Electrical Engineering
• Physics
• Physics Engineering or equivalent
• Materials Science or equivalent

Other bachelor’s degrees in engineering sciences are accepted if the program covers the following subjects to a sufficient extent: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry or Materials Science, Electrical Engineering, basics of Semiconductor Technology and Power Electronics. A Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering is not an appropriate basis!

- Minimum grade of your bachelor's degree: 2.5 (converted to German system by the Bavarian formula (Bayerische Formel) as shown at the end of the page)

- University rating according to Anabin list: H+

- Proven ability to work scientifically and write scientific texts: Usually shown by the final thesis / final project of the bachelor’s degree program

- Knowledge of oral and written English at least of level B2  (according to the European reference framework for languages)

Equivalent scores by other tests are roughly:

• TOEFL: PBT=600, CBT=250 or iBT=90 points
• IELTS: 6.0
• TOEIC, Cambridge Certificate or any other test equivalent to level B2 (according to the European reference framework for languages)

DUOLINGO tests cannot be accepted.

If the bachelor’s degree was awarded by an English language program, an official confirmation of this fact is sufficient.

No knowledge of German is necessary for the program. (However, it can be helpful in daily life.)

Applicants from India need a valid APS certificate when applying at Uni-Assist.
 

We recommend submitting your application as early as possible, but not before you have the results of your pre-assessment. According to uni-assist the evaluation process usually takes 28 to 42 days, in exceptional cases up to 56 days.

The application must contain the same documents as for the pre-assessment (see above) plus the language certificate (and possibly further documents, if requested by the uni-assist portal). The process is fully online by uploading your documents. The transcript of your university certificate (and possibly further documents – check the uni-assist portal) must be officially notarized. No reference letters or similar are necessary.

Check the uni-assist portal as early as possible for your country-specific requirements!

Uni-assist will perform a formal check of your documents. For students from most universities of some countries (especially India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, but also others) usually an 8-semester bachelor’s degree program is assessed to be equivalent to only 6 German semesters. Since our program requires at least 7 semesters (according to German standard), an admission is then only possible with one additional bridging semester. For electrical engineers we can offer such a bridging semester in English, for other applicants possibly only in German (remains to be checked in the individual case). Only in this case knowledge of German at level B2 is necessary.

You can also apply at uni-assist without pre-assessment, but we do not recommend doing so.

Application via SSC portal

Applicants with a bachelor’s degree from a German university do not have to apply at uni-assist, they can directly apply via the SSC portal free of charge (online upload of documents).

The same might be the case for EU applicants (or applicants from other European countries such as Switzerland, Norway or the UK) with a bachelor’s degree from their home university or another EU university if it is clear that their bachelor's degree is equivalent to a German bachelor’s degree. In such a case, please contact the Degree Program Advisor or the Degree Program Coordinator.

The same documents as for the pre-assessment have to be provided (plus further documents if requested in the portal). The bachelor’s transcript must be officially notarized. Participation in the pre-assessment process is also recommended for such applicants.

A grading in letters A, B, C, ... must be converted to numbers: A=1, B=2, C=3, ...

If the total worst passing grade is different from the worst passing grades of individual subjects, the total worst pass grade has to be used.