Admission with Chinese certificates

Gaokao and Huikao, Studienkolleg, the new 2026 KMK rules, Master applications and language proof.

Bachelor: what your Gaokao is worth (new rules)

The German Standing Conference of Education Ministers (KMK) adopted new evaluation rules for China on 18 June 2026. The APS page states they are valid from 15 September 2026 (thresholds: APS Gaokao procedure page; APS: access requirements):

Your education	Access in Germany
Senior middle school (12 years), Huikao and Gaokao with at least 60 % of the maximum score	Studienkolleg, then the Feststellungsprüfung (subject-restricted)
Gaokao with at least 70 %	Direct, subject-restricted access
Gaokao at least 60 % plus 2 successful semesters of a 4–5-year full-time bachelor's	Direct, subject-restricted access
University access in China plus 4 semesters of study	Direct, subject-restricted access
Bachelor's degree (学士) from a 4–5-year full-time programme	Direct access to all subjects
Completed 3-year junior college (大专) with Gaokao	Studienkolleg (subject-restricted)
2-year junior college, unfinished 3-year junior college, radio/TV university, adult education	No access

The Gaokao must include Chinese, a foreign language and a maths or science subject. "Subject-restricted" means the subjects you proved in the Gaokao and neighbouring subjects.
Gaozhi bachelor's (高职本科) only counts via the Gaokao; Zhuanshengben (专升本) gives direct access only after the bachelor's degree.
Which rules apply to APS applications submitted before 15 September 2026 is not confirmed. How individual Berlin universities apply the new rules is not confirmed; ask the international office in writing.

Studienkolleg

A preparatory year (up to two semesters) that ends with the Feststellungsprüfung. Entry needs an entrance test and German at about B2. The course track you choose limits which subjects you may then study.

Master

A Chinese four-year bachelor's is normally treated like a German Bachelor's degree. You submit both the graduation certificate (毕业证书) and the degree certificate (学位证书).
uni-assist pre-checks (VPD) take about 4 to 6 weeks and are required at FU, TU and HU Berlin. The APS certificate is usually part of the uni-assist file.

Language proof

Two different bars. The university sets the level for admission; the mission checks it for the visa. Being admitted does not guarantee the visa.

German-taught programmes: TestDaF or DSH, usually around C1.
English-taught programmes: IELTS or TOEFL as the programme requires.
See Learning German for which certificates count.

Berlin deadlines (always confirm on the university page)

University	Deadline
FU Berlin, winter semester	Bachelor restricted (NC): 1 Jun–15 Jul; open: until 1 Sep. Master restricted: 20 Apr–31 May; open: until 15 Aug.
TU Berlin, summer semester	Restricted: 1 Dec–15 Jan; open: until 28 Feb.
HU, HWR, Charité, UdK, ASH, BHT and others	Not checked. Use the university's own page.

A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.