Welcome to Brand University of Applied Sciences!

Visa

Whether you need an entry visa for Germany or not depends on your country of origin. Please follow the link to check the requirements that apply to you.

If you need a student visa, please contact the German embassy in your home country in order to apply (find embassy near you).

Your visa will be valid for three months. Within this time frame, you have to convert your visa into a residence permit. Please note that a three months tourist visa cannot be converted into a residency permit for the purpose of studying.

It may take several months for a visa to be issued. Please make sure to check the visa processing times in your home country.
In any event, it is important to apply for a visa as soon as you have received your letter of admission from Brand University of Applied Sciences.

Please contact our study advisory service concerning matters of health insurance before you apply for your visa.

Banking and Proof of Financing

A student visa requires proof of financing. More specifically, you must provide proof that you have at least 11.904 Euro to live and study in Germany for a year. The money must be deposited in a blocked account at a reputable financial institution such as Deutsche Bank, Fintiba or Hamburger Sparkasse.

For more information on the topic of blocked accounts please follow the link.

Health Insurance

In Germany, all students are subject to mandatory health insurance at a cost of approx. 120 Euro per month. A proof of health insurance is required for your enrolment at Brand University of Applied Sciences and for obtaining a visa and a residence permit.

The German public health insurance system is well developed. For instance, you are free to visit any doctor you choose. The insurance company will pay for all medically necessary treatments such as dentist’s treatments, check ups, hospital stays, etc.
Please contact our study advisory service concerning health insurance before you apply for your visa.

Requirements

For Bachelor Degree programmes:

1. Higher education entrance qualification for German university or university of applied sciences

2. Proof of language proficiency, according to language of instruction proof of English or German language proficiency  (IELTS/ TOEFL, at least on level B2 of the CEFR).

For Master Degree programmes:

1. First academic degree: Bachelor Degree with at least 180 ECTS

2. Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS/ TOEFL, at least on level B2 of the CEFR)

Required documents

• Filled in application form Bachelor/Master

• 1 passport sized photo

• High school diploma

• Undergraduate programme/ Bachelor Degree certificate (Transcript of records, Diploma Supplement)

• Letter of motivation

• CV

• Passport copy

• Proof of language proficiency (language certificate)

• Proof of work experience or placements, letters of reference, if available

All application documents have to be submitted in English or German language and sent as one PDF file by email to our study advisory service or by courier service to our mailing address:

Brand University of Applied Sciences
c/o Studienberatung
Liliestrasse 5-9
20095 Hamburg, Germany

If you apply with the scanned copies of your documents (via email), please bring the originals and certified copies with you at the university on the first day of enrolment.

Admission process

Our admission process consists of 2 STEPS:

• Step 1: submission of the application documents

• Step 2: entrance examination interview

The admission decision is taken by the programme director and will be announced in 2-3 days after the interview.Successful candidates will confirm their attendance by signing the enrolment agreement and paying the first installment of the tuition fee. They will then receive an official letter of acceptance stating they are admitted in the programme. Once you have been accepted in the programme, you can apply for the visa.

Application deadlines:

If you need an entry visa, the deadline for the winter semester is June 30; the summer term is December 31.

If you do not need the visa, the deadline for the winter semester is September 15; the summer term is March 15.

Cost of Living

Your monthly cost of living will differ according to your lifestyle. As a result, the following figures must be considered rough estimates:

• Accommodation – 350 to 750 €

• Internet and mobile – 100 €

• Health insurance – 120 €

• Liability insurance (optional, but highly recommended) – 10 €

• Residence permit fee – 12 €

• Semester ticket (for public transport) – round 30 € per month (184,80 one semester in total)

• Contribution fee Studierendenwerk Hamburg – round 85 € per semester

• + Food, clothing, travelling etc.

Employment while Studying

You are allowed to work up to 120 full days or 240 half days per year while being a student. A monthly income up to 520 Euro is tax-free.

Accommodation

We offer furnished one-room apartments for 719 Euro per month in a very central district near Hamburg main railway station. More details are available to you upon request. However, if you prefer to look for alternatives on the free market, we will be happy to assist you as well.

The City of Hamburg

With about 1,8 millions of inhabitants, Hamburg combines the advantages of a metropolis with manageable distances and friendly neighborhoods. There are many cultural offerings such as theaters, musicals, exhibitions and museums of modern art. Hamburg is frequently listed as one of the best cities in the world to live in and was ranked the best city in the world for a night out in 2017. The The Brand University of Applied Sciences campus is located right in the heart of Hamburg, not far from Hamburg Central Station and centrally located in the city center with restaurants, bars, street cafés and stores in the immediate vicinity. Please find more information here: Our City of Hamburg

Public Transport

Hamburg has a very reliable and well-developed transport system. Brand University of Applied Sciences  students are provided with so-called student semester tickets that allow unlimited travel within Hamburg and its metropolitan area by any kind of public transportation, i.e. including subways, rapid transit lines, buses and ferries. The tickets are valid for a whole semester and currently cost 184,40 Euro each.

International Student Support – post arrival

Naturally, the International Office will also support you after your arrival in Hamburg. For example, if you book your accommodation through Brand University of Applied Sciences, we will pick you up from the airport or train station and take you to your new apartment.

The International Office also organizes a Welcome Workshop in the first week of each semester. Not least, we will assist you with any administrative issues you may face after moving to Germany. Our doors are always wide open.

Students of Brand University of Applied Sciences have made brands the focus of their studies.
Those who want to face the challenge of experiencing brands in an intercultural context can do so during study trips at the partner university Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, which the BU offers to selected students every year.

Ningbo 2019: In September and October 2019, eight students from Brand Management and Brand Design Bachelors programmes went on a 5-week study trip to Ningbo. Below you will find selected reports about their study trip. All other articles and exciting insights into the students‘ journey can be found in the German-language Ningbo blog at:

Ningbo 2018: In autumn 2018, eight Brand Management and Brand Design students made the start to our exchange programme with Zheijang Wanli University and went on a 3-week study trip to Ningbo, China. Read more about their exciting experience on the 2018 blog:

If you are a BU student, you might consider spending one or two semesters abroad. You can either take a semester off and transfer to our partner university China Academy of Art in Hangzhou to do an internship. Or you can go and study one semester of Brand Design at our partner university Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai. If you are interested, please contact the International Office more than one semester in advance. This will give us sufficient time to work out a plan for your personal study situation that will suit your individual situation perfectly.

Of course, you are free to spend one or more semesters at any institution of your choice outside of our existing cooperation programs. In that case, please contact the International Office for more information on becoming a so-called “Free Mover”.