Application

Anyone who is aiming for a solo career in the concert hall or on stage and has already completed a master's degree in artistic training and has obtained very high grades can perfect their skills with the Concert Exam. 

Against the backdrop of the high artistic demands of national and international concert life, the course prepares students for work as a soloist or composer. There are only a few study places available for this extraordinarily exclusive study programme.

The prerequisite for the four-semester course is a Master of Music in artistic training with a grade of “good” (at least grade 2.5) or a comparable degree, with the main subject being graded as “very good” (at least grade 1.5) or “with distinction.”  

Admission to the programme requires passing the entrance exam. 

With the application, the programme for the entrance examination and proof of your degree (Master of Music or comparable) must be submitted by the end of the application period. The degree must not have been completed more than four years prior to the application deadline. Applicants must provide companions for the entrance examination. 

With the young student programme, the HfK Bremen offers highly talented students from public schools the opportunity to receive a musical education at university level. 

The programme is aimed at young instrumentalists or singers who are aiming for a university degree and are looking for a highly qualified training path in addition to regular school attendance. The Bremen Junior Academy programme at the Music Faculty includes individual lessons in the main subject, chamber music offerings and special courses for music theory and ear training, which can be credited towards subsequent regular music studies if successful. As part of the “Podium for Young Talents” concert series, young students also find regular performance opportunities. The concerts take place at the University of the Arts Bremen and other venues in northern Germany. 

All applicants must pass an artistic entrance examination in order to be admitted to the programme. 

Tuition fees are €250 per semester. 

The course Continuing Education is aimed primarily at working musicians and music teachers who already have a university degree or can demonstrate special professional and artistic experience. However, students who would like to qualify in another major subject at the same time are also welcome. The course includes education in the main subject during two consecutive semesters of an academic year, subject to free teaching capacity in the chosen main subject. For example, musicians who already work as organists can acquire an additional qualification while employed in their field. 

An application for admission to further education in the Music Faculty at the University of the Arts Bremen can be submitted by September 15th. The Continuing Education course regularly begins in the winter semester on October 1st of each year. It covers two semesters (one academic year) with a teaching volume of approximately 15 hours each. Admissions are subject to availability. 

Tuition is €950 per semester. 

Information about the requirements and the admission process is available here:

• Information sheet Continuing Education (PDF – German)
• Application for Continuing Education (PDF – German)
• Regulations for Continuing Education (PDF – German)

As a rule, the entry requirement for applying for a place at the HfK are the general university entrance qualification (Abitur), the technical college entrance qualification, a passed examination for university studies without a final certificate (non-baccalaureate examination/collegiate examination) or a previous education in Germany or abroad recognised by the HfK as equivalent. Also required is a proof of artistic ability for the chosen course of study.

It is possible to start studying without proof of a general university entrance qualification or comparable qualifications if applicants demonstrate special artistic ability in the entrance examination. Studying at the HfK is also possible without a high school diploma – but there are additional requirements for the entrance exam in these cases.

 

The application process for a place at the University of the Arts Bremen for almost all degree programmes is carried out via the application portal. The exception is the programme for a degree in teaching music, which is run as a cooperation project by the University of Bremen: Bewerbung Lehramt Musik (application for music teaching), as well as the degree programme Master in Digital Media (media informatics). You can apply for the programme through the University of Bremen (Application for Programme Master in Digital Media (media informatics). 

In the Faculty of Music, all entrance examinations take place in person. Please note the application deadlines. 

To participate in the application process a personal email address through which we can reach you and maintain contact with you throughout the entire application and admission process is required, as well as your personal password-protected access, which you can create with just a few mouse clicks at application.hfk-bremen.de.

 We will then guide you through the entire application process via the application portal, inform you in a timely manner about the next steps and requirements and keep you up to date about dates, deadlines and interim statuses.

Applicants are requested to take the entry exam in person at Dechanatstraße 13–15 in 28195 Bremen. 

The detailed requirements can be found on the page laws, decrees and ordinances.

To take an online practice exam for the entrance examination in music theory and aural training, click on the following link and then on the ‘Register as a guest’ button on the page that appears:

Practice entrance exam music theory & aural training

You can look at these sample assignments and their answers to prepare your entry exam, as well as study the official rules for exams here.

• Sample assignments – Early Music (PDF – German)
• Sample assignments – Jazz (PDF – German)

The University of the Arts Bremen offers all applicants a 2-day intensive course in “music theory and ear training” to prepare for the entrance exam at German music universities. 

The jazz department of the Hochschule für Künste is organising a jazz workshop for prospective students. The workshop offers general information about studying jazz as well as samples of instrumental, ensemble and theory lessons. 

Educational qualifications acquired abroad are checked during the application process with regard to their comparability to educational qualifications customary in Germany. The original certificate must be enclosed along with a certified German translation. 

Foreign applicants must prove that they have good oral and written knowledge of the German language. For the entrance exam, knowledge of German at level A2 is expected. This corresponds to around 170 to 200 hours of German lessons. You can find a language test to check your German skills yourself, for example at the Goethe Institute. The Goethe Institutes, the foreign language centre of the universities in Bremen or the Bremen Adult Education Center also offer corresponding intensive language courses.

In order to enrol after a successful application, advanced knowledge of German is required. For the “Artistic Education” degree programmes (Faculty of Music) and for the Fine Arts and Integrated Design Master’s degree programmes (Faculty of Art and Design), proof of the “B1 certificate” is required. For all other HfK degree programmes, the TestDaF 3 or B2 certificate (www.testdaf.de) is required to prove the necessary language skills. The relevant evidence (certificates) must be presented at the latest when enrolling at the HfK. 

Applicants for the degree programme Fine Arts, the Digital Media Bachelor degree programme and the Integrated Design Bachelor/Master degree programme can, upon request, be granted an exemption from the proof required for a maximum period of two semesters.

Applicants of the degree programmes in Music can be granted an exemption from the proof required until February 15th upon request.

Foreign students may need a visa to study in Germany, which allows them to stay in Bremen during their studies. 

This does not apply if you come to Bremen to study from a country in the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). In these cases, your passport or ID card is sufficient for entry and study stay. Once you have arrived in Bremen, all you have to do is register with your Bremen reside­­­nce within three months at the residents' registration office (citizen service center, Pelzerstraße 40 or at “Bremen Service Universität”). Present your rental agreement. 

Students from other countries must apply for a student visa at the responsible German diplomatic mission (embassy/consulate) in their home country prior to entering the country to study in Bremen. A tourist visa is not sufficient for a study visit to Germany.

You can find out which documents you need to submit to apply for a student visa or a student applicant visa on the website of the Foreign Office or on the websites of the German diplomatic mission in your home country. As a rule, you will need your passport, passport photos, proof of health insurance and documents showing that you are admitted to study at the HfK and can finance your study stay in Bremen.