Application

We are pleased that you are interested in studying at our university. Here you will find information about the application process as well as about the documents and work samples you must submit.

Attention: Please note that the application information on this webpage is no longer up to date and is currently being revised. Meanwhile, please check our German-language pages for information on the application process. We hope to provide updated English application information on the website in October 2022.

Please note: As both application deadlines and the process of assessing applicants' aptitude for the program might change, please make sure to visit our website on a regular basis for up-to-date information.

Students who wish to be admitted to a program must meet the admission criteria and successfully prove their program-specific artistic eligibility to enroll. The assessment of applicants' artistic eligibility encompasses the pre-selection process and the admission test, both of which will be conducted according to the applicable regulations and statutes of the university.

You will find the link to our Online Application Portal below in section 2 (Applying Online).

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted only once a year for the winter semester. The application period is January 1, 2025 through January 30, 2025. Please note that this is a receipt deadline, not a postmark deadline.

Attention: Please note that changes regarding the application deadline and the procedure for determining program-specific eligibility are possible. We therefore recommend that you check this website regularly for information.

Application Process

1. Preparing Your Application Documents

All applicants are required to submit the application documents specified in sections 1.1. through 1.4. Section 1.3. is only relevant for applicants who hold a university entrance qualification from / who have completed their first degree program qualifying for a profession at an institution in a non-German-speaking country and do not hold German citizenship.

Please insert page numbers on all application documents (with the exception of your work samples) corresponding to the order below and submit them in a spring binder (please do not use spiral or fixed binding). 

1.1. Standard Application Documents

  • the signed print-out of the online completed application form
  • a table of contents (please also list your work samples)
  • a CV in tabular form

1.2. Certificate for the Entrance Qualification for a Master Program

For applicants holding a  Certificate for the Entrance Qualification for a Master Program from a German institution, the required certificates are specified under "German Certificates". For applicants holding a Certificate for the Entrance Qualification for a Master Program from a non-German institution, the required certificates are specified under "Foreign Certificates".  For applications to this Master program, the regulations specified in §9, paragraphs 5-6 of the Brandenburg Higher Education Act (BbgHG) are valid.

German Certificates: 

Please submit a copy of your certificate to proof the successful completion of Screenwriting / Dramaturgy Bachelor of Arts program or another relevant university degree program. In case the Bachelor's degree has not been awarded yet as the applicant still has to take a few final exams and the results of the exams taken so far suggest that the degree will be completed prior to the beginning of the Master's program, the applicant must submit a certificate issued by the registrar's office of his/her university. 

Foreign Certificates:

Applicants who have earned their degree abroad must have their certificates tested and assessed by uni-assist (further information uni-assist). Please consider that the recognition process at uni-assist can take up to 6 weeks (you need the VPD document from uni-assist before our the application deadlines end). Fees are incurred for the checking of your application documents.    

In the event that you are unable to submit your Master's entrance qualification (Bachelor's, Diplom, ....), which you will acquire abroad, by the end of the application deadline due to missing individual examinations, please submit a current transcript of records from your current university to uni-assist e.V.. Then uni-assist will check in advance whether your university and your planned degree are recognized. At uni-assist, you will then be listed as a so-called "case of doubt (ZF)" until you submit your successful degree to uni-assist. After another check, you may receive a "preliminary examination document (VPD)", which you must then submit to us!                                   

Notes:

  • This also applies to German citizens.
  • Citizens of the People's Republic of China, Republic of India and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are asked to familiarize themselves with the special regulations for applicants from these countries.

1.3. Language requirements

International applicants holding a university-entrance qualification from a non-German-speaking institution are required to show that they have achieved an overall rating of at least DSH-2 in the DSH ("Deutsche Sprachprüfung für den Hochschulzugang" / German Language Test for University Admission) test or provide an equivalent language certificate complying with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Please submit a copy of the language certificate. Please inform about the accepted German language proficiency certificates of the study program.

If you do not have a language certificate of the level required by the degree program by the application deadline, you can apply if you have a language certificate of at least level B1.

An application without a language certificate or a language certificate with a lower level than B1 is incomplete and will not be considered for the assessment procedure.

1.4. Work Samples

 Work samples showing the applicant's suitability for the program, including each of the following:

  • an outline for a feature-length cinema or television film or for a series
  • a dialogue scene (max. 3 pages)
  • a creative piece of work (screenplay, film, prose, theatre play, radio play or similar, PDF, 45 MB) including a synopsis (appr. 1 page, PDF, 3 MB)
  • pitch paper (3 different pitches for fiction film and/or series)

All work samples should be in font size 12 with1,5 spacing.

Works samples are to be handed in digitally on USB stick as well as 3 bound print-outs.

Please save all texts in one pdf with your name and your applicant number.

2. Applying Online

All applicants to B.A. and M.A. programs must apply online via the university's application portal. Please note that an administrative will be charged for each application.

There are special requirements for applicants who hold a foreign university entrance qualification or have completed their first degree program qualifying for a profession abroad. Please note that registering with uni-assist alone is not sufficient. All applicants must additionally apply via the Film University's online application portal. 

3. Submitting Application Documents

Please indicate your name and applicant number (from the online application portal) on all application documents. Send your documents, the signed application form (from the online application portal), and your work samples to the following address within the stipulated deadline:

Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Master-Studiengang Drehbuch/Dramaturgie
Marlene-Dietrich-Allee 11
14482 Potsdam
Germany

Notes:

  • Please note that the application deadline is a receipt deadline, not a postmark deadline. Applicants who wish to personally submit their application documents can do so Monday through Friday at the university reception office / mail room.
  • Postal items requiring the payment of C.O.D. or customs charges upon receipt will not be accepted.
  • Applications that are incomplete and / or submitted after the specified deadline and / or for which the application fee has not been paid will not be processed.
  • We will confirm the receipt of your application in writing or via the online application portal. Please do not call us to inquire about your application status.

4. Pre-Selection

Based on the materials submitted, the admissions committee will decide which applicants will receive permission to take the admission test and inform them in writing.

5. Admission Test

The admission test comprises an interview on the applicant's work samples and main focus of interest.

Normally, the admission test results will be communicated in writing to the applicant no later than 4 weeks after the last test.

ATTENTION! Shortly before the application deadline, server problems and delays in the online application process may occur due to many (last minute) applications. So do not wait until the last day of the deadline! Applications and late submissions after the application deadline will not be accepted!

Program Office

Do you have questions about the application?


General and formal questions - Student Affairs section

You can send general queries and formal questions about your application by e-mail to studienbewerbung(at)filmuniversitaet.de.


Subject-specific questions - Office of the degree program

To clarify subject-specific questions, you can contact the degree program office.

Please also note the opportunity to obtain information at our Open Day (always on the first Saturday in November).