© Universität Bielefeld
Lottery procedure
Current information on the application deadlines
Application period for the lottery procedures:
- For the summer semester: From 01.03. – 15.03.
- For the winter semester: From 01.09. – 15.09.
How the lottery procedure works at Bielefeld University
If study places are still available in subjects with restricted admissions (Bachelor's degree, First State Examination in Law, Master's degree) after the end of the allocation procedure, they will be awarded in a lottery procedure.
State Examination in Medicine: Please note the information on the clearing procedure at hochschulstart.de.
To participate in the lottery procedure, please only apply via the application- and statusportal.
Important information
On the online lottery portal it will state the degree programmes for which you can apply in principle. Unfortunately we are not in the position to say in advance whether a lottery procedure will actually take place in a particular subject. This depends on the outcome of the regular allocation procedure.
If you have acquired your higher education entrance qualification abroad, or otherwise qualify through professional training and experience, you may only apply to the lottery procedure if you have previously applied within the regular application procedures (including the specific application deadlines).
Applicants who have not already applied in the “regular” procedure should expect their application to take more time to process because of the necessary assessment of their subject-specific suitability.
FAQs on the lottery procedure
- What is the lottery procedure and how do I take part?
If there are still places available at the end of the regular admission procedure, they will be allocated via the lottery procedure. Interested students must apply for the lottery procedure and within the application window.
- Can I apply for the lottery procedure even though I have not previously applied through the regular application procedure?
Yes, the lottery application is independent of any previous application procedure. This means that you can apply for subjects that you may have overlooked in the first application procedure, for example.
Exception:
In order to take part in the lottery to apply for an undergraduate degree programme (Bachelor's degree or first law examination) with a foreign higher education entrance you must have previously applied in the regular procedure via uni-assist.- How many subjects may I apply for in the lottery procedure?
- How do I find out if I have been allocated a place through the lottery procedure?
Admission decisions in the lottery procedure are only made available in electronic form via the lottery application portal. For this reason, applicants should regularly check the lottery application portal for updates. Applicants who have been selected will see this from the status update "Zulassungsangebot liegt vor" (engl. "Offer of admission is available") on their profile and can access the notice of admission as a PDF document under the menu item ‘Details’. In addition, successful applicants will be sent an email informing them that a decision in now awaiting them in the application portal.
- When and how do I find out that I have not been selected in the lottery process?
As long as the lottery procedure is ongoing, it is still possible to be selected. For this reason, applicants who have not been selected will not be notified by email that the lottery procedure has ended until all lottery procedures have been completed. This can be around the middle to end of November (for the winter semester) or May (for the summer semester).
Please use the lottery application portals to check for the latest updates. As a rule, remaining applicants will see the status "Zulassungsangebot aktuell nicht möglich" (engl. "Offer of admission currently not possible") in the period before the lottery process is completed. Rejection notices are not issues in the lottery procedure.
- I have forgotten/lost my password. What now?
- What happens after I submit my application for the lottery procedure?
The first step is to wait for the application deadline of regular admission procedure to pass. It is only after this time that it will be known whether there are still places remaining in the respective subject for the lottery procedure. In the meantime, we would ask you to refrain from contacting us with any enquiries! Please use the lottery application portal to access the latest updates.
In subjects in which there are no more places available, no lottery procedure will be carried out. In subjects where there are still study places available, places are allocated on the basis of a lottery. Successful applicants will be notified via email and via the application portal, and can access a PDF with the corresponding notice of admission under the menu item “Details”.
