FAQ Application

The weissensee academy of art offers these study programs:

• Fine Arts Sculpture
• Fine Arts Stage and Costume Design
• Fine Arts Painting
   
• Fashion Design
• Product Design
• Textile and Surface Design
• Visual Communication

The Design departments are offered separately as Bachelor and Master programs, while the Fine Art departments are offered as Diplom programs.

In addition, we offer Master of Arts programs in Spatial Strategies and Art Therapy. 

 

You can contact the General Course Guidance office for general information concerning our programs and the application process. If you have specific questions about the departments, you can also contact the professors and instructors of the department. The contact information can be found on www.kh-berlin.de under the department of your choice.

The language of instruction at our school is German. Therefore, one of the requirements for the admission to our school is the proof of German language proficiency of a certain level.

The following certificates are accepted: DSH, TestDaF, DSD II, Telc C1 Hochschule, UdK examinations, and Goethe-Institute examinations.

For the Fine Arts programs painting and sculpture, Art Therapy as well as Spatial Strategies, a language certificate of level B2.2 (e.g. DSH1 or TestDaF 3) is required.

For the design programs and stage design, a language certificate of level C1 (e.g. DSH2 or TestDaF 4) is required. 

No tuition fees are charged for most degree programmes.
Fees of approx. 320€ are charged per semester (registration or re-registration fees, semester ticket for public transport, social contribution for the studierendenWERK Berlin, social fund and AStA contribution).

The further Master courses in spatial strategies and art therapy are departments with fees, see information below.

 

The application period for undergraduate programs always starts on November 01 and is open until December 10.During this period, you register for the aptitude test on our online application portal Campuscore.

The study program only starts in the winter semester with a start in October!

Keep in mind: The artistic entrance examination takes place once a year, usually in mid-February on site.
Current information can be found here: https://kh-berlin.de/en/studies/applying-for-studies/ba-design-and-fine-art-programs

International applicants must also upload proof of their German language skills.



 

You must apply online for the artistic access exam between November 1 and December 10. Without this online-registration, you cannot take part in the access exam. 
 

For the Design departments, you must have the certificate of general qualification for university entrance (allgemeine Hochschulreife). However, if the examination commission decides that you have a special artistic talent, you may be admitted without this qualification. For the Fine Arts departments, a secondary school diploma is sufficient. 
 

After you have submitted your online application, in January, you will receive an invitation to the aptitude exam. The invitation will include all the details regarding where and when you must submit your portfolio. Depending on the department, you may be given an assignment together with your invitation. This assignment is to be completed and submitted together with your portfolio.

After all the portfolios have been submitted, a group of applicants will be selected to take part in a further exam. Usually this exam can last up to 2 to 3 days and all take place in the same week. Therefore, applicants coming from outside of Berlin should plan to stay in Berlin for 4 to 5 days.

Depending on the pandemic situation, exams can also be taken digitally.

The notification of the result of the exam is usually sent after 4 weeks.

 

All current notes about portfolio will be found here:

https://kh-berlin.de/en/studies/applying-for-studies/ba-design-and-fine-art-programs/notes-on-portfolio-aptitude-test
 

The portfolio can be picked up either after the portfolio screening process or after the aptitude exam has been completed. Portfolios that have not been picked up will not be stored or sent back to you!

After you have been notified that you have successfully passed the entrance examination, you must send an application for admission. This application must be submitted together to the Office of Student Affairs with all the other necessary documents (no originals, only certified copies). When all the requirements and fulfilled and accepted by the admissions committee, you can be enrolled. 
 

The entrance exam for transfer students takes place twice a year. First, you must fill out the transfer student application form and submit it together with all other required documents. After the application, you will receive an invitation to an interview, to which you must bring your portfolio. 

You can only apply as a transfer student if you have successfully completed a minimum of 2 semesters in the same program at a different university.

Together with the transfer student application form, you must submit your CV, passport photo, and proof of your previous studies. Please do not send any original documents – only certified copies are accepted.

The application period for transfer student applications for the summer semester is December 1-31. The application period for the winter semester is May 1-31. 

The entrance examination for the Master's programs are conducted once a year. It is a two-part process: first, you fill out the online application form and upload all the necessary documents and your portfolio. After the documents have been examined, applicants will be selected to take part in an interview at the weissensee academy of art. If applicants are not able to travel to Berlin for the interview, it is also possible to request a Skype interview instead.

To apply for a Master's program, you must have a Bachelor degree of a minimum of 6 semesters in a similar field. You can also apply if you have professionally worked in the field and possess the necessary competence and abilities that are equivalent to that of a Bachelor degree.

For the application, you need a digital portfolio, a proposal for your Master's project, and proof of Bachelor or Diplom degree. If you are in the process of completing your degree, a current transcript is sufficient for the application. 

The Fine Arts programs at the weissensee academy of art are 10-semester Diplom/Absolvent_in programs. Applicants who already have a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts can apply as a transfer student. Once you have been accepted, the admissions committee will place you in a higher semester based on your qualifications. 

The application period is March 1 to April 30 to start in the winter semester of the same year. Even if you would like to start in the summer semester, you must apply during this period. 

All applicants whose applications are complete and who fulfill the admission requirements will be invited to the entrance examination. The entrance examination is a multi-part process: each applicant must take part in an interview with a minimum of two instructors and in multiple workshops which will test if the applicant demonstrates the level of creativity that is required for art therapy. 

 The following requirements must be fulfilled to qualify for the entrance examination:

• Certificate of general qualification for entrance to a university or a university of applied sciences (allgemeine Hochschulreife or Fachhochschulreife) and Degree in Fine Arts from a public art academy; or
• First Staatsexamen as an Art Educator (Kunstpädagoge/Kunstpädagogin);or
• Degree in a different occupational category from a university or a university of applied sciences and an ongoing, qualified artistic activity

Furthermore, applicants may not be under 25 years old and must be able to prove at least one year of professional experience in the social sector. Part-time professional experience is also accepted as long as it is equivalent to one year of full-time work. 

In addition to the application form and a portfolio with 20-25 of your recent artistic works, you must submit your post-secondary degree and proof of professional experience.

The application period is once a year to start your program in the summer semester. You can apply between September 15 and September 15. 

The tuition fees are currently 4,400€ per year (370€ per month). This includes material costs, regular supervision, personal experience and participation in other activities at the weissensee academy of art. 

If you have further questions about Art Therapy, please contact Prof. Dr. Karin Dannecker. You can also find more information on the Art Therapy program website (though mostly in German).

The entrance examination takes place once a year. The application is a two-part process: first, you fill out the online application form and upload all the necessary documents and your portfolio. After the documents have been examined, applicants will be selected to take part in an interview at the weissensee academy of art. If applicants are not able to travel to Berlin for the interview, it is also possible to request a Skype interview instead.

To apply for the program, you must have a degree in Art and at least one year of professional experience in a field relevant to the program. Furthermore, applicants must be at least 24 years of age.

In addition to the online application form and a portfolio with your recent artistic works, you must submit a written exposé, a certified diploma of your post-secondary degree, proof of your professional experience, CV, and proof that are at least 24 years of ago (copy of your passport or ID).

International applicants must submit a certificate of German language proficiency (DSH-1, TestDaF 3, or B2.2) and a certified translation of their post-secondary diploma and proof of professional experience. Chinese applicants must submit an APS certificate in addition.

The application period is March 1 to April 30 for the winter semester of the same year.

If you have any further questions, you can get in touch with the tutors of the Spacial Strategies department. You can contact the General Course Guidance office, who can then forward your questions to the appropriate contact person.