The Academic Evaluation Centers (Akademische Pruefstelle - APS) are located at the 
German Embassy in Beijing, P.R. of China , German Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam and German Embassy in Ulan Bator, Mongolia.
The APS issues a certificate which is a compulsory condition for admittance to any Master Program of the University of Stuttgart, including the INFOTECH Master Program. This rule applies for all applicants using a Bachelor degree of a chinese, vietnamese or mongolian University.
The APS might be presented at time of enrolment (September/October). In that case the admission letter will be conditional.
Attesting is the act of certifying that a copy is a 'true' copy of the original. Attesting or attestation is typically done by putting a stamp with words like 'this is a true copy of the original' on the copy, a second stamp identifying the organization or person standing for the statement and has the hand-written signature of the attesting person.
Not every 'private' person can be accepted for attestation. Persons, which by virtue of their business or position qualify for attestation, are lawyers, notary public, embassies and consulates as well as state authorities. We accept further the registrars of universities, deans of faculties and directors of public schools.
INFOTECH is a Master program which builds on fundamental knowledge of subjects like Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Higher Mathematics. These fundamentals are typically taught in Bachelor programs. Master programs are more on advanced subjects. Students with a Master in a qualifying field, but with a Bachelor in a non-qualifying field, usually do not have the fundamentals required. That's why a Master degree does not compensate a Bachelor degree in a qualifying field.
As a consequence, only the Bachelor degree should be submitted with the application. A master degree does not qualify.
In almost all systems we know, the awarding of a Bachelor degree is bound to a number of conditions defined by the study regulation. These conditions are typically a number of examinations to be passed, credit points to be earned and project work. Now we call the collection of all these events as required by the study regulation and the resulting marking or grade the "Bachelor Degree Examination". The Bachelor Degree Examination is therefore characterized by three distinctive elements:
- The 'Passing' statement ("Mr./Ms. xyz has passed the Bachelor of ... Examination ...")
- the Examination result ("..in second class (upper).. with GPA ..")
- the Examination date (".. on January 10, 2004")
The importance is with the statement given by the University, not the document as such, i.e. the statement may be given on different kind of document or combined with the Bachelor Degree Certificate (BDC).
It is requested by law, that the university administration has to make sure, that the applicant possesses a first level academic degree (the Bachelor Degree) at time of enrolment, which is September/October. If the final document is not yet available, a conditional admission is possible:
- The Bachelor Degree has to be presented latest by 31 March of the following year. Example: If enrolled by 15 November 2017, the Bachelor Degree has to be presented latest by 31 March 2018.
The statement, that someone is a student in e.g. 6th year does not satisfy. It's not telling anything about the probability to finish in time.
The BDC may be combined with the Bachelor Degree Examination Certificate (BDEC).
It should be noted however, that for the Visa application, the German embassies may request these documents even if we granted conditional admission.
The admission commission of the Master program INFOTECH selects the candidates for admission based on academic performance, seat capacity and other criteria. Those who have been selected have to pass a second process for checking legal admission requirements according to INFOTECH admission regulation and the University Law of the State of Baden-Wuerttemberg. These legal requirements are mainly the proof of first level degree (Bachelor degree certificate) from a - in Germany - globally recognized Higher Educational Institution, see the anabin database and the English Language Proficiency proof.
INFOTECH follows the ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) for assigning credits.
The minimum credits to be achieved in regular Courses, Lab, Seminar, Internship and Master Thesis are
- 120 ECTS credits for the INFOTECH program
This is in-line with government regulations, which allow a maximal "burden" of 30 credits/term.
As soon as you have received the finishing statement of your Master degree, you can/should de-register (exmatrikulate) as a student from the university. The finishing date is printed on each and every document you receive along the finishing document set. Please check this page for detailed information.
As an exception to the rule, that only 4-years Bachelor degrees are accepted: Bachelor degrees from German Universities as well as Diploma-Degrees like Dipl.-Ing (BH/FH) with a regular study time of 3-years are accepted.
Delivery of admission letters is done only online via C@mpus. The admission letters are electronic and valid without signature and seal of the University.
In those days of threat by Viruses, Trojan Horses and Worms we apply a strict policy with regards to e-mails:
Basically we distinguish two types of mails:
- mails which ask for information
- mails, which aim at changing your application/admission information or status
The first type could be answered by using standardized reply text modules or by inserting text into the original mail. In this case our reply is for information only and does not constitute any binding for us.
All e-mails we send you are of plain text type - no html, sometimes with attachments of type '.txt', '.gif' or '.jpg'. Always be suspicious on different kinds of e-mails bearing our e-mail address.
On the other side, we are only opening/reading e-mails with no attachments at all or with attachments of type '.pdf','.txt', '.gif' or '.jpg'. Be sure not to include any other type of attachment.
Please make sure, that your e-mail address is working and your e-mail box is not full. We are not able to retransmit e-mails in case we get a negative response.
Proof of English Proficiency is a prerequisite for admission. Currently we accept
- TOEFL computer based with 213 points or better,
- TOEFL paper-based with 550 points or better,
- TOEFL Internet based with 80 points or better, ETS
- IELTS with band 6.5 or better, Cambridge English
- CAE/CPE Certificate in Advanced English/Certificate of Proficiency in English Cambridge English
- 'MoI' (Means of Instruction) i.e. a statement by the undergraduate university that the bachelor was entirely taught in English
The nationality of a country, whose official language is English is NO proof of sufficient English proficiency.
TOEFL institutional test results cannot be accepted.
The University of Stuttgart is not in a position to award scholarships to students of Master programs.
- Scholarships offered by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) . This must be done approx. one year prior to the start of the studies in Germany through the German embassy in the home country.
- For a list of other national and international funding agencies please also check:
- Student Assistant Job, Teaching Assistant for a maximum of 20 hours a week at one of the institutes of the University Stuttgart.
- Job outside of the university for a maximum of 120 days per calendar year.
For cases 3 and 4 holds: There is absolutely no guarantee to get such a job. Chances increase with working knowledge of the German language. These jobs usually come up at short notice and they can only be found once in Stuttgart. It is strongly recommended to not count on this source as the only financing means for year two. For year one you will need to show that you have the financial means to support yourself for the first year in order to be granted a visa. It is strongly recommended to check the embassies' homepages. Scholarship holders with public funded scholarships are exempted.
Please see the pdf document Cost of Living (CoL).
Have in mind, that the amounts given allows a moderate standard of living. There are some opportunities for student jobs. However, in planning your study here, don't rely on a student job for financing.
During the VISA process, both the local embassy and the Aliens Office in Stuttgart may need a proof of your financial plan, as they have to make sure, that you have enough funds to pay for study on your own. They may not accept as statement, that you will collect funds by student jobs.
The German student affairs association (Deutsches Studentenwerk) offers a specially developed value-for-money service package for foreign students, which substantially help foreign students, begin their studies and life in Germany. For further information, please click here.
The INFOTECH Master study commission has defined a curriculum for the INFOTECH Master. This curriculum defines a set of lecture courses, seminar, lab etc. for each of the three specialization (majors) a student can select from. To take up the studies, prospective students have to be admitted to the INFOTECH Master study program. Each year INFOTECH admits a batch of new students to the study program starting winter terms. That's what we call a PROGRAM. So a program is defined by the year of intake (Program Year) i.e. PY17 defines Program Year 2017, which starts winter term.
In our application we do not ask for motivation letters.
There are several systems around, which are used for allocating marks to exam performance.
In almost all systems, single individual examinations receive a grade (also called marks or marking). This grade is listed on something, which may be called marks sheet or transcript. In many cases a "weight" of this individual grade is expressed by associated Credit Points.
The overall average grade is the (weighted) average of the individual examination grades, which counts for the Bachelor degree, i.e. the "Bachelor Examination" as a result of the averaged individual results, receives the Overall Average (Grade).
Now if this is a weighted grade (i.e. CreditPoint*Grade divided by sum of CreditPoints) in many systems it is called Grade Point Average (GPA) or Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).
The numerical systems used differ mainly in the highest grade obtainable; examples of scales are 100%, 20, 5.0, 4.0.
Now in applying for the program use the value given on your transcript/certificate. Don't worry about average or weighted average. If you have to calculate the value by yourself use the weighted principle for the average whenever possible. If Credit Points are given, the weighted principle should apply.
It is obvious, that non-numerical grades like 'passed' cannot contribute to the average.
Each grading/marking system has a best/maximal or end of scale value (e.g. 4.0, 100, 20...). This is the value to determine the grading scale ([GPA Scale]. The highest possible value refers to the scale and not to the best values achieved by someone in class. [GPA Pass Level] refers to the lowest value on the scale to successfully pass the Bachelor examination and being awarded the Bachelor degree.
In case you can not take the admission for a specific program the following holds:
- The admission awarded by the university is always for a specific term (e.g. winter term 2017/18). The admission letter clearly states for which term the admission is valid. In other words, the Admission Letter is void for all other terms.
- At year-end (December 31st) of the program year the admission letter was awarded (e.g. Dec 31st, 2016 for PY16) all application documents - according to personal data protection laws in Germany - have to undergo destruction of personal data.
The approximately 20,000 Students of the University of Stuttgart stay at some 5,000 student dormitories owned and operated by the 'Studentenwerk Stuttgart (SWS)', private residential rooms, at home in Stuttgart and the Stuttgart region. The SWS is the central students service organization for all higher educational institutions in the Stuttgart area. It also means, that the 5,000 student dormitories are shared between the 10 higher educational institutes in Stuttgart.
The admission to INFOTECH, the 'seat' in the program does NOT include a student dormitory.
With the admission statement, admitted students will receive information on how to apply for a student dormitory. The organizational questions will be handled by the INFOTECH office together with the SWS. A deposit and a down payment for the first month's rental fee may be requested.
On cost index 2006, the rental fees per month are between EUR 250.00 and 300 (w/o linen and linen service) and deposit and down payment may account to EUR 600.00.
INFOTECH is an admission-restricted program, i.e. no one can be admitted without being selected in competition by the admission commission. This procedure applies also to students who whish to change their study program or the university, called "Studiengangswechsler". Therefore, first step is always the application for admission. If selected for admission, the student can ask for transfer of credits, see Q25. Typically first semester courses cannot be substituted by transfer from external.
Admission to INFOTECH is
- Competitive
- non-discriminating and fair
- governed by the academic admission commission
As we have more applications as seats, we have to select. Selection is based on a number of academic data. Applicants compete for these seats with their academic data. And there is only one point in time, the admission commission meeting day, at which this takes place. All eligible applications are "competing" on this day for selection. Each application, which we would consider after that day, would be selected without fair competition with the other entire. It's like a sports event and after the final somebody would come up with another high jumper and he/she would get a gold medal without fighting in competition.
It is therefore of prime importance to match the deadlines. We have, notwithstanding the fact that a small contingency is built into the process, no chance to accept any application after deadline. And in view of fair and equal treatment of all applications, the reason for not meeting the deadline has no importance. Late is late- full stop.
It is also clear that we cannot give any premature statements about being admitted or not. The admission commission at that day decides, and before that day everybody has a chance, with different probabilities, but a chance.
Transfer of credits is regulated by §19 Study and Exam Regulations, implementing the requirements of State University Law §36a pursuant to EU Lissabon Convention.
- Student has to request recognition via the Examination Commission: pa@infotech.uni-stuttgart.de
- Prerequisite: Enrolment in Stuttgart
- A maximum of 50% of the credits of the Master of Science examination (60 CP) can be transferred.
- Master Thesis Project cannot be transferred.
- Finally: The course to be transferred needs to be essentially equivalent (in terms of contents, learning outcome and scope) to the module (course) of the INFOTECH Master program to be substituted.
All documents have to be either in English or German language. Documents in a different language (typically national language) have to be provided as copy of the original and translation to English language.
Translations have to be attested by 'official translators'. Official translators are typically those, which are either
- registered by the embassies/consulates
- sworn-in at courts
- accredited by the ministries
For a list of sworn translators you may refer to your local authorities or representatives of your country such as embassies.
Attested copies of documents in English language, issued by the same organizations as the original documents in national language, are accepted as well.
Basically, the University of Stuttgart is a state university of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. She has the right to issue final Master documents on their own, stamped with the great code of arms of the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. It means, there is no further action necessary to use it anywhere and for any purposes. Now, if necessary several means can be taken:
- Verification: We understand verification as the act of certifying that a presented document is genuine, not altered and not tampered with. Our transcripts have a verification code in the footline for online verification requests.
- Attestation: Attestation is used to certify that a copy is a true copy of the document in question. Attestation can be done by many institutions (e.g. notary publics, courts, embassies) and of course the University of Stuttgart itself (INFOTECH Office). As a special service, esp. for the USA, INFOTECH Office offers also the service of sending the attested copy in sealed envelope to the recipient.
- Certification: Some countries/institutions require a certification. Certification is a kind of act of not only stating that the document is genuine, but also that it is issued legally. Two methods are in use. If the embassy of a country needs to certify a German public legal document it bases its statement on a statement of the [de] Bundesverwaltungsamt in Cologne. The Bundesverwaltungsamt bases its statement on a statement of the Ministry of Education in the federal state the university is in. In the INFOTECH case thats the [de] Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Wuerttemberg - further short «Ministry». So the path is: 1) ask the Ministry, 2)ask the Bundesverwaltungsamt, 3) ask your embassy. The second method, esp. required in parts of eastern Europe, Middle East and Latin America is the Apostille according to the convention of The Hague, 1961. The Ministry will do that.
These informations should only serve as starting point. They are, by no means, comprehensive.
For both availability and registration check the lists on the pinboards of the institutes, online-registering systems etc.
Labs and seminars offered by the Department of CS:
Registration takes place online one semester in advance. The offer varies from year to year and is announced in a separate email.
Labs and seminars offered by the Department of EEIT:
See the institutes' webpages and pinboards before the new semester starts
You have to register and receive a seat for labs and seminars to take part! Please avoid doing more than one lab course during your studies, also not voluntarily since seats are limited!
Labs and seminars have to be registered twice: for the seat with the institute offering it within the deadline AND on c@mpus during the regular exam registration period to receive the grade.
For all students of prior study regulations the migration to the new 2019 regulation is possible until 31. October 2019! For more information on conditions see the migration path page.
Any proposals or requests to the Examination Commission should be sent to: pa@infotech.uni-stuttgart.de