Hochschulstart.de – Registration & Application for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine (Step by step)

Quick overview
Hochschulstart.de is the central platform that organizes admission for Human Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine.
Applications are processed via DoSV (Dialogorientiertes Serviceverfahren).
Application periods are fixed: usually June–July for the winter semester and January–February for the summer semester (only for some programs).

Complete registration and application steps

Step 1: Create a personal account on Hochschulstart.de
Go to: https://www.hochschulstart.de
Choose: Registrieren (Register).
Enter your personal details:

• full name

• email address

• place and date of birth

• nationality
  Create a username and password.
  You will receive an activation link by email—click it to complete registration.

Step 2: Fill in personal and academic information
After logging in, go to Mein Hochschulstart.
Select: Antrag stellen / Bewerbungsübersicht.
Enter your secondary school certificate details:

• type of certificate (Abitur or foreign equivalent)

• year of issue

• final grade according to the German system (converted GPA)
  Also add your address, phone number, and country of residence.

If you are an international applicant with a foreign certificate, you must first have it assessed via uni-assist.de, or submit it directly to the university if that university is outside uni-assist.

Step 3: Choose programs and universities (submit applications)
Select: Studiengang hinzufügen (Add program).
Search for “Humanmedizin” and choose the university you want.
Add it to your preference list (maximum 12 preferences).
Arrange your choices in order of priority (Rangfolge).
The university in position 1 is considered your first preference.
This ranking is extremely important because it is used when allocating places.

Step 4: Upload the required documents
Prepare the following files as PDFs:

• your school certificate or recognized equivalent (translated and certified)

• proof of German language proficiency (DSH, TestDaF, telc C1, etc.)

• TMS or HAM-Nat result (if available)

• CV

• motivation letter (some universities request it later)

Upload documents either on hochschulstart or send them directly to the university, depending on the institution.

Step 5: Confirm and submit applications (Anträge abgeben)
After entering preferences and documents, click “Antrag abgeben” for each program.
You will receive an application identifier for each request (Bewerber-ID & BAN).
Track your status in your account under Zulassungsstatus.

Step 6: Wait for results (Admission procedure)
The ranking and offer phase usually starts in August (for the winter semester).
Possible status messages:

• Zulassungsangebot liegt vor = an offer of admission is available

• Ausschluss = not admitted

• Im Verfahren = still being processed

Step 7: Accept the offer (Zulassung annehmen)
If you receive an offer, click:
“Angebot annehmen und Immatrikulation vorbereiten”
After that, you contact the university directly to finalize enrollment.

Very important notes

• You can submit up to 12 preferences, but usually only one per university.

• Ranking matters because it is used as a priority in the allocation process.

• If you confirm one place, all other applications are automatically canceled.

• Some universities require additional pre-registration on their own portals besides hochschulstart.

Important German terms

• Studienwunsch – study preference / program choice

• Bewerbungsportal – application portal

• Zulassungsangebot – admission offer

• Ablehnung – rejection

• Hochschulstart – central admission platform

• TMS / HAM-Nat – tests supporting medical admissions

Conclusion
Hochschulstart is the key platform for entering medical degree programs in Germany. Careful registration, smart ranking of your preferences, and submitting all documents on time are what give you the best chance of admission.

The website’s team of writers and editors strives to provide accurate information through extensive research and consulting multiple sources. However, errors may occur or some information may remain unconfirmed. Please consider the information as a preliminary reference and always consult the responsible official institutions for confirmed details.