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Welcome to Brand University of Applied Sciences!

The student office provides services to incoming students and applicants from foreign countries and support all outbound students in planning their semester abroad at one of our partner universities.

Incoming international students and foreign applicants are assisted by our International Office staff in all matters concerning living and studying in Hamburg, Germany. We, too, have lived abroad for longer periods of time and know what it feels like to be far away from home. So please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need any further support.

Below you will find relevant and useful information as well as links for further reading.

Korinna Puls
Head of Student Office
Fon +49 40 380 893 56-10
Mail korinna.puls@brand-university.de

Danya Ju
Student Office
Fon +49 40 380 893 56-10
Mail danya.ju@brand-university.de

Brand Academy Yuexing Yang

Yuexing Yang
Student Office
Fon +49 40 3808 9356-10
Mail yuexing.yang@brand-university.de

Study abroad

Visa

Whether you need an entry visa for Germany or not depends on your country of origin. Please follow the link to check the requirements that apply to you.

If you need a student visa, please contact the German embassy in your home country in order to apply (find embassy near you).

Your visa will be valid for three months. Within this time frame, you have to convert your visa into a residence permit. Please note that a three months tourist visa cannot be converted into a residency permit for the purpose of studying.

It may take several months for a visa to be issued. Please make sure to check the visa processing times in your home country.
In any event, it is important to apply for a visa as soon as you have received your letter of admission from Brand University of Applied Sciences.

Please contact Anna Braun concerning matters of health insurance before you apply for your visa.

Banking and Proof of Financing

A student visa requires proof of financing. More specifically, you must provide proof that you have at least 11.208 Euro to live and study in Germany for a year. The money must be deposited in a blocked account at a reputable financial institution such as Deutsche Bank, Fintiba or Hamburger Sparkasse.

For more information on the topic of blocked accounts please follow the link.

Health Insurance

In Germany, all students are subject to mandatory health insurance at a cost of approx. 120 Euro per month. A proof of health insurance is required for your enrolment at Brand University of Applied Sciences and for obtaining a visa and a residence permit.

The German public health insurance system is well developed. For instance, you are free to visit any doctor you choose. The insurance company will pay for all medically necessary treatments such as dentist’s treatments, check ups, hospital stays, etc.
Please contact Anna Braun concerning health insurance before you apply for your visa.

Requirements

For Bachelor Degree programmes:
1. Higher education entrance qualification for German university or university of applied sciences
2. Proof of language proficiency, according to language of instruction proof of English or German language proficiency  (IELTS/ TOEFL, at least on level B2 of the CEFR).

For Master Degree programmes:
1. First academic degree: Bachelor Degree with at least 180 ECTS
2. Proof of English language proficiency (IELTS/ TOEFL, at least on level B2 of the CEFR)

Required documents

  • Filled in application form Bachelor/Master
  • 1 passport sized photo
  • High school diploma
  • Undergraduate programme/ Bachelor Degree certificate (Transcript of records, Diploma Supplement)
  • Letter of motivation
  • CV
  • Passport copy
  • Proof of language proficiency (language certificate)
  • Proof of work experience or placements, letters of reference, if available

All application documents have to be submitted in English or German language and sent as one PDF file by email anna.braun@brand-university.de or by courier service to our mailing address:

Brand University of Applied Sciences
c/o Anna Braun
Liliestrasse 5-9
20095 Hamburg
Germany

If you apply with the scanned copies of your documents (via email), please bring the originals and certified copies with you at the university on the first day of enrolment.

International Student Advisor

If you have any questions or doubts, please feel free to contact our international Student Advisor Anna Braun:

Anna Braun
International Advisory Service
Fon +49 40 38089356-24
Mail anna.braun@brand-university.de

Admission process

Our admission process consists of 2 STEPS:

Step 1     submission of the application documents
Step 2    entrance examination interview

The admission decision is taken by the programme director and will be announced in 2-3 days after the interview.

Successful candidates will confirm their attendance by signing the enrolment agreement and paying the first installment of the tuition fee. They will then receive an official letter of acceptance stating they are admitted in the programme.

Once you have been accepted in the programme, you can apply for the visa.

Application deadlines:

If you need an entry visa, the deadline for the winter semester is June 30;
the summer term is December 31

If you do not need the visa, the deadline for the winter semester is September 15;
the summer term is March 15.

Master of Arts:

Brand Strategy M.A. – Free Track or Short Track
Understand consumers and expand your strategic competencies in the rapidly changing business & brand landscape.

More information >>

Brand Strategy M.A. – Digital Branding
Digital Skills for Innovative Marketing. AI, VR, Big Data: Discover marketing in digital times and become an expert for brands in the world of technology.

More information >>

Brand Strategy M.A. – Design Innovation
Develop digital innovations. Learn to create services and products with user-oriented design approach and application of disruptive digital technologies.

More information >>

Brand Strategy M.A. – Brand Entrepreneurship
Create your own business. Change entire industries, rethink things, make the world a better place: Learn all about sustainable business ideas and how to make them ready for the market.

More information >>

Cost of Living

Your monthly cost of living will differ according to your lifestyle. As a result, the following figures must be considered rough estimates:

Accommodation – 350 to 750 Euro
Internet and mobile – 100 Euro
Health insurance – 120 Euro
Liability insurance (optional, but highly recommended) – 10 Euro
Residence permit fee – 12 Euro
Semester ticket (for public transport) – 30,50 per month (184,80 one semester in total)
Contribution fee Studierendenwerk Hamburg – 85,00 Euro per semester
+ Food, clothing, travelling etc.

Employment while Studying

You are allowed to work up to 120 full days or 240 half days per year while being a student. A monthly income up to 520 Euro is tax-free.

Accommodation

We offer furnished one-room apartments for 719 Euro per month in a very central district near Hamburg main railway station. More details are available to you upon request. However, if you prefer to look for alternatives on the free market, we will be happy to assist you as well.

The City of Hamburg

With about 1,8 millions of inhabitants, Hamburg combines the advantages of a metropolis with manageable distances and friendly neighborhoods. There are many cultural offerings such as theaters, musicals, exhibitions and museums of modern art. Hamburg is frequently listed as one of the best cities in the world to live in and was ranked the best city in the world for a night out in 2017.

The Brand University of Applied Sciences campus is located in Ottensen near to the river Elbe. Ottensen is a lively district with many restaurants, bars, street cafés and shops.

Please find more information here: Our City of Hamburg

Public Transport

Hamburg has a very reliable and well-developed transport system. Brand University of Applied Sciences  students are provided with so-called student semester tickets that allow unlimited travel within Hamburg and its metropolitan area by any kind of public transportation, i.e. including subways, rapid transit lines, buses and ferries. The tickets are valid for a whole semester and currently cost 184,40 Euro each.

International Student Support – post arrival

Naturally, the International Office will also support you after your arrival in Hamburg. For example, if you book your accommodation through Brand University of Applied Sciences, we will pick you up from the airport or train station and take you to your new apartment.

The International Office also organizes a Welcome Workshop in the first week of each semester. Not least, we will assist you with any administrative issues you may face after moving to Germany. Our doors are always wide open.

Study Trips

Students of Brand University of Applied Sciences have made brands the focus of their studies.
Those who want to face the challenge of experiencing brands in an intercultural context can do so during study trips at the partner university Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, which the BU offers to selected students every year.

Ningbo 2019

 

In September and October 2019, eight students from Brand Management and Brand Design Bachelors programmes went on a 5-week study trip to Ningbo.

Below you will find selected reports about their study trip. All other articles and exciting insights into the students‘ journey can be found in the German-language Ningbo blog at:

Ningbo 2018

 

In autumn 2018, eight Brand Management and Brand Design students made the start to our exchange programme with Zheijang Wanli University and went on a 3-week study trip to Ningbo, China.

Read more about their exciting experience on the 2018 blog:

If you are a BU student, you might consider spending one or two semesters abroad. You can either take a semester off and transfer to our partner university China Academy of Art in Hangzhou to do an internship. Or you can go and study one semester of Brand Design at our partner university Beijing Normal University in Zhuhai. If you are interested, please contact the International Office more than one semester in advance. This will give us sufficient time to work out a plan for your personal study situation that will suit your individual situation perfectly.

Of course, you are free to spend one or more semesters at any institution of your choice outside of our existing cooperation programs. In that case, please contact the International Office for more information on becoming a so-called “Free Mover”.

Internship at a Partner University
David Dumont, Master student

„Every once in a while an opportunity comes along that takes you way out of your comfort zone. For me it was China.

Arranged by Brand University of Applied Sciences, I have been spending almost one year in Hangzhou doing an internship at China Academy of Art. This university is a place of cultural exchange, inspiration, creativity and ever since 2014, a growing interest for brand communication.

Among other tasks, my work here involves tutorials for Chinese students who are going to study in Hamburg. I prepare them for the German higher education system by offering trainings in scientific working, presentations, exam preparation, etc.

This internship has been one of the most enriching experiences for me so far. Finding my role in a Chinese organization and tutoring a group of smart Master’s students is more than anyone could expect from a study-related internship and I am deeply grateful to everyone involved in making this possible.“