Application at the Institute of Music
Frequently asked questions about applying and the entrance examination at the Institute of Music
We are delighted that you are interested in studying music at the Institute of Music.
If you want to perfect your skills on your voice or instrument and use them in your future career, you have come to the right place.
Our music education program leads to a Bachelor of Arts in eight semesters and offers ideal preparation for the demands of today's music market.
In addition to listing all the important information on applying and on the entrance examinations, we would like to answer some questions here that we are asked again and again.
The official degree program at the Institute of Music is Music Education (Musikerziehung). From the very beginning, you choose a specialization that matches your own musical interests and abilities
Detailed information on the course content and individual subjects can be found on the linked web pages.
With us, you can complete your studies after eight semesters with a "Bachelor of Arts".
Studying at the Institute of Music offers comprehensive training for professional musicians and music teachers. In addition to artistic work as a singer, musical theater performer or instrumentalist in jazz, classical, musical or pop, there are excellent opportunities, among others, to work as a music teacher at public or private music schools. Especially in the coming years, many music teachers will retire, so the demand for teachers is particularly high here.
However, many of our students also work at general education schools, where they take on, for example, classroom music-making, the school big band, the school orchestra or other musical projects. If you are interested exclusively in a teacher training degree, you have to study at a university, where the musical and artistic component usually plays a smaller role than with us.
As a rule, our students have the Abitur or the Fachhochschulreife (university entrance qualifications), which is of course very helpful for writing term papers or the bachelor's thesis. We do not require a numerus clausus (minimum grade average). In the case of special talent (the so-called special artistic aptitude), which is determined in the entrance examinations, it is also possible to study without the above-mentioned university entrance qualifications.
For us, musical ability counts first and foremost, not the grade average!
Of course, and gladly! Music means diversity, and the more diverse the student body, the more enriching it is to interact with one another. You can find all information on the required language certificates, recognition of your school-leaving certificate and much more on the page Information for international students.
The respective application deadline is announced on the page Examination dates of the current entrance examination.
We charge a processing fee of €30 per specialization, which must be transferred at the same time as the online application is submitted. If you wish to apply for several specializations (e.g. Pop guitar and Jazz guitar), you must transfer the processing fee according to the number of chosen specializations to the following account:
Hochschule Osnabrück
IBAN: DE52265501050000615690
BIC: NOLADE22XXX
at Sparkasse Osnabrück
Reference: applicant name (last name, first name), KST: 70150020
We use the money to cover the costs of the many examination committees and other expenses incurred by such an entrance examination. The processing fee is therefore non-refundable. This also applies if the application is rejected, if you do not attend or if you withdraw from the entrance examination. For applications for several specializations, the administrative fee must be paid according to the number of applications.
About two to three weeks after your application has been received via the online application portal and the examination fee has been paid, you will receive an invitation to the examination by email (please check your email inbox regularly).
The exact examination days for the respective specializations/instruments are shown on the application pages. In addition, all admitted applicants will be informed by email about ten days before the examination.
The examination content differs from specialization to specialization. In all specializations, you have to play or sing on your desired main instrument and pass a written theory examination. For optimal preparation, there is detailed information on the Requirements page.
As often as you like. If you do not pass the first time, you can continue to prepare with the experience you have gained and try again the following year. Nobody is turned away just because it was not quite enough the year before.
However, you must apply officially again in any case and also pay the examination fee.
If you took part in the entrance examinations last year and passed them but did not accept your place at first, please make sure to register again for the examination via the online portal and, to be on the safe side, send us a note at ifm-eignungspruefung@hs-osnabrueck.de
You definitely do not have to repeat a passed theory examination (this is an ungraded examination). In the artistic main subject, however, we strongly recommend that you audition again. You can only improve your grade by doing so; a lower result than the previous year is ruled out. Since passing the entrance examination is not yet a guarantee of a place, taking part again is highly advisable.
If you are not yet sure whether you want to study guitar in the Jazz or Pop specialization, for example, you can also apply for two specializations, take the examination in both and, if you pass in both, decide on one specialization later.
Yes, the fee is charged per application per specialization.
An exact number cannot be fixed in advance. Across all specializations, we admit around 60 students per year. This of course depends on the quality of the applicants, but also on how many students complete their studies or apply for a leave of absence for the winter semester, i.e. how many places are available.
Applicants for piano, keyboard, drums or marimba of course do not need to bring an instrument. All other applicants bring their own instrument.
In the classical subjects and in musical, you will be accompanied on the piano by répétiteurs. To prepare, please send the piano parts (PDF named after your name and instrument) by email to ifm-eignungspruefung@hs-osanbrueck.de immediately after receiving the invitation to the entrance examination.
In the Pop specialization, you can accompany yourself or work with backing tracks (equipment available). In the Jazz specialization, the institute provides an accompanying band (backing tracks are not wanted).
Applicants will be informed whether or not they have passed the examination no earlier than 14 days after the end of their entrance examination.
After the entrance examinations, you will receive a notice of admission from the Student Office, which is responsible for the application and admission procedure. You will find the notice in the document inbox of the application portal of Osnabrück University of Applied Sciences. You will be informed by email when the notice has arrived.
The notice of admission will ask you to accept your place in a binding manner. To do so, submit the declaration of acceptance sent to you and further documents to the Student Office within the specified deadline. As soon as the Student Office has received the declaration of acceptance and checked the documents, you will receive a payment request (as a PDF) for the semester fees in the university portal. After receipt of payment, you will receive your certificate of enrollment. This will also be provided as a PDF in the university portal.
If you do not pass the entrance examination, we do not want to "drop" anyone, but can offer help to prepare again if necessary.
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