Allocation procedure for the Bachelor's degree programme Psychology

The requirements for admission to the Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology at Saarland University are expected to be modified for the winter semester of 2023/2024.

In addition to the average overall grade of the applicant's higher education entrance qualification, the other core admission criterion will be the result obtained by the applicant in the standardized national aptitude test for undergraduate degree programmes in psychology issued by the German Psychological Society BaPsy-DGPs. We recommend that all applicants take the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test to improve their chances in the admissions procedure as the test result is an important criterion for the allocation of places.

Please note that if you are applying for admission in the winter semester of 2023/2024 and you want the result of the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test to be taken into account, your application must be made in the period from 20 February 2023 until 31 March 2023. Information on how to apply, what the test covers, how to prepare for the test, and other general organizational information can be found on the BaPsy-DGPs website.

To get a better appreciation of the relevance of the standardized national aptitude test, please read the following information on the student admissions procedure.

 

Admission quotas and selection criteria

In future, the available places will be split among three different quotas and allocated in accordance with the applicable criteria. After first deducting the (legally prescribed) quotas for applicants in defined priority groups (e.g. cases of exceptional hardship, those applying to study for a second undergraduate degree, elite student athletes, those with relevant recognized vocational or professional qualifications), the remaining places will be allocated in accordance with the following scheme:

 

Quota

Percentage of total places to be allocated

Allocation criteria

Likelihood of admission is higher...

Grade-based quota

20%

Average adjusted grade. Corresponds to the average overall grade awarded to the applicant on their higher education entrance qualification (HEEQ), which, in the case of applicants with the German 'Abitur', have been adjusted to balance out regional disparities between HEEQ grading systems within Germany.

...the better the applicant's average adjusted grade

Test-based quota

20%

Percentile rank of the result achieved in the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test.

...the higher the percentile ranking score.

University-specific selection procedure

60%

Weighted overall score based on the applicant's average adjusted grade (60%) and the result achieved in the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test (40%).

...the higher the weighted overall score.

 

Frequently asked questions regarding the admissions procedure

Does the new admissions procedure apply equally to all applicants?

The new admissions procedure does not apply to applicants who are eligible for consideration under one of the defined priority quotas. The defined priority groups are:

  • those applying to study for a second undergraduate degree
  • those with a relevant recognized vocational or professional qualification
  • non-EU nationals with a foreign higher education entrance qualification

If you are applying under the exceptional hardship scheme or under the regulations that apply to elite athletes, your application will be processed in accordance with the priority quota rules. However, if it is not possible to grant admission under the exceptional hardship or elite athlete rules, the application will still be included in the regular admissions procedure. Applicants applying under the exceptional hardship scheme or under the elite-athlete regulations should therefore also consider taking the BaPsy-DGPs aptitude test.

Apart from the average overall grade of my higher education entrance qualification (HEEQ) and the result of the BaPsy-DGPs test, are there any other admission criteria that I need to be aware of?

No. To be admitted to study for a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at Saarland University, the only criteria of relevance are the overall grade of your HEEQ and the test result. Admission waiting times and relevant practical experience (e.g. voluntary social or community service) are not taken into account in the new admissions procedure. However, a once-only transitional arrangement is in place for applicants who have accumulated previous application semesters (see below).

 

I have previously applied to study psychology at Saarland University. What's going to happen now to my previous application semesters? Are there any transitional arrangements in place?

A transitional arrangement is in place for winter semester 2023/2024 under which previous application semesters will be taken into account in the admissions application procedure. Please note that this is a once-only arrangement and applies only to the winter semester of 2023/2024. According to this transitional arrangement, half of the places available in the 'test-based quota' will be awarded to those applicants with the largest number of previous application semesters.

 

Do I have to take the BaPsy-DGPs test?

There is no obligation to take the BaPsy-DGPs test. However, the test result is a significant factor in two of the three admission quotas.

 

I have submitted a request during the last two years for deferred entry to the Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology or I began a period of military, alternative or voluntary service after receiving my letter of admission.

Are there any changes I need to be aware of?

If you received a letter of admission for the Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology during the last two years but you did not take up your place because you began a period of military, alternative or voluntary service or because you requested deferred entry, you can still submit an online application for preferential admission (Vorwegzulassung) for the winter semester of 2023/2024. In this case, the new admissions procedure does not apply and you do not need to take the BaPsy-DGPs test.

 

I have a subject-specific higher education entrance qualification and am now applying after completing a period of study at a university of applied sciences. Do I need to take the BaPsy-DGPs test?

The new admissions procedure also applies if you are applying to study Psychology at Saarland University either on the basis of 60 ECTS credits acquired in the first year of the Bachelor's programme 'Social Work and Childhood Education' at the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbrücken (htwsaar) or on the basis of a comparable regulation issued by the Saarland state government. We therefore strongly recommend that you consider taking the BaPsy-DGPs test to improve your chances in the admissions procedure.

I want to apply for admission to a higher semester. Will my application be affected by the new admissions procedure?

The new admissions procedure does not apply for applications requesting admission to a higher subject semester. For details about the regulations governing applications for admission to a higher semester, please contact the Examinations Office at the Department of Psychology.

Admissions Office

Saarbrücken Campus
Building A4 2, Ground floor
Phone: +49 681 302-5491
studium(at)uni-saarland.de

Admissions Office

Central Student Advisory Service

Saarbrücken Campus
Building A4 4, Ground floor
Phone: +49 681 302-3513
studienberatung(at)uni-saarland.de

Central Student Advisory Service