How to Apply for Dual Study in Germany: Employer, University, and Documents

Duales Studium in Germany is a higher-education format in which studies at a Hochschule, Duale Hochschule, or Berufsakademie are combined with practical work in a company. The student receives academic training and at the same time works with a Praxispartner: the employer with whom a contract is signed for the practical part.

The main difference from a regular bachelor’s degree is the built-in job in a company. The main difference from Ausbildung is that the result is a Hochschulabschluss, most often a Bachelor. In some models, you can also receive a second, professional Abschluss if the program is ausbildungsintegrierend.

What Duales Studium Is

Dual study is built around two places of learning:

• Hochschule, Duale Hochschule, or Berufsakademie provides theory, exams, and an academic degree.
• A company or another Praxispartner provides practical phases, field-specific tasks, and usually pays a Verguetung.

The schedule depends on the program. In some places, theory and practice alternate in blocks of several months; in others, the student studies during the semester and works during breaks; elsewhere, the weeks are divided between the Hochschule and the company. That is why before applying you need to look not only at the program name, but also at the model of the specific program.

How Duales Studium Differs from Ausbildung and a Regular University

Format	What the student receives	What to pay attention to
Ausbildung	Professional education and practical qualifications	This is not higher education, although after Ausbildung you can continue your studies
Regular Bachelor	An academic degree, with internships usually found separately	More flexibility, but less built-in work with an employer
Duales Studium	A Bachelor and structured practical experience with a Praxispartner; sometimes also a professional Abschluss	A contract with a company is required, the workload is higher, and vacation is usually like that of an employee

Duales Studium is suitable for those who want to connect their studies with a profession faster and are ready for a dense schedule. If you want more academic freedom, the option to change specialization, a semester abroad, or long vacations, a regular university may be more convenient.

Which Models Exist

In Germany, three variants are most common:

1. Ausbildungsintegrierendes Studium: a Bachelor plus a parallel Berufsausbildung. After successful completion, you can receive both an academic and a professional Abschluss.
2. Praxisintegrierendes Studium: a Bachelor with long practical phases in a company, but without a separate Berufsausbildung.
3. Berufsintegrierendes Studium: studies integrated into an existing job; this is more often suitable for people who already work and want to improve their qualifications.

For international applicants, the first two variants are usually the most relevant. In any case, the decisive factors will be the requirements of the specific Hochschule and the contract with the practical partner.

Which Fields Offer Dual Study

Duales Studium is more common in applied fields where companies need employees with an academic foundation and practical skills:

• engineering and mechanical engineering;
• computer science, IT, Wirtschaftsinformatik;
• business, logistics, finance, retail;
• social work and management in the social sector;
• healthcare, Pflege, and related applied fields;
• applied natural sciences.

Purely theoretical fields, such as parts of linguistics, philosophy, or fundamental humanities programs, are usually less often offered in a dual format. You need to check not the field in general, but the specific Studiengang.

Language and Admission Requirements

Most dual programs in Germany are designed for German, because the student needs not only to attend lectures, but also to pass interviews, work in a team, read contracts, and communicate with clients or colleagues. In practice, a level of at least B2 is often expected, and some programs and universities may require C1.

They usually check:

• eligibility to enter a German university, that is, Hochschulzugangsberechtigung;
• a school certificate or previously completed education;
• German language skills, and sometimes English as well;
• motivation and understanding of the profession;
• CV, grades, and relevant experience;
• a successful interview or Assessment Center with the employer.

If your diploma or school certificate was obtained outside Germany, check in advance whether it gives you direct access to a Bachelor. In some cases, a Studienkolleg or another admission route may be required.

How to Apply: Two Practical Scenarios

1. Find an Employer First

A common route is to look for a Duales Studium vacancy with a company. Job postings usually state which Hochschule or Berufsakademie the employer cooperates with and which documents are required.

Procedure:

1. Choose the field and cities where you are ready to study and work.
2. Find vacancies on company websites, Hochschule portals, the Jobboerse der Bundesagentur fuer Arbeit, StepStone, and other platforms.
3. Prepare a Lebenslauf, motivation letter, certificates, grades, and document translations.
4. Go through the employer’s selection process: online tests, interviews, an Assessment Center, or a trial day.
5. After receiving a Zusage, sign the contract with the Praxispartner.
6. Submit documents to the Hochschule or complete enrollment according to the employer’s and university’s instructions.

This route is convenient if you are targeting a specific company or profession. The downside is that the competition can be similar to full hiring: the employer evaluates not only grades, but also language, communication, and readiness to work.

2. Choose a Hochschule or Berufsakademie First

Some Hochschule and Berufsakademie institutions publish a list of partner companies or their own databases of practical placements. In that case, the logic is reversed: first you find a suitable program, and then you choose a Praxispartner from the partner network.

This route is useful if the city, the academic program, or a specific Hochschule matters most to you. But even with university support, a contract with a company usually remains a mandatory condition: without it, enrollment in the dual format may not be possible.

When to Start Preparing

Companies often recruit dual students in advance, sometimes about a year before the start. University deadlines, employer deadlines, and the dates of admission procedures may not match, so it is better to manage both calendars in parallel.

A practical timeline:

• 12-15 months in advance: choose a field, check your access to a Bachelor, and improve your German;
• 10-12 months in advance: make a list of programs, companies, and deadlines;
• 8-10 months in advance: prepare your CV, motivation letter, translations, and certificates;
• 6-9 months in advance: actively apply for vacancies and attend interviews;
• after a Zusage: check the contract, salary, responsibilities, vacation, study phases, and enrollment procedure.

You should not wait for the official university deadline if the employer closes recruitment earlier. For Duales Studium, the place in the company is often more important than the application format at the Hochschule itself.

Money, Pay, and the Contract

In many dual programs, the student receives a monthly Verguetung from the company. The amount depends on the sector, the employer, the year of study, the federal state, and the program model. You need to check the exact amount in the contract and the vacancy posting: old generic ranges become outdated quickly.

Before signing the contract, check:

• how much is paid in each year of study;
• whether the company pays Studiengebuehren or the Semesterbeitrag;
• whether there is a Rueckzahlungsklausel, that is, an obligation to repay part of the costs if you leave early;
• how many vacation days are granted;
• where the theoretical and practical phases take place;
• what happens if you fail an exam or want to change programs.

If the Hochschule is private or the Berufsakademie charges tuition, find out in advance who pays it. Sometimes the employer covers the costs, and sometimes the student pays part of them.

Documents for the Application

There is no single universal list, but usually you need:

• a CV in German, often in the German format;
• a motivation letter for the specific company and program;
• a school certificate, diplomas, and transcripts with grades;
• translations and certified copies of documents if required by the university or employer;
• a German language certificate, and sometimes an English one;
• a passport;
• proof of eligibility to enter a university;
• practical evidence such as internships, projects, work, or volunteering, if relevant.

For technical and IT fields, it is useful to show projects, GitHub, a portfolio, or experience with tools. For business fields, a neat CV, clear motivation, and the ability to explain why you chose this specific company are important.

Common Mistakes

• Looking only for a Hochschule and forgetting that you need a Praxispartner.
• Starting the application process too late, when companies have already closed recruitment.
• Using the same motivation in every letter.
• Not checking whether a foreign school certificate is recognized for a Bachelor.
• Underestimating the spoken interview in German.
• Not reading the contract: pay, vacation, possible repayment of costs, and termination conditions.
• Thinking Duales Studium is an easy way to earn a salary while studying. The workload is usually higher than at a regular university.

Short Checklist Before Applying

Before your first application, check:

• whether your school certificate or diploma qualifies you for admission to a Bachelor in Germany;
• which level of German the program requires;
• whether a separate English certificate is needed;
• who the Praxispartner is and which Hochschule it works with;
• whether the employer’s and university’s deadlines match;
• who pays the tuition fees and Semesterbeitrag;
• which documents are required in the original, in translation, or as a certified copy;
• whether there are visa requirements and entry deadlines if you are not an EU citizen.

Duales Studium can be a strong option for those who want to get a German degree and enter a profession early. But it is not simply studying with a side job: at the same time, you become both a student and part of a company, so the application has to be prepared as both an admission process and an employment selection process.