Autonomous Systems

Code Autonomy: Shape The Future.

The program is open to German and international students. It is possible to enrol in the winter semester which starts in September, or the summer semester which starts in March.

Application deadlines

We have a maximum of 25 places at our university per semester in this programme. For practical reasons, candidates form countries whose citizens require a visa to study in Germany, and who are not residents of Germany, have earlier deadlines to ensure there is enough time for the visa process:

For those who need a visa:

  • Winter semester intake: November 15 to January 15 
  • Summer semester intake: May 15 to July 15

For those who need no visa:

  • Winter semester intake: November 15 to August 15
  • Summer semester intake: May 15 to to February 15


Admissions decisions for winter semester applications can be expected starting March 15, and for summer semester applications starting September 15. 

The Application Process

Before you start entering your data in the online-application form, please make sure that you have all the required documents ready:
    •    Original Certificate of your first academic degree including transcripts and translation of both documents into either German or English (if they have been issued in languages other these). Transcripts up to one semester before you graduate may replace the certificate and complete transcript until you graduate. In this case, a conditional admission letter will be issued upon your admission to the program and the hardcopies must be presented in order to enroll.
    •    Certificate of APS (for applicants who completed their first degree in China or Vietnam).
    •    Evidence of sufficient English language skills (see the requirements section above for details).
    •    Curriculum vitae in table form.
    •    Copy of the first two pages of your passport.

For the online-application, you will be required to perform the following steps:

After the application deadline the admission committee will decide to either admit or decline admission.

In the case that you are admitted (you will be informed by email), you will be required to send in the hard copy of the  original application and all supporting documents to us by post by a given date. Please note that all copies of documents you submit must be officially certified for authenticity with the originals. In case your documents have not been issued in either German or English, you will need to additionally submit officially certified English or German translations. If you have completed the TOEFL as evidence of sufficient English language skills, please have ETS (Educational Testing Service) send your certificate directly to us. You will need to inform them about our institute number, 7977.

Only after the verification of your original application documents will we be able to confirm the unconditional offer of a place of study. You will receive more information on this process at the given time.

Please click on the link below to the online-application site.

Prospective students may apply through the Apollo portal online.

Click on the link “Autonomous Systems”.

Enter your personal data in the designated fields. Please note that fields marked with ” * ” are mandatory and information must be provided. Where fields are marked with ” ? “, instructions or additional information will be supplied on the right-hand side of the page. On the left-hand side you will find a navigation bar to help you navigate the site. You are required to enter your data in the default order. You will not be able to access the next field before having filled in the previous mandatory one. A mandatory field where no data has been entered will be marked red.

In the field “Letter of Motivation” tell us a about your programming experience (languages, major programming projects) and, if applicable, any robotics experience. Describe any research and development project that you would like to work on during the program if admitted. You may upload this letter of motivation as a PDF file from the field “Checklist” (see next step). The letter of motivation should be a maximum of 2 sides of a DIN A4 sheet at font size 12 (I.e. ~1200 to 1400 words).

When you have completed the data entry process the field “Checklist” will appear, where you must upload the scanned copies of the required application documents.

When all fields are complete and you have uploaded all required documents you will be able to submit your application.

After having submitted your application, you will receive your personal “User ID” and password. Please make a note of this information as you will need it to track the status of your application.

Once you have submitted your application you will not be able to make any amendments or additions. You will only be able to upload missing documents.

Notification

Candidates requiring a visa are notified of their admission decision around the following dates:

For the Winter Semester: March 15th
For the Summer Semester: September 1st

Candidates who do not require a visa are notified of their admission decision around the following dates:

For the Winter Semester: August 22nd
For the Summer Semester: February 22nd

As soon as you receive a positive decision, you need to send in a signed hardcopy of your application package (including the original copy of all the documents that you have uploaded).

Letter of Admission

Once you are admitted to the program, and the Registrar’s Office receives your hardcopy, you will receive an official Letter of Admission (“Zulassungsbescheid“) from the Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) with which you may apply for a visa.

Guidance on possible outcomes and next steps

Once admitted, please proceed with obtaining a visa and finding accommodation as soon as possible. You will receive a welcome pack with useful information for planning your move. Students accepted into the program are also assigned a study buddy: a student currently participating in the course who can answer questions about the course or about living in Bonn prior to your arrival in the area. Once you arrive, the study buddy can show you around and help in making the move a smooth one.

Applications may be rejected for a variety of reasons. Admissions criteria may not have been met with regard to the necessary computer science content in previous studies, or due to an insufficient level of English proficiency, for example. It may also be the case that the number of qualified applicants for the given semester far outweighed the number of seats in the course.

There are a number of steps you may take if your application was rejected. You may appeal the decision. In this case, the committee will re-examine your application. Please note that, in the vast majority of cases, the applications are once again rejected. If the reason that was given for the rejection is related to the minimum admissions criteria, you should remedy the problem before re-applying for admission to another semester. If there were not enough seats for all qualified applicants, you may write to the registrar and inform them that you would like to submit your candidacy for the following semester.

If you have any questions, please check the FAQ below. If your questions have not been answered, please contact the Registrar’s office.

Further Information: