Admission to a higher semester

Admission to a higher semester requires recognised academic achievements and examination results. This can be achieved by studying veterinary medicine in Germany or abroad or by completing courses and examinations in a related university degree programme (e. g. biology, agricultural sciences, agricultural biology). Please note that, in accordance with Section 17 (1) of the Ordinance on the Licensing of Veterinarians (TAppV), failing an examination subject of the preliminary veterinary examination or veterinary examination three times in the previous veterinary medicine program at another university will result in the rejection of the application for admission to a higher semester. Similarly, failed attempts from previous veterinary medicine studies will be counted towards the number of examination attempts at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover.

Recognition of at least one semester entitles you to apply for the next higher semester directly at veterinary educational institutions in the Federal Republic of Germany. As a general rule, applications or admissions to a higher semester are only possible for the next higher semester. Downgrades are not permitted!

Please note: If you have already completed a degree in veterinary medicine in Germany or abroad, you cannot apply for a higher semester.

Veterinarians who have completed their studies abroad (third country) can apply for unrestricted admission to the veterinary profession in Germany – the licence to practise. To do so, they must prove that their veterinary training is equivalent. Further information on this can be found on our website on the knowledge test.

Application periods for higher semesters:

• Application period for the 2026 summer semester: 1 December 2025 to 15 January 2026
• Application period for the 2026/27 winter semester: 1 June 2026 to 15 July 2026

If documents are not available by the application deadline, they may, in exceptional cases, be submitted after the application has been sent by email to the Registrar's Office, by post or in person. The following deadlines apply in this case:

• For applications for the summer semester: by 15 March.
• For applications for the winter semester: by 15 September.

It is not possible to submit documents after this deadline.

Predictions about admission chances to higher semesters are not possible.

Free places can be allocated at the earliest when the deadline for re-registration and a sufficient period of grace for re-registration has expired for students enrolled here. In the case of an application for the summer semester, this would be possible from around mid-March, for the winter semester from around mid-September. Only then will it be clear how many of the veterinary medicine students who have been enrolled so far do not wish to continue with their place of study. The admission notifications for applicants for a higher semester therefore usually go out by post only shortly before or shortly after the start of lectures for the corresponding semester.

The number of free study places results from the difference between the number of enrolled students in the respective subject semester and the specified admission number for the first semester according to the Ordinance on Admission Numbers (ZZ-VO).
 
In the case of free study places, admission is made in accordance with § 6 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Admission Act (NHZG):
According to this, applicants who are or were enrolled in the course of study in veterinary medicine at another German university/college or another EU member state are to be considered first.
Applicants who are or were enrolled at a university/university abroad (outside the EU) with German citizenship or who are equivalent to German citizens in terms of admission law are then considered, followed by applicants who have changed their subject.
   
Experience has shown that there is a large number of applicants at our university compared to a rather small number of available study places.

Please note: Before applying, please be sure to read the information on lateral entry and recognition of previous academic achievements!