Please review these frequently asked questions to make sure that you are providing the proper documents and not running into any issues concerning your admission, your visa application or your enrolment at Frankfurt School.
Is your question not among the ones listed below? Please contact the Admissions Office at masteradmissions@fs.de.
I have received a conditional admission offer to a Master programme at Frankfurt School. What do I do?
Please review the conditional clauses in your admission letter and make sure you respect all given deadlines and submit all required documents in time.
If you are required to apply for a student visa, please take care of your conditions as soon as possible as the immigration officials may not issue a visa with a conditional admission offer. You will need to provide them the unconditional admission offer to get a final visa approval. Please make sure you submit all pending documents to the Admissions Office in time, so you do not run into any issues concerning your visa.
My admission letter tells me to submit my bachelor’s degree documents before the programme start. However, my undergraduate studies are still incomplete and I will not be able to provide my degree documents by the deadline given in the admission letter. What do I do?
You might be eligible for the conditional enrolment. Please review the conditional enrolment section below.
I cannot make a certain deadline specified by the Admissions Office. What do I do?
Please expect all deadlines issued by the Admissions Office to be the latest point in time to submit a certain document. We always recommend leaving enough spare time before a deadline passes. However, if you cannot make a certain deadline, please contact your Admissions Officer as soon as you know about the delay. In most cases with delays that are not self-imposed, we will find a solution.
What are my degree documents? Which ones does the Admissions Office need?
Generally, we require two documents: the undergraduate degree certificate/diploma and the final transcript of records.
General rule: Please note that the Admissions Office can only accept official documents (stamped/signed). Only documents in English or German can be accepted. Further, a certified hard copy of your degree diploma will eventually need to be provided for the enrolment process.
My degree documents are not available in English (or German). What do I do?
Most universities issue the degree documents in English, sometimes only upon request. Please check back with your university first to be absolutely sure. If the documents are unavailable in English (or German), a certified translation is required as well.
Can the Admissions Office accept a scan of my certified degree diploma for the enrolment process?
No. For the enrolment process, you are required to submit a certified/notarized hardcopy of your degree diploma. The document will need original signatures/stamps and must not be a copy of a certified document. If you are uncertain about what counts as “certified”, please review the section “How can I get my degree documents certified?” below. In the rare case that your university no longer issues hardcopies, please reach out to the Admissions Office.
How can I get my degree diploma certified?
There are several ways to certify degree documents:
University certification
The most common way is to have the documents certified by the university that has issued the degree. Your university happily confirms the authenticity of your degree documents by providing you the respective documents stamped and signed. Reach out to your university’s registrar to request such hardcopies.
Some universities will only verify your documents to Frankfurt School directly, i.e. sealed envelope options. Other universities provide online verification services. Please note that all online verifications will need to be approved by the Admissions Office first. Check back with us if you are eligible for an online verification. Generally, you are not eligible for the online verification if there are other options available to you.
External certification (Notary/public office)
International students: Degree documents can be notarized by a publicly recognised notary.
Students in Germany: In Germany, there are several public administration offices that can certify documents (e.g. Stadt/Kreisverwaltung, Rathaus, Bürgermeisteramt, Gerichte).
Please review the German infosheet “Beglaubigungen von Originalen” to make sure that the institution that certifies your documents is legally authorized to certify official documents. We do not accept documents that were certified by the institutions such as churches, interpreters, banks (e.g. Sparkasse), welfare organizations, etc.
Where do I send the certified hardcopy of my degree diploma?
Please have it sent via mail service to:
Frankfurt School of Finance & Management gGmbH
Admissions Office – Master Programmes
Adickesallee 32-34
60322 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
I have obtained a double bachelor’s degree. Does the Admissions Office require the certified degree documents for both degrees?
Yes, you are required to submit certified degree diplomas for both bachelor’s degrees.
I have obtained a graduate degree. Does the Admissions Office require the certified degree diplomas for both my bachelor’s and my graduate degree?
Please refer to your admission letter for that information. If it is explicitly mentioned in your admission letter, please submit a certified hardcopy of your graduate degree diploma as well. In most cases, the certified hardcopy of your bachelor’s degree diploma will be sufficient. If you are uncertain, feel free to reach out to the Admissions Office.
Instead of providing a certified hard copy, can I bring my original degree documents in person?
Non-EU International students: No, you will need to get your degree documents approved in advance.
European students: Please check back with the Admissions Office.
German students: Please check back with the Admissions Office.
Please note that we always recommend submitting certified degree documents rather than presenting originals.
Will I get the certified hard copy of my degree diploma back?
No, the hard copy of your degree diploma will be archived in your student file. Only originals can be returned after we file a certified copy.
I cannot make a certain deadline specified by the Admissions Office. What do I do?
Please expect all deadlines issued by the Admissions Office to be the latest point in time to submit a certain document. We always recommend leaving enough spare time before a deadline passes. However, if you cannot make a certain deadline, please contact your Admissions Officer as soon as you know about the delay. In most cases with delays that are not self-imposed, we will find a solution.
What do I do if my bachelor’s degree is incomplete? I will not have my bachelor’s degree finished by the time the Master programme starts. Can I still enrol for the Master programme?
This is possible if you get approved for the conditional enrolment. Please check with the Admissions Office to see if you are eligible for the conditional enrolment. The conditional enrolment enables you to commence your Master’s studies at Frankfurt School while completing your bachelor’s degree. Your final degree documents can then be submitted by early December. The conditional enrolment is not possible for students who rely on a student visa to enter Germany.
In order to be approved for the conditional enrolment, you are required to submit an official letter from your university confirming that you have obtained at least 80% of the ECTS credits required for you to pass your bachelor’s degree.
In case you have a recent official version of your transcript of records that already accounts for at least 80% of the required ECTS credits, that document is sufficient too.
Be advised that if you have not completed your bachelor’s degree in the first semester of your Master studies, you will not be able to continue the Master’s programme.
I have completed my undergraduate degree and all necessary examinations, but my university has not issued the degree documents yet. What do I do?
Please inform the Admissions Office about any delays concerning the conferment of your bachelor’s degree. Generally, your degree documents will need to be reviewed by the Admissions Officer before the programme start. Exceptions will always need to be approved by the Admissions Office.
I cannot make a certain deadline specified by the Admissions Office. What do I do?
Please expect all deadlines issued by the Admissions Office to be the latest point in time to submit a certain document. We always recommend leaving enough spare time before a deadline passes. However, if you cannot make a certain deadline, please contact your Admissions Officer as soon as you know about the delay. In most cases with delays that are not self-imposed, we will find a solution.
My employer will pay the tuition and needs all invoices issued to them.
Generally, all invoices will be issued to the student. Your employer can then cover the invoice for you. However, if your employer needs the invoices addressed to them directly, we can establish your employer as the recipient of your invoices. In order to do so, we require a contact person and an official letter from your employer stating that they will cover the expenses for you. Please inform your respective study advisor if this is the case for you.
I would like to pick a specific payment option. How do I do it?
Frankfurt School offers various payment schemes to provide as much flexibility as possible when it comes to paying the tuition fees. Before you can pick a certain payment option, the deposit payment will always come first to ensure that your spot in the programme is reserved.
Eventually, you will need to check with your Study Advisor if you are eligible for a particular payment scheme. You will be able to do so on the Study Guide on Canvas, your primary study platform. Once your Study Advisor has approved your eligibility to a certain payment scheme, the invoices will be issued accordingly.
By default, the semester tuition fees will be invoiced as each semester approaches.