Registration for admission to the entrance examination is exclusively possible online via our application portal. The application function is activated there during the application periods.

Please create only one applicant account!

Would you like to apply for multiple degree programs? Then we need a printed and complete application for each degree program. Indeed, we require all the requested documents for each application because the application documents are sent to different examination commissions.

After the application deadline, we will strive to process your documents promptly. You will receive the invitations to the entrance examination with all relevant information in due time via email. We ask for your patience.

• for the winter semester 2026/27: March 2nd to April 1st, 2026
• for the summer semester 2027: October 1st to November 2nd, 2026
• for the winter semester 2027/28: March 1st to April 2nd, 2027
• for the summer semester 2028: October 1st to November 3rd, 2027

• Bachelor Visual Theatre and Puppetry
• Bachelor Speech Arts
• Bachelor Elementary Music Pedagogy
• Bachelor Jazz & Pop
• Master Jazz
• Master Jazz Composition
• Master Spoken Media
• Master Rhetorical Communication
• Master Speech Art
• Master IInstrumental and Vocal Pedagogy
• Master Theory and Practice of Experimental Performance
• Master New Music Ensemble Conducting
• Con­ti­nuing Education Master's program (Wind Orchestra Conducting, Instrumental and Vocal Pedagogy)
• Supplementary study iin Elementary Music Education (EMP)/Rhythm

• Acting

Please send the following documents in paper form by post to the examination office, at the latest seven calendar days after the end of the application deadline:

• printed and signed online application
• tabular curriculum vitae with address, email, date of birth, school degree, if applicable previous studies/training, and artistic activities
• proof of payment of € 50 per application (processing fee) Recipient: LOK BA-Wü
  IBAN: DE 02 6005 0101 7495 5301 02
  BIC-CODE: SOLADEST600
  Purpose: 8587200001142 - NAME, FIRST NAME - Application number
  Please provide the complete purpose of use.
  Make sure to pay the processing fee of € 50 on time; otherwise, we will not consider your application. We can only refund this fee if the university cancels the entrance examination, but not if you cancel the exam. The fee also applies only to the current application phase.
   
• Copy of the university entrance qualification (usually high school diploma)
  Without proof of general university entrance qualification, we require your declaration that you will take part in our aptitude test. (see 58, para. 7 LHG)
   
• For applicants to the Visual Theatre and Puppetry program, an medical certificate about the physical requirements for the profession as a puppeteer (no phonetic assessment required)
   
• For applicants to the program in Speech Arts, an ENT medical certificate stating that there are no voice and speech disorders
   
• For minors, a consent form from the legal guardians
   
• Applicants who have already studied at another university, please include a current transcript of records
   
• A German language certificate B2 (B2.1 and B2.2) is mandatory for all bachelor's and master's programs for enrollment (by the end of the first semester).

Please print out and sign the application form „Bewerbung auf einen Studienplatz zum …“ (Application for a study place starting on...) and send it by post to the HMDK Stuttgart (Exam Office) no later than 1 week after the application deadline (postmark date is valid). The address is already listed on the form. Unfortunately, we cannot process documents submitted via email.

We charge a processing fee of € 50 per application.

Please transfer the fee to the following account:

Recipient: LOK BA-Wü
IBAN: DE02 6005 0101 7495 5301 02
BIC-CODE: SOLADEST600
Purpose: 8587200001142 - LAST NAME, FIRST NAME - Application Number

Please provide the purpose in full. The 13-digit number is mandatory for correct allocation to our university!

If the processing fee of €50 is not received on our account in a timely manner, the application for the specified semester cannot be considered.

We can only refund this fee if the university cancels the entrance examination, not if you cancel the examination for personal reasons. The fee cannot be transferred to the next application phase.

Here you can find further information on the semester fee and additional tuition fees.

Having an Abitur is not mandatory. Since you cannot provide proof of the general higher education entrance qualification (Abitur), you will have to participate in the aptitude test (exam assessing the sufficient general education for studies).

This is a written exam that lasts approximately 2 ½ hours. If you pass the written test, you will receive an invitation to the oral examination part.

1. Written Examination:

In the exam, you will be given a text or text excerpts that you should work on according to given tasks (processing time: 150 min.).

2. Colloquium:

In an open conversation, we will revisit your exam. We will also discuss topics related to your study field, inquire about your study motivation, and gain an impression of your general education (duration: about 30 min with several participants in the group).

To prepare for the oral and written exams, we recommend reading the following publications, available in all major libraries and partly on the internet:

• a German-language daily newspaper
• the current issue of nmz (New Music Newspaper)
• the current issue of the magazine Üben und Musizieren or the magazine Das Orchester or Opernwelt (especially for vocal students) or an issue of Theater heute (for speech trainers, puppet theater, and acting)
• a composer biography of your choice (including jazz) or a biography of a performer/director you choose, who should play the instrument or belong to the role category you wish to study (corresponding for speech trainers and puppet theater).

With the submission of the following higher education admission certificates, the participation in the aptitude test can be reconsidered:

• Gaokao (China)
• YKS - Yüksekögretim Kurumlari Sinavi: TYT and AYT (Turkey)
• College Scholastic Ability Test (Korea)
• General Scholastic Ability Test (Taiwan)

• Foreign applicants for a bachelor's and master's degree program require a German B2 certificate (B2.1 AND B2.2)
• Foreign applicants for the Master's program in Music Pedagogical Research require a German C2 certificate

Please note that presenting the German B2 / C2 certificate is a requirement for your further studies by the end of the 1st semester. Failure to provide a B2 / C2 certificate will result in deregistration.

Prior to applying, you should already be at level B1. This way, you can attend a B2.1 intensive course online during the semester break before starting your studies. In your 1st semester, you can then achieve level B2.2 in person alongside your studies.

We recommend using the courses offered by VESPA for this. Here you can find our VESPA language programs.

Here you can assess your current language skills.

For you as well, an internal application is strictly possible online in the student portal. This applies to a subsequent as well as an additional degree program. Please note that here too, a processing fee of €50 per application is applicable. Without the online registration, internal applications cannot be considered.
Exceptions to this are students transitioning from a Bachelor of Education to a Master of Education, for whom a simple written notice to the examination office suffices.

Due to the high number of applicants, we kindly ask for your understanding that we are unable to provide information on the status of your application documents. The processing time may take approximately 4 weeks. Once your documents have been processed, you will be able to see this through the updated status in the application portal. Please be patient and refrain from making phone inquiries.
We wish you good luck with your entrance examination!

The APS certificate (Certificate of the Academic Evaluation Centre, Cultural Section of the German Embassy Beijing)

Due to a decision of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany dated 17.03.2006 as amended on 10.12.2015, all study applicants from the People's Republic of China are requested to submit additional documents before registering for the entrance exam at the HMDK Stuttgart.
This means:

1. You are studying in China or have already completed your studies there:
   An application to HMDK Stuttgart is only possible with the submission of an APS certificate. For this, you need to register online and then submit the printed registration confirmation as well as the other required documents to the Academic Evaluation Centre at the German Embassy in Beijing. They will review your documents and may invite you for an interview. If the review result is positive, a certificate will be issued.
   Send this certificate together with your application documents to HMDK. Applicants who submit the certificate and the invitation to the entrance exam will be granted a visa in a simplified procedure by the German Embassy. Applicants who are already in Germany must also submit an APS certificate to HMDK.
2. You have not studied in China:
   An application to HMDK Stuttgart is only possible with the submission of a copy of a non-evaluability certificate. You will only receive this certificate if you have received the invitation to the entrance exam at HMDK Stuttgart. Further information can be found here.

The APS certificate

Indian students wishing to apply for a German student visa must have their academic qualifications evaluated by the Academic Evaluation Center (APS) and obtain an APS certificate before applying for a visa. The application period starts on November 1, 2022.

Here's what you need to do:
If you are studying in India or have completed your studies there:

• You must register online and then submit the printed registration confirmation and other required documents to the Academic Inspection Office at the German Embassy in New Delhi. They will review your documents and may invite you for an interview. If the evaluation result is positive, a certificate will be issued. Send this certificate along with your application documents to the university.
• Applicants who provide the certificate and invitation to the entrance examination will be granted a visa by the German Embassy through a simplified procedure.
• Applicants already in Germany must also present an APS certificate to the HMDK.