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I failed my fourth semester in applied mathematics bachelor degree because of depression. So I'll be obtaining my bachelor diploma in 4 years instead of 3 years.

Would I be able to apply for a master's degree in data science in Germany still ?

N.B : I'm currently studying in French and I recently passed the Toefl test and scored 95/120.

I'm not an EU citizen.

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  • Are you an EU citizen?
    – TimRias
    Feb 4, 2022 at 6:50

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In general in Germany, the only requirement to enroll in a Masters program at a public university is a finished Bachelor. In most cases no-one cares how you got your Bachelors degree and how long that took.

HOWEVER: popular studies have an NC (numerus clausus), that changes every year depending on the popularity. The NC is the limiting grade with which you are able to be admitted. The more people apply for a certain program, the higher the NC. For the NC, only the overall grade of your Bachelor degree counts, not how much time you took to obtain that grade.

There are nevertheless quite a lot of programs that don't have an NC, meaning there are in general not more applicants than spots. This means that basically anybody who fulfills the basic requirements (in case of a Masters program: finished Bachelor in relevant subject, visa requirements, language requirements, ...) will get a spot in that program. I bet there are quite a lote of math masters (and related subjects) without NC. So even if your Bachelor grade is not the best, you might be able to find a spot.

The comments of SirHawrk about the language issues are important, though - although many Germans speak English, a lot of university life (and administration) is taking place in German.

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  • The NC is exactly what I'm worried about. Whether they take into consideration the length of the program and how long did it take for actually getting the bachelor.
    – simo laarmani
    Feb 3, 2022 at 17:04
  • "he only requirement to enroll in a Masters program at a public university is a finished Bachelor" - Doesn't this also depend on what your master was in?
    – user151413
    Feb 3, 2022 at 20:12
  • @simolaarmani They do not. Also I just looked up a random Data Science University and the NC is 4.0 (The lowest grade which still allows to graduate). So I wouldn't worry about that
    – SirHawrk
    Feb 4, 2022 at 6:24
  • @simolaarmani The only thing that matters for NC is the grade.
    – Sursula
    Feb 4, 2022 at 6:28
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    @mmeent I have looked at a couple of university homepages and they basically all say the same thing: for studies with NC, there is often a percentage of total spots reserved for international students. They have their own NC. Still, the only thing that really matters is the grade, not the duration to obtain that grade. For areas without NC, international students (just as national students) can simply immatriculate IF they meet basic criteria like visa, bachelor, etc.
    – Sursula
    Feb 4, 2022 at 7:37
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From an academical standpoint: Yes. Many people in germany take longer than 3 years to complete their Bachelors Degree. Me being one of them. It is also up to the specific universities if they accept you but most will not care that it took you longer.

What might be a bigger hinderance is your (presumably) lack of german skill. Many classes in Germany are taught in german. While you can complete most exams in english or german you won't be given a lot of english learning material during the semester.

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    I have been told that as long as the master's degree that I am applying for is taught in English, not having a German language certificate won't cause a problem.
    – simo laarmani
    Feb 3, 2022 at 14:34
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    @simo that's for the course requirements. If you actually plan to live in Germany you should be at least conversational (B2 or higher), because even if the courses are offered in English pretty much nothing else in Germany will be
    – Cubic
    Feb 3, 2022 at 14:36
  • Thank you I appreciate it, that was really helpful.
    – simo laarmani
    Feb 3, 2022 at 14:54
  • @Cubic That really depends where in Germany you end up. Except for legal documents, of course.
    – user151413
    Feb 3, 2022 at 20:10
  • @user151413 I'd beg to differ. Even Students often only speak english moderately well. It is a sad truth.
    – SirHawrk
    Feb 4, 2022 at 6:25

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