Application & selection process at Zeppelin University
Selection with subjective criteria, unanswerable questions, selection day with a learning opportunity
Are you up to the challenge? Can you handle questions with unknowable answers? Can you manage to commit to a variety of disciplines and still concentrate on your questions? Do you use a variety of perspectives as a resource for your own work? Are you brave and humble, interested in research, and do you have a practical mindset? What can you bring to the ZU and to your fellow students? And what will your fellow students be able to learn from you?
Selection day at Zeppelin University
When it comes to selecting our students, we share Karl Jaspers’ opinion:
“The whole life of a university depends on the kind of people who come together within it. The life of a university depends no less on the kind of students it admits than on its resident professors.” “Die Idee der Universität”, Berlin 1946, page 91
Our admissions procedure is based on two assumptions:
Firstly, that you are not defined entirely by your grades. You have many talents and abilities that we can only discover via our own selection process. And secondly, there is not necessarily a positive correlation between your intelligence and your financial situation.
As an applicant, you must be a good fit for our university – but our university must also be right for you. Both you and our selection panel must therefore strive to determine whether this is the case.
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Our next selection days
Because a decision to study demands early and often long-term planning, we are now enabling prospective students to apply to the Zeppelin University three semesters in advance.
| Selection day | Application deadline | Semester Start |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday, March 22, 2023 | on site | ||
| Wednesday, May 10, 2023 | on site | Sunday, April 30, 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Wednesday, June 07, 2023 | on site | Sunday, May 28, 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Wednesday, June 28, 2023 | digital | Sunday, June 18, 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Thursday, July 27, 2023 | on site | Sunday, July 16, 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Wednesday, August 09, 2023 | digital | Sunday, July 30, 2023 | Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | on site | Sunday, October 15, 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
| Wednesday, December 06, 2023 | on site | Sunday, November 26, 2023 | Spring 2024 | Fall 2024 |
Note: Participation in the on-site selection day in Friedrichshafen requires a fee of 95 Euros. Participation in the digital format is free of charge.
The selection process – step by step
| Kick-off
Your first step: simply complete the kick-off requirements and get access to our online application portal.
| Online application
After choosing your own password, you can get started with your application. We want to get to know you better by means of a detailed CV that includes a letter of motivation. Tell us your story. What were the formative events in your past? Who played an important role in your personal development? Why do your want to study this subject at our university? What are your plans for the future? In addition, please upload your latest school reports and final qualification certificates.
Important: Please load up all additional documents as PDF files only. Applications can only be submitted online – postal applications will not be accepted.
Not yet completed your studies?
You can still apply now! Simply submit all the reports and certificates you have received so far or your current Transcript of Records. You can submit your final certificates at the time of enrollment.
Experiencing a sudden bout of writer’s block?
No problem. You can easily save your application at any point and come back to it later when feeling suitably inspired. Don’t send us your application until you have given every part careful consideration.
What will happen after I have submitted my application?
We will thoroughly check your application for a study place. This process can take up to two weeks. If successful, you will receive an invitation to one of our selection days – the next step in our selection process. As part of the selection-day procedure, you will stay the night in accommodation that we will book for you. We will also arrange transport to the location for the case study and will provide meals and drinks. The costs for this are included in your participation fee of €95.00.
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Applicant Advisory & Selection Process
Team of Applicant Advisory & Selection Process
Phone: +49 7541 6009-2000
Write an Email
Do you have any questions about the study programs and the selection process? Then please contact our Admission Office.
The selection day
What happens on a typical selection day?
| First things first: The day before the event is all about getting to know each other. After a short welcome, current ZU students are open for questions and provide interesting insights into everyday life at ZU. On selection days on site include an informative pre-event with food & drinks at our beautiful lakeside campus.
| The next morning … after a brief welcome, applicants are presented with an exciting case study selected from fields in social affairs, business, culture, or politics.In small groups, you work together on the question posed by the caseworker. The results are presented in groups to all participants both on site and at digital selection days, and the results are presented.
You are allowed 5 minutes for the presentation
without using external media tools. It is all about you and your ideas!
| Selection talks: After a joint lunch break, the individual
section of the day will begin for all applicants. For two 35-minute interviews, you
will meet representatives of the university as well as external experts from
the business world and other organizations. Each interview is different – just
like you! We are looking for a true dialog in these talks. So please do not
hesitate to ask questions and to discuss your concerns and passions!
| Tests: The interviews for Bachelor applicants are
flanked by an English test (multiple choice) and a program-specific test (math
test, or essay for the CCM program). All applicants to our master programs take an
English test and an essay. Only GEMA applicants take a math test instead of the
essay.
The level for the mathematics test corresponds to that of the upper secondary school. There are tasks from the areas of analysis, algebra, stochastics, vector and matrix calculations, for which there are predominantly several pre-formulated answers to choose from. The level of the English test also corresponds to that of the upper secondary school. It tests knowledge of the English language in the areas of grammar, expressive ability and general text comprehension.
| Last but not least... a last get-together after
the day is done. Not only to say good-bye but also to hear your impressions of
the day and receive some feedback. We are happy to answer any final questions at
that time. During digital selection days we provide a chat room and space for
final questions or feedback as well.
When can you expect a decision?
After
the official part of the day, the selection committees will meet to discuss and
decide over admission. You will be informed about the result on the following
day per email.
Also,
the scholarship committee will meet that following day to decide over
scholarship awards. A day later the contract portfolio, which includes the
scholarship decision, will be sent to you by postal mail.
Please note that the contract offer is usually bound to a 2-week return period.
Opinions about the selection day
Mariel Susa, 4th semester CCM Bachelor
- How would you sum up the selection day in three words?
I found the selection day surprising because I didn't know what to expect. Exciting, because I was confronted with many new things and people. And organized, the good structure was helpful.
- What would you like to recommend to future candidates?
Stay as you are, recharge your batteries at the lake, and if need be, the nut buns in the refectory will help.
- What do you personally remember most about the selection day?
I remember the people, the food, the campus at Seemooser Horn, the fabulous weather, the lake and the windsurfing club next door.
Nina Heine, 4th semester CME Bachelor
- How would you sum up the selection day in three words?
Challenging, eventful, informative
- What would you recommend to future candidates?
Don't play roles! Always remain yourselves, show character and remember that team spirit is always more important than ambition and that there will be no opposition on the selection day. It's helpful to have a certain amount of real-life cleverness, which helps you to answer questions spontaneously. In all of this, however, you should be clear about whether you really want to do this course of study, because that is the most important thing.
- What do you personally remember most about the selection day?
My lasting memory is mainly limited to one kind of feeling. Unlike in many institutions I have known so far, I believed that with ZU I had found a place where boundaries are not rigid, but hierarchies are flat and opportunities are unlimited. It was like a field with straws full of possibilities that you just have to grab.
Nicolas Böttger, 4th semester SPE Bachelor
- How would you sum up the selection day in three words?
Challenging, instructive and incredibly inspiring
- What would you recommend to future candidates?
Never try to play a certain role. If you get a rejection, don't see it as a failure, but as an opportunity to reflect on yourself and your actions. If you still want to go to ZU, then try again, don't give up! I myself have applied again and do not regret this persistence in any way. On the contrary: I feel incredibly comfortable at ZU and have rarely met so many interesting people in a single place.
- What do you personally remember most about the selection day?
The selection interviews, which were all characterized by critical questioning but at the same time by great cordiality. The most important thing during the interviews is to also ask counter-questions, because you are not only an applicant, you also have to find out whether the university is a good fit for you. Be sure to take the opportunity to talk to students and ask them about their personal experiences during the selection day.
Links | Downloads
Team of Applicant Advisory & Selection Process
| Phone: | +49 7541 6009-2000 |
| Room: | FAB 3 | 0.31 |