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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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
Wednesday, October 20, 2021 | on site
Wednesday, December 1, 2021 | digital
Application deadline
Sunday, October 3, 2021
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Important note:
Zeppelin University sets the highest standards for the selection of applicants, but in particular it is also responsible for the safety and health of all participating persons. On-site selection days are conducted in strict compliance with a hygiene concept as well as with the 3G rule applicable in Baden-Württemberg and the associated provision of appropriate proof.
1 Kick-off
Your first step: simply complete the kick-off requirements and get access to our online application portal.
2 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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Admissions Office & Selection Procedure
Admissions Office & Selection Procedure
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.
What happens on a typical selection day?
- Firstly, and most importantly: Your journey and arrival – the evening before the selection day is devoted entirely to getting to know one another. After the meet-and-greet we will have dinner together, possibly attend an interesting lecture and then spend the evening getting properly acquainted.
- The next morning … all applicants will participate in a case study based on the fields of social studies, economics, culture or politics. In small groups, you will work together on questions given to you by the moderator. Afterwards, each team will present its results to the panels and the other teams. As an extra challenge, you will only have five minutes to complete your presentation and may not use any supporting media. In other words, it’s all about you and your ideas!
- Selection interviews: After lunch, the individual part of the day begins. In two 35-minute selection interviews you will meet representatives of the university as well as external visitors from companies and institutions. Each interview will be different – just as you are! We want these interviews to be a genuine dialogue. So ask us your questions and discuss your interests and passions!
- Tests: The interviews are flanked by an English test (35 minutes) plus an essay in which you will answer questions on an English specialist article (35 minutes). Applicants for the GEMA master’s program will take a mathematics test (35 minutes) instead of writing an English essay.
- And finally… everyone comes back together. We want to do more than just say goodbye to you; we are always eager to hear your impressions of this special day. At this point, we would also be happy to answer any last-minute administrative questions.
When will the admission decision be made?
After your departure, the selection panels will convene and decide whether to admit or reject each applicant. On the following day, the scholarship committee will meet to agree on the award of scholarships. A few days after the selection day, you will be notified by post of the result of your application for a study place at ZU, as well as your application for a scholarship (if applicable).
Please note that, after successfully completing the selection process, you will typically have two weeks in which to accept and return our contractual offer of a place.
Important note:
Zeppelin University sets the highest standards for the selection of applicants, but in particular it is also responsible for the safety and health of all participating persons.
On site selection days are conducted in strict compliance with a hygiene concept as well as with the 3G rule applicable in Baden-Württemberg and the associated provision of appropriate proof.
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
Admissions Office and Selection Procedure
Dierolf Nadine, Gröner Alissa, Wallace Birgit
Team Applicant Advisory & Admissions
| Phone: | +49 7541 6009-2000 |
| Room: | ZF Campus |
Dierolf Nadine, Gröner Alissa, Wallace Birgit
Team Applicant Advisory & Admissions
| Phone: | +49 7541 6009-2000 |
| Room: | ZF Campus |
