Formalities during your studies  Change of Degree Programme

Any change to a degree programme, as it was originally begun, is referred to as a “change of degree programme”. This may constitute a change of one or several subjects (change of subject) and/or a change of degree type or the weighting of each subject. Adding a subject to a teaching degree, or starting a parallel degree programme, is also considered a change of degree programme. If students have progressed to the third or a more advanced semester in a degree course and wish to change degree programme, they must provide proof of having consulted an academic advisor in relation to the new subject.
Students who receive funding from BAföG (German Federal Training Assistance Act) should also consider the consequences of a change of degree programme for any monetary support they receive. 
It is highly recommended that international students wishing to change degree subject seek advice from the International Student Advising Office.

Applying for a Change of Degree Programme

For most degree programmes and subjects, a change of programme is to be carried out mainly digitally via the online platform heiCO, except for the programmes that have not (yet) been integrated into heiCO. The application for a change of degree programme for these programmes has to be submitted as a hard copy. 

When applying for a change in degree programme, the first step is issuing an application in heiCO for the new degree programme (component) / the new degree type / the new weighting. The documents necessary for an application have to be uploaded in heiCO. 
Please note: German citizens, EU and EEA nationals and foreign students are required to apply for the first semester of degree programmes with nationwide admission restrictions (medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at Heidelberg University) and must register with Hochschulstart in advance for the first semester of degree programmes with a dialogue-oriented service procedure.

The application deadlines for all subjects and procedures are the same deadlines that apply to external applicants not yet enrolled at Heidelberg University. Once you have been admitted, you will be requested in your heiCO account to accept the study place within a deadline displayed there in order to be able to continue with online enrolment. If you have been admitted to the 1st semester of medicine, dentistry or pharmacy, you will receive a separate e-mail with access data for the heiCO portal and information on how to proceed. 

Please keep the following documents at hand to upload them as PDF files for your change of degree programme:

• Application for Change of degree programme  
  • you can download this document directly in heiCO and upload the completed form 
  • if needed, a template for the certificate of subject-specific counselling is included in the form and ready to be printed out, filled in and uploaded again.
• if applicable: Recognition of study periods certificate 
• any further documents or certificates mentioned in your letter of admission / in your heiCO account 
• any further documents mentioned to you by the Student Administration. Please note: Normally, you won't be asked for a certified copy of your Transcript of Records. If this document is mentioned in the required documents in heiCO, please contact the Study Administration at 

  studierendenadministration@uni-heidelberg.de

  . 

Please mail- if applicable  - the following documents as well after entering your data in heiCO:

• if applicable: certificate of your university degree as an officially certified copy 
  • If you do not yet have a final degree certificate from your undergraduate degree program when you enroll in a Master's degree program by the end of the deadline, a provisional certificate from the University proving you have completed your studies will be accepted. 
• if applicable: Enrollment application for two admission-restricted degree programmes
• any further certificates or documents mentioned in your letter of admission / in your heiCO account 
• any further documents mentioned to you by the Student Administration 

Please send them to the following adress:
Universität Heidelberg 
Studierendenadministration 
Seminarstr. 2 
69117 Heidelberg 

Please note that the documents that have to be uploaded as well as the documents that have to be send by mail for your online enrolment / change of degree programme have to be submitted within the deadline mentioned in your letter of admission / heiCO account.
A change of degree programme can only take place after successful re-registration.