Important information about online enrollment: How to apply!

Important information about online enrollment: How to apply!

Enrollment at German universities is a structured process that is nuanced and purposefully designed to guide both applicants and institutions through the multitude of regulations and formalities. Today, June 17, 2025, universities provide clear guidelines that must be taken into account when applying. Especially at the University of Paderborn Applications must reach the status “Imma application possible” before they can be submitted through the online portal PAUL.

In order to ensure successful enrollment, applicants are required to upload their documents in common file formats. The application can be submitted after all required fields have been filled out. Incorrect or incomplete applications receive the status “Imma application incomplete”, which means that documents or information are missing or incorrect. In this case, processing of the application will be stopped until all required information has been completed and corrected. Each submission contains a “Processing status” page that provides information about the missing evidence.

Deadlines and notifications

An important point is that enrollment is only possible within the specified deadlines. After completing enrollment, applicants will receive a notification by email confirming the successful completion of the process. Relevant deadlines and documentation requirements must be observed to ensure a smooth start to your studies.

In addition, students must have health insurance throughout their studies in Germany, unless they are exclusively enrolled in a doctoral program. The University of Münster emphasizes that universities are obliged to check the health insurance requirement and to electronically confirm reports from insurance providers. However, no written membership certificates or presentation of the health insurance card are required for enrollment.

After enrollment, students must have 14 days to provide proof of their insurance coverage. This is done by submitting a special message, known as “Message 10,” which is sent by the health insurance provider to the relevant university. The University of Münster uses the sender number H0001848 for this purpose.

The applicant portal and registration

The first step to applying via the dialogue-oriented service procedure (DoSV) is to register in the application portal. Hochschulstart.de informs you that both registration and application are free of charge and that the user account remains active for at least one year after completion of a procedure. If the account is inactive for a long period of time, the account can be deactivated and deleted, but it is possible to re-register without any problems.

Re-applicants are requested to use their existing user account, as all old accounts and applications will be deleted when a new one is created. Registration requires some mandatory information, including name, date of birth and address, with the data protected in accordance with the privacy policy. After registration, applicants receive an applicant ID (BID) and an applicant authentication number (BAN), which is used for various application processes.

For certain courses of study that have nationwide admission restrictions, such as human medicine and dentistry, separate registration via the “Application Online” (AntOn) portal is necessary. In addition, from the winter semester of 2025/26 onwards, registration via the federal ID in the application portal will no longer be possible.