Jurisprudence, State Examination
The aim of the course is to prepare for legal practice and to impart in-depth knowledge in the most important areas of law. The students should also be given the ability to grasp and work on unfamiliar areas of law with the methods they have learned.
In the course of the course, the core areas of civil law, criminal law, public law and constitutional law, including references to European law, are dealt with. Another focus is on the legal philosophical, historical, economic and social foundations of the legal system.
Programme facts
| Degree | State Examination |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 semesters, 270 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Summer semester, winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07, summer semester until 15.01 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €394.69 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →What you study
The study of law is divided into a compulsory subject (1st-5th semester) and a focus area (6th-8th semester). The course is completed with the first examination (state examination), which consists of the state compulsory subject examination (valued at 70%) and the university specialization examination (valued at 30%).
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
The training of lawyers nationwide is based on the model of the “fully qualified lawyer” who is qualified to hold judicial office. This qualification is acquired by those who complete a law degree at a university with the first legal examination (state examination) AND a subsequent preparatory service (legal clerkship) with the second legal state examination (assessor examination).
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Graduates of the law course who enter the labor market immediately after obtaining their university degree (first legal examination) are treated the same as graduates with a bachelor's / master's degree. Possible areas for further career are NGOs (non-governmental organizations) / NGOs (non-governmental organization) or participation in advanced courses with an international focus (so-called master’s programs). There are also career opportunities after a corresponding additional training in the Foreign Office, in library and archiving, in criminal and police enforcement service and much more.
The classic professions such as lawyer, public prosecutor, judge or notary require completion of the 2-stage legal training. Fully qualified lawyers also often hold civil servant positions in the higher service of public administrations, e.g. in local administrations, state institutions or ministries at state and federal level.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hesse), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €394.69 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | Lawyers are required to be able to express themselves and argue properly, both verbally and in writing. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07, summer semester until 15.01 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application via uni-assist until 15.01uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.01.2027 (93 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.