Jurisprudence, State Examination
Questions of law, its interpretation and validity accompany us in all situations in life. The study of law deals with these questions and is therefore very complex, but also multifaceted. The various areas are examined and analyzed in nine semesters of standard study time. After acquiring general basic knowledge and in-depth knowledge in the three major areas of law, public law, criminal law and civil law in the basic and main studies, one must be selected from a total of 11 focus areas within the framework of the specialization area study; E.g. commercial and company law, social law with employment law references, information and communication, European and international law as well as maritime business law. This serves to specialize in a sub-area of law.
In addition, sufficient competencies in the area of key qualifications (e.g. events on negotiation management, conversation management, rhetoric and mediation) and law-oriented foreign language skills must be acquired. In addition, internships lasting a total of three months are planned.
The course ends with the “First Legal Examination” (formerly known as the 1st State Examination), which is made up of the “University Specialized Subject Examination” and the “State Compulsory Subject Examination”.
Programme facts
| Degree | State Examination |
|---|---|
| Duration | 9 semesters |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Summer semester, winter semester |
| Application | Directly to the university, 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 | €384 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 can be divided into four phases:
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
After the first legal examination, graduates can work in various areas with legal relevance, such as in business, politics or the media. In order to gain access to the classic legal professions, i.e. judges, public prosecutors, lawyers, however, two years of practical training in the civil service (so-called preparatory service or legal clerkship) must be completed after the university studies, at the end of which the second Legal state examination is available.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Hamburg), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €384 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A school certificate that gives access to university in Germany — directly or after a Studienkolleg. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Directly to the university, 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 directly to the university until 15.01Send the documents well before the deadline — an incomplete application cannot be completed after it.
- 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 (92 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.