Application Process

Applicants are required to send a CV (maximum length: two pages) with their application.

Applicants must send a personal statement of purpose. Please describe why you are interested in public policy and how your academic and/or professional background has influenced your decision to pursue a career in the field of public policy. How and why will the pursuit of your degree at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy help you to achieve your professional goals? Please be specific and limit your response to no more than two pages. 

Applicants must send the following diplomas, documents, certificates, and transcripts as certified true copies (no originals, please):

• Secondary Education Certificate (Abitur, High School Diploma, etc.)
• University degree(s) (if already available)
• Official transcripts from all colleges, professional schools, and universities

Undergrad degrees should ideally be in subjects from the social sciences, economics or law. If your undergrad degree is from a different discipline, please also use your letter of motivation to spell out your connection to the subject and how you acquired the analytical skills required for the study of public policy.

All documents not issued in German or English must be accompanied by certified German or English translations.

Note: Simple (i.e., non-certified) copies of diplomas and certificates cannot be accepted as sufficient proof of meeting the admission criteria. A certified true copy is a copy (often a photocopy) of a primary document that has on it an endorsement, a stamp or a certificate that proofs that this is a true copy of the primary document. Certified true copies can be obtained from German Embassies / Consulates or other official authorities in your country of residence.

Please send neither the original documents nor simple copies without certification. 

All applicants have to submit proof of at least one year of work experience. It should be ideally in a field related to public policy. We also take into account voluntary work and internships.

We require the following information about your work experience:

• Name of the company or organisation
• Position held
• Duration: When did you work / since when are you working for the employer (start and end date)
• Type of Employment: Full time / part time, hours per week, paid / voluntary
• Job Specifications: Field of expertise, area of work, key duties, etc.

We will accept a formal letter from your employer containing this information. Your employer can also fill out our Proof of Professional Work Experience Form.Alternatively, you can provide us with an existing reference letter from your employer or a copy of your work contract. We do not require a comprehensive employer referral; we only require proof of the above-mentioned details to be able to properly evaluate your work experience.

If you choose to provide a letter or reference from your employer, please note that it must be dated, bear an original signature and should be written on official letterhead.

If your one year of work experience was not completed within one company or organization (for example two six-month internships), please provide proof for all experiences, totaling one year. If you have more than one year of relevant work experience (for example two years at one company and three years at another), you do not have to provide proof for every job you have had. Other work experience may be listed in your CV and in your application, however, proof is only required for one year.

Please note that you must provide the letter or contract with your online application. It cannot be provided later. The documents you provide must be written in English or German. If your documents are not in English or German, you must provide a sworn translation.

Proof of English proficiency (Test scores must not be older than two years at the time of application).  The Brandt School  accepts the following tests, including their online versions.

• TOEFL Internet, (Online Version: TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition): minimum of 90 points
• IELTS Academic Test, (Online Version: IELTS Indicator): minimum of 6.5 points overall and in all sub-categories
• one of the following language certificates: Cambridge English C1 Advanced (CAE) or Cambridge English C2 Proficiency (CPE).

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Important note 1
Candidates who received their degree from an English-language college or university only need to present an official document or letter issued by the university stating that English has been the medium of instruction. If the information "medium of instruction: English" or similar is to be found on the Transcript of Records or its appendix, the corresponding page should be uploaded as a proof of English proficiency. In this case, an English test result is obsolete. On the other hand, please note that an excellent test-result will always contribute to your application's excellence. 

Important note 2
English proficiency documents are the only documents which can be uploaded AFTER the submission of the online application. The deadline for non-EU nationals is April 30 - and for EU-nationals July 31. Until then, applicants can access their online application and upload the missing document. They cannot edit any other information in the application. If you want to upload the test result later, please indicate so in your online application by checking the box "Will be submitted subsequently". Please note that we can only issue a final admission once we have valid proof of your English proficiency. 

Applicants are required to send a copy of their passport. Please send copies of the cover of your passport and the pages showing your photo, your name, date and place of birth.