Master’s · Biology & Life Sciences

Biology M.Sc.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology · Karlsruhe · Official programme page

21 facts from 9 official pages · last checked 14 November 2026

Reviewed by Dennis Maaß, admission and immigration expert
Published 8 November 2026 · Last reviewed 8 November 2026

Key facts

Length, deadlines and costs

Language: English and German
Source
“Language of instruction: German or English”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
KIT lists German or English: the programme can be completed in either language and proof of one of the two is enough (German C1 or English B2). Individual courses may be held in the other language, and no page states which share is taught in English.
Study mode: Not stated by the university
3 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/1019.php
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/9074.php
No KIT page states the teaching format. KIT publishes no online or distance degree programme and the programme pages describe lectures, laboratory courses and on-site interviews, but because nothing says so explicitly no value is recorded.
Attendance: Full-time
Source
“Regular program length: 4 semester (full-time program)”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Length: 4 semesters
Source
“Regular program length: 4 semester (full-time program)”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Credits: 120 ECTS
Source
“Credit points (ECTS): 120 credit points”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Intakes: Winter, Summer
Source
“Application possible for: … First semester: winter and summer term”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Non-EU deadline: 15 Jan 2027 (summer 2027)15 Jul 2027 (winter 2027)
Source
“Non-EU nationals … First semester: July 15 for winter term, January 15 for summer term”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
The same date applies to German, EU and non-EU applicants. These are preclusive deadlines: every document must have reached KIT by then.
Non-EU tuition: €1,500 per semester
Source
“According to Article 3, LHGebG (Baden-Württemberg Act on State University Fees), international students (from third countries/non-EU countries) attending bachelor's, teacher's, and consecutive master's programs as well as free movers will have to pay tuition fees in the amount of EUR 1,500 per semester as from the 2017/2018 winter semester.”
“Tuition fees for international students *** … 1500,00 € … 1684,00 €” page
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/12606.php · checked 14 November 2026
Baden-Württemberg's tuition for non-EU students, charged every semester from the first one and payable with the semester fee (184.00 EUR), so a non-EU student pays 1,684.00 EUR per semester in total. Exempt without an application: EU/EEA citizens, holders of a German Abitur, students on cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus+, double degree, EUCOR, direct exchange, state exchange programmes), doctoral students and holders of a Baden-Württemberg Stiftung scholarship; on application: students with established living conditions in Germany (Art. 5 LHGebG), students who completed a bachelor's AND a master's in Germany, refugees, students with a disability, students on leave, and hardship cases under Art. 7 LHGebG (deadline 1 July for winter, 15 January for summer, never for the first semester). Moving from a KIT bachelor's to a KIT master's starts the fee. A second degree costs 650.00 EUR per semester, but non-EU students who already pay the 1,500.00 EUR are not charged it on top.
Application fee: Not stated by the university
4 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/9074.php
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/3167.php
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/3363.php
www.sle.kit.edu/english/imstudium/703.php
KIT applies its own portal instead of uni-assist and no page names an application fee; the fee overview lists only the semester charges and tuition. Nothing is recorded rather than assuming there is none.
Places: Restricted (limited places)
Source
“Limited capacity: … There are 60 places available each year. These are allocated on the basis of a ranking list of applicants who meet the admission requirements. The ranking list is based on a maximum of 180 achievable points.”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Places for non-EU applicants: Not stated by the university
2 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.sle.kit.edu/downloads/AmtlicheBekanntmachungen/2025-AB-060.pdf
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php
Neither KIT's admission and enrollment regulations nor the programme's selection statute reserve a share of the places for non-EU applicants: everyone who meets the admission requirements enters the same ranking list. A separate pre-quota (Ausländerquote) is therefore not recorded.

Admission

What you need to apply

3-year bachelor’s: Accepted
Source
“a Bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in Biology (or a degree program with essentially the same content) from a university, university of applied sciences, university of cooperative education or a foreign university. The degree must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits.”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Three years and 180 ECTS are the floor, so a three-year 180-ECTS bachelor's qualifies.
Subject background: A bachelor's degree (or an equivalent degree) in Biology or a programme with essentially the same content, plus successful participation in the selection interview under § 6 of KIT's selection statute for the programme.
Source
“a Bachelor's degree (or at least an equivalent degree) in Biology (or a degree program with essentially the same content) from a university, university of applied sciences, university of cooperative education or a foreign university. The degree must have been completed within a standard period of study of at least three years and with a minimum number of 180 ECTS credits. … successful participation in an interview in accordance with § 6 of the statutes for the university's own admission and selection procedure for the master's degree program in Biology.”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
Minimum grade: Not stated by the university
2 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php
www.sle.kit.edu/downloads/AmtlicheBekanntmachungen/2025-AB-060.pdf
No minimum grade; the final grade is worth up to 54 of the 180 selection points.
How your grade is converted: Not stated by the university
2 pages checked, 14 Nov 2026
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/9074.php
No conversion table or modified Bavarian formula is published; the admission and selection commission converts foreign grades itself.
English: Level B2. IELTS 6.5 in every section · TOEFL iBT 90 · Duolingo not accepted · PTE 58.5. Cambridge: C1 Advanced (CAE), C2 Proficiency (CPE) or B2 First (FCE). Also accepted: TOEIC 400 Listening, 385 Reading, 160 Speaking, 150 Writing; UNIcert at least level II. PTE Academic also needs 56.8 Listening, 60.6 Reading, 53.5 Speaking and 74.1 Writing. The certificates are accepted without a time limit.. Exemption: No test is needed with a university entrance qualification that certifies B2 or that shows English was studied for at least five years up to graduation with a final or average grade of at least German grade 4, or with a university degree whose sole language of instruction and examination was English (stated in the Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records or degree certificate)
Source
“Dabei werden ausschließlich folgende Sprachnachwei- se oder Tests akzeptiert … Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) mit mindestens 90 Punkten im internet- based Test … IELTS mit einem Gesamtergebnis von mindestens 6.5 und keiner Section unter 5.5 … University of Cambridge Certificate C1 Advanced (CAE) … UNIcert mindestens Stufe II … Pearson PTE-Academic mit mindestens 58.5 Punkten”
www.sle.kit.edu/downloads/AmtlicheBekanntmachungen/2025-AB-060.pdf · checked 14 November 2026
KIT's admission and enrollment regulations (Zulassungs- und Immatrikulationsordnung, § 5) accept these tests "ausschließlich" (exclusively), so Duolingo English Test is not accepted. Neither the regulations nor the programme pages mention TOEFL iBT Home Edition or the 1–6 TOEFL band scale introduced in 2026, so nothing is recorded for them. Proof may be handed in up to the end of the enrolment period, but is preferred with the application; a provisional proof can secure admission. The English programme pages repeat the same list in English.
German: When applying: None if English B2 is proven: proof of either German C1 or English B2 is enough
Source
“For the Master's degree course in Biology , you need sufficient knowledge of German or English . It is sufficient to demonstrate proficiency in one of the two languages at the required level. Your German language skills must be at least level C1 and your English language skills at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). … For the Master's degree course in Biology , you need sufficient knowledge of German or English . It is sufficient to demonstrate proficiency in one of the two languages at the required level. Your German language skills must be at least level C1 and your English language skills at least level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026
German, if chosen, must be at DSH-2 / C1 level. The selection interview language is not stated.
GRE / GMAT / GATE: Not required
Source
“The GRE or GATE is required for applications to the following 6 programs: Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mechatronics and Information Technology. … The GRE or GMAT is required by all applications to the Industrial Engineering and Management M.Sc. program; there are no exemptions or waivers.”
www.intl.kit.edu/download/GRE,%20GATE%20or%20GMAT%20Requirement%20at%20KIT.pdf · checked 8 November 2026
KIT's central list names the only master's programmes that require a test from winter 2026/27; this programme is not among them.
Selection: Compulsory selection interview plus a ranking list over a maximum of 180 points: up to 54 for the final grade, 18 for the bachelor's thesis, 36 for other previous experience (relevant vocational training or work, special previous education, practical work in biology, publications, outstanding work, research activity or a semester abroad) and 72 for the interview.
Source
“There are 60 places available each year. These are allocated on the basis of a ranking list of applicants who meet the admission requirements. The ranking list is based on a maximum of 180 achievable points. … max. 72 points for the selection interview”
www.sle.kit.edu/english/vorstudium/master-biology.php · checked 14 November 2026

India, Pakistan, Nigeria

Rules for applicants from India, Pakistan and Nigeria

English test waiver: Possible for applicants from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, with a previous degree taught in English, or with a school-leaving certificate from an English-medium school or with enough English at school
Source
“Der Nachweis der Englischkenntnisse durch einen der o.g. Tests entfällt für Bewerberinnen und Bewerber mit … einem Hochschulabschluss einer Hochschule mit Englisch als einziger Unterrichts- und Prüfungssprache im absolvierten Studiengang … einer Hochschulzugangsberechtigung, wobei die Fremdsprache über mindestens 5 Lern- jahre bis zum Abschluss, der zum Hochschulzugang berechtigt, belegt worden sein muss”
www.sle.kit.edu/downloads/AmtlicheBekanntmachungen/2025-AB-060.pdf · checked 8 November 2026
Two routes without a test, open to applicants from India, Nigeria and Pakistan: a previous degree whose sole language of instruction and examination was English (it must say so in the Diploma Supplement, Transcript of Records or degree certificate - other confirmations of the language of instruction are explicitly not accepted), or a school-leaving qualification showing at least five years of English up to graduation with a final or average grade of at least German grade 4. There is no exemption by nationality or by English being an official language.
Rules that name these countries: India: Applicants from India must enclose an original, current, individual APS certificate with their master's application; group APS certificates are not accepted and the certificate must arrive by the application deadline.
Source
“Applicants from China , Vietnam and India are required to enclose the original APS-certificate in their application. … Important: KIT does not accept Group APS-certificates. APS-certificates also have to be current.”
www.intl.kit.edu/istudies/9074.php · checked 14 November 2026
China and Vietnam are named in the same sentence. For a completed bachelor's degree KIT only accepts an APS for that completed degree; an APS obtained while still studying must be re-certified and the re-certification also has to arrive by the deadline. KIT's bachelor's application page names only China and Vietnam, not India.

The rules for your country across all universities, and the visa rules on English tests, are on the India, Pakistan and Nigeria pages.

More on this programme

Every value was read on an official page and is stored with a verbatim quote; open “Source” to see it. “Not stated by the university” means none of the pages we checked says, and lists those pages. Rules change: confirm with the university before you apply or pay.