Are we a perfect match?
At CODE we want to attract the most talented and passionate students, not the most privileged. In our admission process, we aim to challenge your ambition and talent.
Attention: We have closed the admission process for our winter semester 2018…
…and decided to take a short break until November before we start with our admission year for winter semester 2019. You can already register but will not be able to process your application after step 1 for now. We will send you an email when we restart the process.
Most important information
- Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
- in Software Engineering, Product Management, Interaction Design
- Standard period of study: 3 years (6 semesters)
- Semester begin: September
- All 3 programs are taught in English
- Face-to-face study program in Berlin (no distance learning)
Some interesting facts
- CODE stands for “curiosity-driven education”
- project-based learning
- no lectures, no exams, no grades
- Excerpt of partner companies: Facebook, Porsche and Impact Hub
- Our mandatory Science Technology and Society (STS) course will teach all students to think for themselves, to reflect on society, politics and the impact of technology.
At CODE you’re challenged from day zero. You’re asked to open your mind to keep learning- not only about technical but social aspects. You’re always working in teams, which brings some challenges when it comes to negotiating expectations, but it also means there’s a community to back you up and motivate you.Daniele, 2nd year software engineering student
CODE is a place where great change is happening – most important a change in education. Students and faculty stick together, no matter where you are from or what you are trying to solve. If you are a dedicated person the level of learning is immense.Martin Straußberger
2nd year software engineering student
Just as demanding and rewarding as our study programs
At CODE we worked hard to develop a special admission process that is an interesting learning experience in itself and not just a necessary administrative annoyance.
Don’t worry that you might not know enough to shine in the admission process. We are primarily concerned with assessing your potential and motivation, not only the skills you might have acquired already.
It always takes two parties for a perfect match
Even if you are not 100 percent sure you want to study at CODE: give it a try! During your application process, you will have the chance to learn how we think, talk and act at CODE.Our admission process has another unique quality: you are not competing with the other applicants for a spot. We cannot enroll an unlimited number of students but there is no fixed number of places to fill.
Step 1Apply
Your first step toward admission is super easy and has no strings attached. You create a private account with us and tell us your name.
Please note: If you need a visa to study in Germany, please consider earlier deadlines for your application! We’ve made a list of requirements, so you can check all the necessary details.
Step 2Master a challenge
We are not interested in your grades from school because we believe that school performance does not reliably reflect your skills and potential. Instead, we present you with an exciting and thought-provoking challenge. Rather than confront you with standardized tests, CODE gives you the flexibility to define for yourself how you want to present yourself and your abilities.
Step 3Group project
For the final step, we will invite you to Berlin. You will spend a day at CODE and work on a group project together with other applicants. Our goal here is for us to get to know each other.There’s no need to stress about this because we don’t want to trick you with our questions; we want to know what you think about a variety of topics.
Apply now!
By registering for our application process, you will receive an email from us with an invitation to set up your personal account.
We have closed the admission process for our winter semester 2018 and decided to take a short break until November before we start with our admission year for winter semester 2019. Register now and we will contact you via email when we restart the process again.
Questions? Do not hesitate to contact us!
At CODE we are looking for students who demonstrate
Drive and curiosity
Desire for a positive impact
Ability to collaborate efficiently
Passion for digital technologies
There is always a gift in any challenge.Bronnie Ware, Author, songwriting teacher, and speaker
A special approach to learning requires special students
We have a special approach to learning and teaching at CODE, which requires you to be exceptionally self-driven, cooperative and inquisitive. Because we are looking for special talents, we don’t believe that standardized test results or school grades will be of much help in our application process.
What we can promise you is that we evaluate all applicants equally, with no preferential treatment given regarding gender, sexual orientation or social background.
If you’re not sure about your application, don’t hesitate to ask the CODE team. Also don’t be competitive. You’re not really competing with others against certain slots, just do your best and work together with the others. Help each other. If you’re motivated and if you are yourself, the others will notice. That’s what counts.Christoph Janke, student at CODE
At CODE, we want to attract the most talented – not the most privileged.
As a private institution we have to ask our students for a substantial financial contribution in the form of tuition, because we do not get any financial support from the state.
The costs for our bachelor’s programs are a total amount of €26,892 (no matter how long you study). So, the monthly payment would be €747 for 36 months. This calculation and the underlying assumptions will be updated every three years.
At the same time, we want to inspire and empower the digital change-makers of tomorrow. What we therefore cannot and will not do is exclude those who cannot shoulder the financial burden of private-university tuition.
That is why we are very happy that – with the help from our friends at Chancen eG – we can offer you a solution where there is no upfront or monthly payment of any tuition required while you study at CODE. Instead, you commit yourself to making a yearly financial contribution as soon as you start working and earning serious money (see option 1).
Option 1: The income-based delayed tuition model
In this model your payment starts after graduation. This contribution will be a small percentage (around 6.5%) of your yearly, pre-tax income for ten years, but only if your relevant income in a year exceeds €21,000. After ten years you are done. That means if you – for whatever reason – never earn more than €21,000 a year, you won’t have to pay any tuition fees.
On the other hand, if you are earning obscene amounts of money, you will never pay more than two times the tuition fees a student with an average income would have paid. In the end it’s a solidarity model. One for all, and all for one.
Option 2: The monthly payment tuition model
For this option we will assume what the average income of a CODE student will be in his or her first ten years of professional life and calculate the discounted equivalent of what he or she would pay with the income-based delayed tuition model. At the moment this would result in a monthly payment of €747 for 36 months, adding up to €26,892. This calculation and the underlying assumptions will be updated every three years.
That means students who decide to pay their tuition on a monthly basis while studying will pay exactly as much as the average student who decides to contribute via the income-based delayed tuition model.
The first lesson I learnt from the day I joined CODE, is to never EVER doubt yourself but always be skeptical of what’s around you.Fran Khayat
1st year interaction design student
Student visa for Germany
If you are from outside the EU, you will need a student visa to move to Germany and start your studies at CODE. Your best course of action would be to contact the German embassy in your country as early as possible to get the specifications for the process.
In general, you will have to meet these requirements for a student visa:
- a valid passport
- a letter of admission from CODE
(you will get this from our admissions office once you have passed all stages of the admissions process) - proof of financial resources
(about 8.500 Euro to put on a blocked account) - health insurance coverage
These websites will be very helpful for you:
- Visa regulations (Federal Foreign Office)
- Visa application process (German Academic Exchange Service)
- Information about a blocked account (Sparkasse, German financial institute)
- Germany-visa.org (Visa process, private website)
- Visaguide.world (process for study residence permit, private website)
- Health Insurance in Germany (information on Studying-in-germany.org)
If you still have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
admission@code.berlin.