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.
Most important information
- state-accredited Bachelor
- 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
- 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.
#CODEremote
During the crazy times of the Corona virus…
Like all of us, we’re closely monitoring the rapid spread of the new Corona virus. Even though we have no confirmed cases in our community, we see it as our responsibility to contribute as much as we can to limit the spread of COVID-19.
That’s why we decided very early to take action and almost all our learning formats take place as usual, but remotely.
…our community still keeps growing!
We’ve changed all steps of the admission process, including the final admission day, to a remote format. This change will not affect your chances of admission at CODE!
The winter semester 2020 is expected to start as planned on August 31. So if you want to start your studies at CODE this year, carry on with your application and conquer all stages of the application process step by step!
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 busy with assessing your potential and motivation.
It always takes two parties for a perfect match
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.
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.
Step 1Written Application
We want to get to know you and will ask you a variety of questions. You don’t need any technical knowledge to answer them. Just be yourself.
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 2Challenge
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 challenge. Rather than confront you with standardized tests, CODE gives you the flexibility to define how you want to present yourself and your abilities.
Step 3Video Interview
The third step is a brief video interview with a member of our admission team. We would like to get to know you better (even if it’s just virtual at this point) and offer you the chance to ask us any questions that are on your mind.
Step 4Admissions Day
For the final step, we actually invite applicants to Berlin to get to know us in person and to see our campus. However, the current situation with COVID-19 forced us into finding an alternative. We are excited to let you know that our last step in the process will be a one day remote admission day.
As same as before – but remote – you work on a group project together with other applicants. Afterwards you’ll have a final interview. You’ll be informed whether you receive an offer for a study contract a few days later.
Apply now!
By registering for our application process, you will receive an email from us with an invitation to set up your personal account.
Questions? Then contact us! Already signed up? Then login here.
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.
By reading the website carefully, you can already find a lot of useful information about studying at CODE. The CODE team was super helpful during my application process and answered right away if I had questions. Don’t hesitate to ask. I applied to the university when I was back home in Indonesia, and regardless of the distance or the time difference, the team was always approachable. I can recommend you to find students already studying at CODE and ask them all the questions that you might have.Sasha Astiadi, 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 €32,768 (no matter how long you study). So, the monthly payment would be €910,22 for 36 months.
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).
Both payment options are available for international students as well.
How to finance your studies
At CODE you can decide between a monthly payment option and our popular pay later model offered by our partner CHANCEN eG.
Option 1: The income-based delayed tuition model
In this model your payment starts after graduation. This contribution will be a fair percentage (13,5%) of your yearly, pre-tax income for eight years, but only if your relevant income in a year exceeds €27,000. After eight years you are done. That means if you – for whatever reason – never earn more than €27,000 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 eight 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 €910,22 for 36 months, adding up to €32,768.
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
Admission requirements to study in Germany
If you want to study at a German higher education institution you will have to meet certain requirements. The DAAD database allows international students to check whether they meet the requirements for the degree program of their choice in Germany (currently information on 80 countries available).
Check out if you can study in Germany (and CODE) here:
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)
- Information about German entrance requirements (DAAD)
- Database on admission requirements (DAAD)
If you still have more questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at
admissions@code.berlin.
As CODE is a state-recognized University of Applied Sciences we are bound to the German law when it comes to entrance requirements – just like any other German University of Applied Sciences. German regulations for higher education require you to have a higher-education entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) to enroll in a bachelor’s degree program. That usually means a high school diploma/certificate, but depending on where you went to school, you might need to take further steps.
We will do a check of your qualifications once you complete the challenge in our admission process. Here are a few ways for you to check your eligibility before then:
- Higher Education Compass
(offered by the Germans Rectors’ Conference) - German Academic Exchange Service
- Database on admission requirements
(offered by the German Academic Exchange Service)
additional information: for IB diploma and for GCE