The master craftsman and further-training route
Anyone who has completed an advanced vocational qualification, such as Meister (master craftsman), Fachwirt, Techniker or Betriebswirt, is as a rule treated in Germany as equivalent to holding the Abitur and may enrol in any subject. This group has the broadest access, because the qualification is recognised as a general higher education entrance qualification.
Austria and Switzerland have comparable routes through the Berufsreifeprüfung, the Studienberechtigungsprüfung or admission sur dossier. The terms differ, but the idea is the same: a proven professional qualification replaces the traditional Matura.
The route via relevant professional experience
A degree is also possible without an advanced vocational qualification. The usual requirement in Germany is a completed vocational training plus several years of professional experience in a relevant field. Access is then subject-bound, meaning you study a subject that matches your occupation. Often an entrance or aptitude assessment or a trial semester comes first.
This is exactly where distance learning plays to its strengths: many distance-learning universities specialise in people with professional qualifications and have well-established procedures for them. On the profile pages in the comparison, the key-facts block shows whether a university explicitly provides for access without the Abitur.
Trial semester and aptitude assessment
Subject-bound access is often tied to a hurdle that is fair and even works in your favour: a trial study period or an aptitude assessment. If you pass the first semester or the assessment, your access is secured. This is how universities establish your ability to study without formally requiring the Abitur.
- Trial semester: you start normally and must achieve a certain level of performance in the first phase of study.
- Entrance assessment: a written or oral examination before the start of study.
- Advisory interview: some providers clarify suitability and expectations beforehand in a conversation.
What you should look out for
Check early whether the subject you are aiming for matches your professional experience, because for subject-bound access relevance is what counts. Also clarify whether and how much of your prior learning can be credited, as this shortens study time and reduces costs. And get written confirmation of the legal basis on which you are admitted.
The national rules differ, and in Germany they even vary by federal state. The binding reference is always the admissions regulations of the university in question.