FAQ

Frequently asked questions

You can apply for a study place in M.Sc. “Laboratory Animal Science” in RWTHonline within the application period (Dezember 01 until July 15).
Please note that the application for a study place and the enrollment at the university are two different procedures.
Once we receive your complete documents, they will be assessed by the scientific director of the course. If you are meeting the admission requirements, you can be enrolled at the university. By enrolling you get a study placement at RWTH Aachen, that is you become a member of the university.
Your enrollment process needs to be completed in RWTHonline, a list of needed documents can be found in RWTHonline after your admission.

For your application, you need the following documents:

  • University degree certificate and transcript of records
  • Curriculum Vitae and motivation letter
  • Proof of working experience in the field of laboratory animal sciences
  • Proof of English language qualification

All documents should be translated into English or German

For Master’s courses of study mainly in English, adequate knowledge of English must be proven by non-native speakers of English who have not acquired their higher education entrance qualification at an English-language institution.

Applicants who have obtained their study qualification or an English-language academic degree in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the United States of America are exempt from providing proof.

The following certificates are recognized:

  • Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) “Internet-based” Test (IBT) with a score of at least 90 points,
  • International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) Academic Test with a score of at least 6.0,
  • Cambridge Test – B2 First (formerly Cambridge English: First / FCE) with a grade of at least B,
  • Cambridge Test – C1 Advanced (formerly Cambridge English: Advanced / CAE),
  • Cambridge Test – C2 Proficiency (formerly Cambridge English: Proficiency / CPE),
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic with a score of at least 60 points,
  • UNIcert II or higher,
  • a certificate that was obtained as part of the school education required by law in the respective country and that demonstrates English language proficiency at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This proof is provided, for example, by submitting a German Abitur certificate which shows that English was taken continuously until the end of qualification phase 1 (year 11 for G8 Abitur, otherwise year 12) and completed with at least sufficient grades,
  • Placement test result from the RWTH Language Centre at level B2.2.1 (formerly MK 7) or higher. This can only be taken by enrolled students or by RWTH or UKA staff.

Our program requires a minimum of 36 months‘ work experience (full-time) by the time of enrolment. The proof of work experience has to include the following information:

  • The employer’s address and stamp
  • Job title
  • Short task description
  • Date of joining and, if applicable, resignation date (duration)
  • Signature of a superior or HR

Please note: Compulsory internships that are part of the degree program cannot be recognised.

A transcript of records is a listing of your academic qualifications, including a list of all lectures, seminars, courses etc. you attended (listed for each semester) with credits earned and grades. The transcript of records is issued by your university and graduates receive it normally together with their degree certificate.

There are no limits to the design of the motivation letter. The important thing is that it is clear why you want to study with us, what advantages this will bring you and what drives you.

Only degrees with a minimum of 180 ECTS (6 semesters) are recognized.
For degree holders who have less than 210 ECTS (7 semesters), a proof of 3 years relevant work experience is required prior starting the master thesis.

Start of application phase: December
Application deadline: 15th of July
Transfer of tuition fees: contractually agreed on an individual basis
Semester fee: can be viewed via RWTHonline

Please always note the current information on our website. We reserve the right to make changes.

The tuition fees are 6,650 € per semester (26,600 € in total; 4 semester regular study period). The fees do not include accommodation and travel costs, but do include the whole documentation and catering during the presence days. Scholarships or other discounts will be considered individually if required.
The course fees will be invoiced in four equal installments due on July 15 for the following Winter Semester and on January 15 for the following Summer Semester. The course fees are not subject to German VAT (§ 4 Nr. 21 a) bb) UStG). Payment should be made by bank transfer to the account nominated by RWTH International Academy. The participant is liable for all bank fees incurred.
Additionally the semster fees of RWTH Aachen University have to be paid.

Semester fee of RWTH Aachen University is approx. 320 € per semester (includes the semester ticket for public transport within the whole state of North Rhine-Westphalia, part of Belgium and part of the Netherlands) and is unrelated to RWTH International Academy’s fees.
Students enrolled at RWTH Aachen must (re-)register before the start of every semester, by paying the semester fee. The Registrar’s Office sends a reminder email at the beginning of the re-registration period and one week before the deadline with all the necessary information. Information about the amount of the student body and social contribution fee, banking details, etc. can be found in RWTHonline when the re-registration period begins.
The semester fee (social contribution fee) must be paid separately and directly to RWTH Aachen University. It is not payable to RWTH International Academy gGmbH. You find the payment instructions for the RWTH semester fee on RWTHonline once you accept your study place there and proceed with pre-enrollment preparations.

We collected different external scholarship options for you. Please apply to them as soon as possible.

The enrollment will be finalised by the Student Secretariat or the International Office of RWTH Aachen University. For enrollment, you must accept the study place online at RWTHonline and present the following documents online:

  • Certified copy of the degree certificate of the first degree programme
  • Certified copy of the university entrance qualification
  • Language certificate(s)
  • Exmatriculation certificate from the last German higher education institution attended, stating the semesters spent at the subject, higher education institution and on leave of absence
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Copy of passport
  • APS Certificate (only relevant for applicants from China, India & Vietnam)

A list of the documents to be submitted for enrollment can be found in RWTHonline after admission.
In addition, you must transfer the RWTH semester fee.

A detailed instruction for enrollment can be found here.

At the end of each of these semesters there is a compulsory 10 day attendance block in Aachen, Germany. Each attendance block incorporates two weekends and the working week and provides practical and clinical skill training under expert supervision, group discussions, case studies and excursions to leading laboratory animal science facilities. The elective course Applied Anesthesia and Microsurgery requires an additional two days of attendance which are usually scheduled in conjunction with one of the semester attendance blocks in order to minimize travel.

If you are looking accommodation you can check our housing offerings here.

Between the attendance phases, the online courses take place during the week. Most od the time, the classes will be held on Wednesday Evening and Saturday morning. The exact dates will be announced in good time, subject to change. The online courses will be recorded and made available as a time-delayed stream.

In the first three semesters twice weekly online seminars are held outside regular office hours.These online seminars are supported by an e-media skills lab and further complemented by literature reviews and homework. In general, 1 ECTS is calculated with a workload of 25 hours. Therefore, the master program with 90 ECTS has a total workload of 2,250 hours. In the module handbook, you can find the ECTS and workload of every single module.

Every person studying at RWTH Aachen University is obliged to provide proof of sufficient health insurance coverage at the time of enrolment and to maintain this coverage during their studies. Students over the age of 30 are exempt from the statutory insurance obligation.

The new electronic student registration procedure of the statutory health insurance companies has been in effect at RWTH Aachen University since 1 January 2022. Students report to a statutory health insurance fund at which university they are studying and the health insurance fund then reports this data electronically to RWTH.

Students from the EU can send their European health insurance certificate by email to the study programme organisation, which will then forward the certificate.

Students who are over 30 send their passport by e-mail to the study programme organisation, which then forwards it.

Students who are not from the EU and are under 30 have two options:

1) Students who only travel to Germany for the attendance phases.
These students must provide proof of sufficient insurance cover and apply for exemption from German insurance.
This exemption can be applied for online & will then be checked.

The insurance of the home country or an international health insurance must include the following requirements:

  • outpatient medical treatment
  • inpatient hospital treatment
  • unlimited sum insured (no maximum benefit)

Treatment in connection with an existing chronic illness or communicable diseases should not be excluded.

The decision to be exempted from compulsory insurance cannot be reversed. This means that those with private health insurance cannot usually return to statutory health insurance after the decision has been made.

2) Students who want to move to Germany for their entire studies.
These students must take out insurance with a public or private German health insurance company.

For more information, please check the RWTH website.

Our Master’s programme is accredited by RWTH Aachen University and is worth 90 credit points.

You must check for yourself in advance whether the programme is recognised as a degree or further education in your home country or in the country where you work.

Information can be obtained, for example, from the further training statutes of your respective medical association or from the Ministry of Education.

For further information, please contact us:

Study Course Coordination

Email: mlas@academy.rwth-aachen.de
Phone: +49 241 80-23687

Campus-Boulevard 30
52074 Aachen