Z exam - university entrance without Abitur
Z exam - university entrance without Abitur
Want to study without an Abitur? There are now various ways to do this in Lower Saxony.
The Z-exam (also known as the Immaturenprüfung) is one of them.
Have you already trained in a trade and worked in that field – and would now like to pursue a degree in a completely different field? Perhaps switching from the business sector to education? Did you decide to look after your children at home after leaving school, or have you been caring for relatives – and now you’d like to kick-start your career, ideally by studying chemistry? Have you spent several years doing odd jobs in various fields and now want to take your career in a (different) direction – by studying environmental or social sciences? Have you actually always wanted to channel your passion for art and media into a degree, but initially listened to the ‘voice of reason’ and completed an apprenticeship in banking or retail?
No matter which (academic) direction you’re drawn to: with your study aspirations, you’ve come to exactly the right place:
With the Z examination / Immaturenprüfung, you can obtain a higher education entrance qualification for a subject of your choice at a university in Lower Saxony on the basis of your academic appointment or previous education recognised as academic.
At the University of Oldenburg, we have been successfully - and gladly! - through the Z-examination. We have therefore gained a lot of experience and are happy to support you in realising your dream of studying.
By the way:
The entrance examination or university entrance examination (Z examination for short) is correctly called: Examination for the acquisition of a subject-related university entrance qualification (after previous academic appointment). It is also (still) called the "Immaturenprüfung", which goes back to the development from the original university entrance examinations to the qualification to study at a university of teacher education (PH).
Admission requirements
What requirements do I have to fulfil to take part?
You can be admitted to the Z examination if you
- have (at least) a lower secondary school leaving certificate and
- have completed two years of vocational training and gained two years of professional experience in the training occupation (full-time) or
- (without any previous training) have already been employed full-time for five years.
Parenting periods or care in your own household count as full-time employment!
The following periods can also be counted towards the period of full-time employment:- Further completed vocational training,
- up to one year of military or alternative service,
- a voluntary social or ecological year,
- up to six months of internships (at least 4 weeks).
In the case of part-time employment (at least 50%), correspondingly more years of employment
must be proven, which add up to five years of full-time employment.
Note:
The academic appointments/occupations must be documented: You will need a confirmation for each activity, showing in particular the number of hours employed.
Purpose of the audit
Exam structure
What can I expect if I decide to take the Z exam?
The exam consists of two parts: The general and the specialised / special part of the Z examination.
General Section
The general section (Section A) comprises examinations in the subjects German/Politics and English, as well as Mathematics OR Biology at Fachabitur level.
The state-wide preparatory course for the general section is offered annually from the beginning of June by the REGION Lüneburg Adult Education Centre, predominantly in an online format.
For further information, please contact Mr Ahmed Osman directly:
Email:
Telephone: 04131 / 15 66 227
You may also have your exam preparation confirmed by a person with a university degree. Please enquire about the requirements at the State Examination Office at the:
Lower Saxony State Institute for School Quality Development (NLQ)
- The examination period is January/February following completion of the course or the personally supervised preparation (dates are standardised across the state).
Note:
A passed vocational baccalaureate is recognised for the general part of the examination; in this case, no preparation is required!
Once you have passed (or had credit granted for) the general part, you may be granted admission to the subject-specific part of the Z-exam at the Lower Saxony higher education institution of your choice:
Subject-specific / Specialised Section
The subject-specific section (Section B) consists of a written and an oral examination covering the fundamental topics of the chosen field of study or subject.
The examinations for the subject-specific section are usually organised and conducted by the university at which you intend to commence your studies. At the University of Oldenburg, we are happy to support you through this part of the examination process!
- The examination period at the University of Oldenburg runs from April to June each year.
Once you have passed the Z-exam, you will have obtained subject-specific university entrance qualification for the subject for which you sat the exam. You can then apply for a place at the university for the following winter semester.
Registration
Where can I register for the Z exam?
To register for the Z examination, an application for admission must be submitted to the State Examinations Office at the Lower Saxony State Institute for School Quality Development (NLQ).
The proposal – including a privacy policy – can be found here:
Application for admission to the Z examination
Please note in particular the supporting documents regarding your periods of employment that must be submitted with the proposal!
The deadline forregistering for the examination or for submitting the application for admission is:
- for participants in the general part of the examination (preparatory course or personally supervised preparation): 1 October of the previous year, and
- for participants who are exempt from the general part of the examination on the basis of a subject-specific A-level: usually the end of the previous year for the subject-specific part of the examination (subject to agreement!).
Preparation
How can I prepare for the Z exam?
You will be provided with information and advice directly by the examiners regarding your preparation for the two parts of the examination (written and oral) as part of the subject-specific section of the Z-exam at the University of Oldenburg.
To help you find the right degree programme for you, or simply to get a taste of university life, please feel free to make use of the following services offered by the University of Oldenburg:
- Information on all degree programmes and more on the InfoPortal Studium,
- advice sessions at the University of Oldenburg’s Central Study Counselling Service,
- an initial insight and a range of information at the University Information Day,
- a taster course, or
- attend lectures as part of the guest student programme run by the C3L – Centre for Lifelong Learning.
Legal basis
Which laws actually regulate the Z-test?
The legal requirements are laid down by the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs of Lower Saxony in the "Regulation on the acquisition of subject-related higher education entrance qualifications by examination (HZbPrüfVO)" of 17 December 2009.
This is based on the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG) (Section 18 (12)) and the Lower Saxony Administrative Procedure Act (NVwVfG) (Section 1 (3)).
You can find the ordinance with its specific location in the legal texts here:
