Application Visual Communication

You can apply to study Visual Communication if you have a general higher education entrance qualification (e.g. Abitur or master craftsman's certificate) and can prove your artistic aptitude.

You can also be admitted to study Visual Communication at the Kunsthochschule Kassel without a general higher education entrance qualification if you are invited to take the entrance examination and can demonstrate outstanding artistic/design talent.

The course can only be started in the winter semester.

Admission requirements

• Proof of artistic/design aptitude (portfolio with work samples)
• Proof of general higher education entrance qualification
• An application without a general higher education entrance qualification is possible if you are invited to the entrance examination and can prove outstanding artistic talent
• If you do not yet have a school-leaving certificate, you can provisionally send a simple copy of your last half-year report; the school-leaving certificate must only be submitted after you have passed the entrance examination

If you have obtained your school-leaving certificate abroad and wish to apply, please follow the instructions under Application for international students.


Application procedure (*updated on November 6, 2025*)

All application documents – including the artistic/design portfolio – must be submitted online.The application portal is currently being revised to make the online application process easier and more accessible starting with the 2026 admission procedure. Further information on the online application process and the application deadlines will be published on this page on December 15, 2025.


Application documents

• Digital portfolio with work samples (as PDF, max. 25MB)
• curriculum vitae
• Letter of motivation (1 page)
• Copies of the general higher education entrance qualification (if the certificate is not yet available, please submit a copy of your last semester report)

Portfolio preselection
You apply to us with a digital portfolio (PDF). This portfolio should contain a free selection of around 15 to 25 samples of your own artistic and/or creative work. There are no requirements on the part of the degree program. We recommend that you make your particular interests and skills clear through the composition of your work.

There is no need to submit a conventional portfolio or data carrier.

Questions about the application procedure
Answers to many questions about the admission procedure for the Visual Communication degree program, the portfolio, the entrance examination, the art academy and the degree program can be found in the FAQ PDF(download link) or in the info column.

Questions that are not answered in the FAQ can be sent to this email address: aufnahme-viskom[at]kunsthochschulekassel.de