Application for a dual study program

How and where do I apply for a dual study program?? We will be happy to help you with this crucial question. In fact, there are two ways to apply for a dual study position. We’ll give you the lowdown on both paths.

Application to the company
Application to the university

Woman with laptop and documents from above

There are basically two ways to get a dual study place: Either you apply to the company and are automatically enrolled at the partner university once you have been accepted, or you apply to a university and then look for a company with which the university cooperates or a partner university. One that is willing to give you time off for study hours.

In the following, we will inform you in detail about both options – which one is used is different for each company and dual study program. And of course it is up to you!

Corona pandemic and a dual study program – can it work??

We inform you about all the important consequences Covid-19 brings to dual studies in terms of colleges, training and working at the company in our detailed article on the topic Dual studies& Corona.

Free eBook: Your way to a dual study program

Do you already know our eBook "Your way to a dual study"?? It contains many valuable tips for the application process! And free of charge!

Applying to companies and universities

Application at the company

Applying directly to the company is probably the most commonly used method to get a dual study place: In the first step, many prospective students look for companies that offer the desired course of study in order to complete their training there or to apply for an internship. to complete a long-term internship in combination with a course of study. You can find dual jobs, for example, through our Study place stock exchange, but also the websites of the companies or partner universities can be good starting points. To simplify your research, we have listed thousands of companies and hundreds of universities that regularly offer dual study programs in our university and company database. You can find even more tips on finding a place at university in our article "How do I find companies and available study places??".

Once you have found the company that matches your career aspirations, you apply there with your detailed application documents. The first step is to submit

a letter of application,
Resume with professional application photo,
Copy of the current school report and
Other documents that testify to special qualifications (certificates, etc).

If your written application is well received, you will be invited to a selection process. This is often multi-stage at large companies and consists of a personal interview and a test, for example in the Assessment Center. This is how companies try to find the best candidates for the advertised position. So that you can prepare yourself optimally for such a selection process, we have dedicated a separate article to it. You can find detailed information in the article Recruitment test for dual studies – all information about the selection process, assessment center and interview

What companies look for in an application?

Cover letter
Your cover letter is the most important document in your application. Here you can find everything on one page that qualifies you for the dual study program. How an application letter is structured, what you should pay attention to when writing it, as well as a Sample template you will get on our advice page"Writing a letter of application".

Resume
Your resume contains the most important stages of your life. Internships or part-time jobs should not be missing here, because they prove your first points of contact with working life.

Photo
The photo can be placed either on the CV or separately, for example on a cover page of your application. The most important thing is that it was done professionally. And this does not include a picture taken by a friend with a good camera. A good application picture should be taken in a photo studio with optimal illumination. This is the best way to show off your charisma.

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School report
Good grades are welcome. Although there is officially no specific grade point average to meet, most companies prefer applicants who have an average with at least a B before the decimal point. Ideally, you have good grades in your major subjects or. The subjects relevant to your desired degree program. For example, if you want to study (business) informatics dual, you shouldn’t be a loser in math. If you want to study logistics or event management, you should score well in foreign languages, while a good German grade can be important for media and communications programs. You can find more information in the article "Prerequisites for a dual study program".

Further documents
An absolute bonus are certificates and testimonials that prove special skills. If you have a part-time job, for example, get a certificate of employment. A certified student internship or voluntary work are also plus points.

Enrollment in the program is automatic

If you convince the recruiters during the application process, you will be awarded the training or study position. Internship contract and can use it to enroll ("matriculate") in the course of study at the university or university of cooperative education with which your company has agreed to cooperate. You do not have to go through any further university admission procedure. However, there are differences here: Some companies expect you to first successfully complete the probationary period of six months before they allow you to start the dual study program. In other companies, the study program begins at the same time as the apprenticeship/internship.