Numerus Clausus (NC) Checker
Check your admission chances for restricted degrees based on estimated 2026 NC thresholds.
2026 NC Admission Predictor
Check if your grade is competitive enough for restricted study programmes.
Estimated NC Threshold
~2.5
High Probability
Your grade (2.0) is significantly better than the typical cutoff for Business Administration (BWL). You have a very strong chance of direct admission.
* Estimates only. NC changes every semester.
Frequently Asked Questions
Numerus Clausus (NC) translates to 'restricted number'. In the German university system, it means that a specific degree programme has more applicants than available study spots. To decide who gets admitted, universities rank applicants primarily by their final high school or bachelor's grade (converted to the German 1.0 - 4.0 scale). The grade of the last person admitted becomes the 'NC' for that semester.
'NC Frei' (NC-free or zulassungsfrei) means the degree programme has no admission restrictions based on grades. If a programme is NC Frei, every single applicant who meets the basic formal requirements (e.g. recognized high school diploma, correct language certificate) is guaranteed admission, regardless of whether their grade is a 1.2 or a 3.8.
Medicine (Medizin) and Dentistry are subject to a nationwide NC (bundesweiter NC) managed by Hochschulstart. Due to extreme competition, the NC for Medicine in Germany is almost always 1.0 to 1.2. If your grade is lower than this, it is highly unlikely you will be admitted through the standard grade quota, though you may have a chance through the TestAS/TMS quota or by accumulating waiting semesters (Wartesemester).
A waiting semester is every half-year that passes after you obtain your university entrance qualification (Abitur/High School diploma) during which you are NOT enrolled at a German university. Many NC programmes reserve a percentage of spots (e.g. 20%) specifically for applicants with the most waiting semesters, allowing people with lower grades to eventually get in. However, recently, the rules for medical subjects have changed to reduce the weight of waiting semesters.
The NC is NOT a fixed, pre-determined requirement. It is a historical cutoff that changes every single semester based on the number of applicants and their grades. When a university publishes an 'NC of 2.1' for Business Administration, it simply means that in the previous semester, the applicant with the worst grade who still got a spot had a 2.1. It is a guideline, not a strict rule for future semesters.