Internationale Filmschule Köln

All programmes require a university entrance qualification (Hochschulzugangsberechtigung) or recognised equivalent; international applicants should verify via anabin.kmk.org. BA Film is highly selective (max 8 per specialisation per cohort, intake every two years): a two-stage process - online application with specialisation-specific creative tasks (in German), followed by an on-site entrance examination. German B2 at application and DSH-2 on admission are mandatory for BA. Master's programmes require a relevant bachelor's degree plus typically 12 months of relevant professional experience; non-German degrees must be validated through uni-assist. APS certificate is required for Indian, Chinese, and Vietnamese applicants before the student visa application (consulate requirement), though the ifs itself does not list it as a separate admission gate. English-taught Master's do not require German, but applicants should confirm language evidence with the school.

BA Film: applications open September 2026 for the next cohort (September 2027 intake), closing March 8, 2027 - intake every two years. MA programmes: annual winter-semester intake; application tasks published January of each year. Erasmus/exchange students: April 15 (winter semester or full year) / October 15 (summer semester).

Not documented - direct application with the school's own aptitude assessment. Admission to the BA Film runs as a two-stage procedure operated entirely by the ifs (online application with subject-specific tasks, then an aptitude test at the ifs); applicants with foreign entrance qualifications are pointed to the anabin database to check equivalence themselves, need German B2 at application and DSH-2 by enrolment for the German-language programmes (the MA Serial Storytelling English track requires English B2 instead). uni-assist is not mentioned on any application page and the ifs does not appear on uni-assist's official member list.

BA Film: German only (DSH-2 required on admission). MA 3D Animation for Film & Games and MA Serial Storytelling (international track): English. MA Digital Narratives: English. MA Entertainment Producing: German.