People study psychology for different reasons. The motive of "wanting to help other people" is often mentioned and is honorable. However, there are also other degree courses, such as social work and medicine, which can help other people. It should be carefully considered whether psychology is the right course of study, because clinical psychology is only part of the Bachelor's program.
of the bachelor's program. Students deal a lot with statistics and scientific methods, so the motivation to study must be able to carry you through.

Another motive that is sometimes mentioned is the idea of being able to overcome one's own problems with one's studies. If you start your studies with this motive, you will quickly give up. Because that's not what studying psychology is about.

You should therefore ask yourself the following two questions:

• Do I meet the formal requirements for studying psychology?
• Does studying psychology suit my personal abilities and inclinations?

Formal entry requirements for studying psychology

Two groups have access to the Bachelor's degree program in Psychology:

1. Persons who have the general higher education entrance qualification
   are entitled to study without restriction. A foreign higher education entrance qualification may entitle the holder to study if it has been recognized as equivalent by the responsible state authority.
2. Persons who have qualified in vocational training
   in vocational training. A distinction is made between applicants with advanced vocational training and applicants with other professional qualifications (for more details, see application).

Admission based on the (general) entrance qualification for universities of applied sciences
on the other hand, is not possible.

Is studying psychology right for me?

First of all, we recommend that you take time to think about yourself, your abilities and your personal inclinations and talk to people who know you well.

The following skills, aptitudes and interests are addressed or required when studying psychology:

• Interest in a scientific course of study with scientific components
• Very good mathematical skills (because statistics takes up a lot of space)
• Very good knowledge of English (because most of the research literature is in English)
• Enjoy reading, interpreting and writing
• Ability to work with others in a team
• Confidence to present and discuss knowledge on specific topics critically in front of others

A second recommendation is to get an overview book on the whole of scientific psychology and read it to get to know the content of the psychology course in more detail. This way you can judge whether it is really what you want to learn or whether it deviates too much from it. Suitable books are, for example:

• Gerrig & Zimbardo (2016). Psychology. Hallbergmoos: Pearson.
• Myers (2015). Psychology. Berlin: Springer.

A third recommendation is to carry out a self-assessment. You can find various options for such a self-assessment on this page.

Application

You can find information on how to apply on this
page.

Contact persons for further advice

1. The Central Student Advisory Service
   provides advice on all questions relating to studying psychology at the University of Siegen. It is the central point of contact for study orientation and advice on all degree programs at the University of Siegen. It provides open-ended, confidential and neutral advice and helps you to help yourself. Here you can find the contact persons at the Central Student Advisory Service.
2. The Student Secretariat ensures the smooth administration of the affairs of all students with a German school-leaving qualification. This includes the entire student life from the application for a study place to admission to studies, enrolment, transfer, re-registration, leave of absence and de-registration.
3. Student advisory service
   of the subject Psychology: Subject-specific questions and questions regarding the possible recognition of achievements.
4. If you have a foreign university entrance qualification, please contact the STARTING department for advice.

Financing your studies

In addition to your own income from a part-time job and/or support from your parents, there are a number of other sources of student funding. These range from BAföG to foundations, scholarships, loans and the Studienförderfonds Siegen e.V. Here you can find detailed information on these different sources of student finance.

The Studienstiftung deutscher Psychologinnen und Psychologen e.V., which awards scholarships, should be mentioned specifically for psychology students.