Admissions Process for Hamburg Secondary Schools

Gymnasium or Stadtteilschule?

Hamburg offers two paths to the Abitur:

• Gymnasium: Abitur after 8 years (grades 5–12). Academically demanding, with a two-year observation phase in grades 5 and 6.
• Stadtteilschule: Abitur after 9 years (grades 5–13). All qualifications possible, with more individualized support.

Both school types lead to the same Abitur. There are no catchment areas — parents can freely choose any public school in Hamburg.

Timeline and Deadlines

Overview of the enrollment process for school year 2027/28:

1. 1October–January: Research

   Schools host open days and information evenings. In grade 4, parents receive the primary school recommendation (Gymnasium or Stadtteilschule) — in Hamburg, this is non-binding; parents decide freely.

2. 2First week of February: Registration

   During registration week, parents submit the registration form in person at their first-choice school. The form lists up to three school preferences.

3. 3February–April: Allocation

   The school authority allocates places centrally. When a school is oversubscribed, the statutory selection criteria apply (see below).

4. 4April: Decision

   Parents receive the placement decision by mail. An objection (Widerspruch) can be filed within four weeks of receiving a rejection.

First, Second, and Third Choice

Parents can list up to three schools on the registration form. At the first-choice school, an application competes only with other first-choice applications. At the second- and third-choice schools, it ranks behind all first-choice applications for that school.

This is why the first choice matters most. The BSB recommends choosing a school where admission is realistic — our enrollment data helps to gauge the demand. Enrollments.

Selection Criteria When Oversubscribed

When there are more applications than places, selection follows § 42 (7) HmbSG in this order:

1. Hardship cases: Children with a specific emergency situation that makes them dependent on this particular school.
2. Siblings: Children who will have a sibling at the same school in the coming school year receive priority.
3. School route distance: Among remaining applicants, places are allocated by the length of the school commute — those living closer have priority.

Special Rules for Gymnasium

• The primary school recommendation is non-binding — parents can register their child at a Gymnasium even against the recommendation.
• During the observation phase (grades 5 and 6), the school assesses whether the child can keep up. If not, a transfer to a Stadtteilschule takes place.

The route to the Abitur at a Stadtteilschule

The difference from a Gymnasium is stated above as a number of years: nine years to the Abitur instead of eight. What that extra year consists of, and what else stays open:

• The structure: grade 10 is followed by the gymnasiale Oberstufe, first the Vorstufe in grade 11, then the Studienstufe in grades 12 and 13. At a Gymnasium the Studienstufe starts a year earlier.
• Which qualifications stay open: the first general school-leaving qualification after grade 9, the extended first and the intermediate qualification after grade 10, the school part of the Fachhochschulreife, and the Abitur. There is no need to settle on one of them early.
• A transfer after grade 6 does not close off the Abitur: a child moving from a Gymnasium to a Stadtteilschule at the end of the observation phase works towards the same qualification there, with one school year more time for it. How many children this affects each year is in the section above.
• Campusschulen are Stadtteilschulen whose internal organisation allows the Abitur after either nine or eight years, depending on the model either by the choice made at registration or by moving into a Gymnasium class at the same school after grade 6.

The Oberstufe does not run on every Stadtteilschule's own site. Some schools run it jointly with a neighbouring school, others teach up to grade 10 and hand their pupils to a nearby Stadtteilschule afterwards. The official school data does not separate the two; which arrangement applies to a school is stated by the school itself.

What Happens If Rejected?

• If the child is not admitted to the first-choice school, they are automatically considered for the second and then third choice.
• If none of the three choices can be fulfilled, the school authority assigns a place at a school of the same type within reasonable distance.
• Parents can file an objection (Widerspruch) against the decision and, if necessary, pursue a legal challenge (Schulplatzklage) at the Hamburg Administrative Court.

Tips for Parents

• Visit multiple schools on their open days — every school has its own profile and atmosphere.
• Check enrollment numbers from past years on our page Enrollments.
• Choose a first-choice school where the child has realistic chances of admission. For highly oversubscribed schools, the school route distance can be decisive.
• Use the Geoportal Hamburg school information system to calculate the school route from home.

Official Sources

• BSB: Registration round for grade 5
• BSB: From grade 5 to graduation
• BSFB: Den richtigen Weg wählen. Hamburg's secondary schools in school year 2026/27 (PDF, German)
• School Information Center Hamburg (SIZ)
• § 42 HmbSG — School admission law
• BSB: School choice information (PDF)
• Geoportal Hamburg — School information system
• BSB: Enrollment numbers for grade 5 — SY 2026/27
• BSFB: Admission notices for grade 5 for school year 2025/26
• BSFB: Admission notices for grade 5 for school year 2026/27
• BSFB: Statistics for school year 2023/24 (transfers after grade 6)
• BSFB: Statistics for school year 2024/25 (transfers after grade 6)
• BSFB: Statistics for school year 2025/26 (transfers after grade 6)
• IfBQ: The school year 2025/26 in numbers, data sheet on school type changes (shares from 2024/25, PDF)
• IfBQ: Data sheet on school type changes 2024/25 (share for 2023/24, web archive)