Make 2025 your year: applications now open!
Posted by Gregory Cowling on 2024-10-31T23:01:00+0000 in Catalyst
Everything you need to know when applying to the 2025/26 academic year:
“This year is going to be my year.” We couldn’t agree more. You just need to ask some of our thriving students who plunged head-first into courses at Catalyst. They’ll tell you that next year can always be your year – if you make it happen. So allow us to add a huge opportunity to your horizon: 2025 applications are now open!
Ready to kick-start your career in audio or music production, sound for visual media, filmmaking, screenwriting, visual effects, acting or creative leadership? Apply by our priority deadline on Friday 4 April 2025, to secure your spot. Keep reading for more information.
[Header photo: Acting alumnus Daniel Straube by Aurélie Nydegger]
Application deadlines
Application deadlines vary depending on course or where you are applying from (if, for example, you need a visa). Deadlines for entry to our courses in 2025 are as follows:
🎓 All degree courses (Undergraduate/Postgraduate)
/// Friday 28 March 2025: applicants requiring student visa
If you need a visa or intend to apply for funding, we strongly recommend that you apply before this date to avoid disappointment. Student visa applications can often take more than 4 months – a lot longer than you think! You’ll also have more time to plan your relocation to Berlin!
/// Friday 4 April 2025: priority deadline
If you do not need a student visa, we strongly recommend that you apply by our priority deadline for your best chances of securing a spot on your chosen course. Applying by this deadline will also give you breathing space in your relocation to Berlin.
/// Friday 30 May 2025: final deadline
You have up until our final deadline to apply, although we cannot guarantee there will still be places available. If the course is full, you will be added to a waiting list.
/// June 2025 onwards: late applications
We only accept late applications from those who do not need a student visa. If we still have places left on your chosen course, we can accept late applications from June 2025 onwards. If the course is full, you will be added to a waiting list.
☀️ 4-week Summer Short Courses
/// Final deadline: Friday 23 May 2025
We have a limited number of places on our summer courses, therefore we suggest you apply as soon as you're 100% sure that you'd like to join us this summer.
How to apply
The application process varies for each of our courses, but here’s an overview of what to expect:
Undergraduate applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a portfolio or audition tape (if appropriate), and a personal introduction (which can be submitted as a written statement of motivation or a video/audio clip).
Postgraduate applicants will be asked to provide: personal and educational information, documentation of their education experience, a detailed project proposal, sample of research/academic writing and a portfolio.
Short courses are the easiest to apply for. All that’s needed are your personal details and a statement of motivation.
You can can find out more details on our application guide.
Funding possibilities
Are you eligible for funding?
We’ve compiled a list of agencies from which some of our current students have successfully applied for funding
Our Bachelor's and Master's courses are eligible for BAföG (German state funding) which is good news for local and EU students.
Other funding bodies include: Lín (Iceland), CSN (Sweden), Lånekassen (Norway), DUO (The Netherlands), AIDEFI (Luxembourg) and KELA (Finland)
Alternative pathways to join us
Interested in one of our undergraduate courses but not sure if you have the right academic qualification?
Or perhaps you don’t yet have a portfolio?
We might be able to admit you to a course based on other life experience, as we recognise that education happens outside the classroom too. We also offer an Access to Higher Education Course for students who require academic support and run summer courses that could help you to create a portfolio.
If you think that these options could be helpful for you, please contact our Admissions team and we’ll be happy to chat with you: admissions@catalyst-berlin.com
Summer short courses
A perfect addition to your Summer; our four-week intensive short courses are a great way to get up to speed on the essential foundational skills or simply freshen up your music production, sound engineering, film production or acting. The courses take place from Monday 23 June – Friday 18 July:
🔅 The Psychology of Creativity – Short Course
🔅 Screenwriting – Short Course
🔅 Screen Acting – Short Course
🔅 Electronic Music Production – Short Course
🔅 Advanced Sound Design – Short Course
🔅 Modular Synthesis – Short Course
🔅 Music & Sound Design for Visual Media – Short Course
🔅 Studio Recording – Short Course
🔅 Mixing and Mastering Electronic Music – Short Course
Additionally, if you’re coming from outside of the EU, the good news is that usually there no visa is required to stay in Berlin for four weeks!
Undergraduate (1 year)
Learn by doing through our one year HE Certificates. Enrolling for our 1-year courses will teach you the first year of your chosen programme as a standalone qualification. The one-year HE Certificate course is the same as the first year of the BA programme and you'll be learning alongside the BA students throughout the year. At the end of the year, you can choose to take your industry-ready skills to the wider world or continue on a deeper learning dive with access directly into the second year of the associated BA course, subject to results and availability of places.
⚡️ Creative Music Production & Sound Engineering
⚡️ Electronic Music Production & Performance
⚡️ Music & Sound Design for Visual Media
⚡️ Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation
⚡️ Acting
Undergraduate (3 years)
Our BA (Hons) courses put you in a position to fully express yourself in your chosen craft. You'll have the training and the mindset to take on whatever comes your way as you develop yourself through personal projects and multi-disciplinary collaborative practice.
⭐️ Creative Music Production & Sound Engineering
⭐️ Electronic Music Production & Performance
⭐️ Music & Sound Design for Visual Media
⭐️ Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation
⭐️ Acting
Postgraduate (1 year full-time / 2-years part-time)
The MA courses are an opportunity to fully immerse yourself in a topic of your choice through practice-led artistic research. Explore, innovate and magnify your capabilities through our excellent facilities, workshops and lectures designed to widen and deepen frames in your field of interest and a course framework that puts you and your research in the driving seat.
Get a sneak peek
Get a taste of Catalyst from the comfort of your sofa! Join one of our Virtual Open Days or Meet the Tutor sessions to hear about your chosen area of study. Got any burning questions about the application process? Attend an online Ask Admissions session.
Prefer to visit us in Berlin for a full picture of life at Catalyst? Explore our unique facilities and learn about our courses and community at an In-person Open Day or on a guided tour.
A word of encouragement
What really makes applicants stand out is being open and honest about your interests and goals. If you can demonstrate a strong motivation to learn and collaborate, you'll fit in here.
Working on projects with your fellow students who have different interests and skills than you is not only fun, but it also mirrors what you might spend your professional life doing. We like to see people who can work well with others. It’s also important for you to have an idea of where your skills are at currently. If this is clear, we can help you figure out where you want to go and how to get you there.
Communicate with us if you need some extra time for a step and don’t stress about the quality of any track or videos you submit. Finally, if you are ambitious, don’t hide that. We try hard to create a space for you to grow your greatness.
