Paderborn have played in the lower levels of German football for their entire history but will now embark on uncharted territory next term.
Knowing that a win would be enough to seal automatic promotion, they were given an early shock on Sunday against Aalen when Joel Pohjanpalo gave the visitors an early lead.
However, Paderborn fought back to secure a 2-1 victory and the runners-up spot.
Goals from Marc Vucinovic and Mario Vrancic sealed their win and ensured the club ended a five-year spell in Bundesliga 2.
They could be joined by Greuther Furth after they claimed third place in the table and booked a place in the play-offs against Hamburg.
Greuther, who were relegated from the top flight last season, scored twice in the second half against Sandhausen to record a 2-0 win on Sunday.
