Country guide

Study in Germany: universities, tuition fees and admission

Our catalogue has 354 universities and colleges in Germany offering 4,435 undergraduate programmes in 196 cities. 4,102 of the programmes are at public institutions and 333 at private ones.

Universities

354

Programmes

4,435

Cities

196

EU fee / year, public

Free

Non-EU fee / year, public

Free

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.

How admission works

Some programmes have open admission; others have fewer places than applicants (numerus clausus), where the school-leaving grade (1.0 is best, 4.0 worst) and waiting time decide. Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy are allocated through hochschulstart.de. Foreign school certificates are checked (often via uni-assist); if the certificate gives no direct access, a year at a Studienkolleg and the Feststellungsprüfung exam are required. German-taught programmes require German at DSH-2 / TestDaF 4 level.

• Selection: grade limit (numerus clausus)
• Main exam or platform: Abitur (NC)
• Language certificate most often required: Deutsch DSH-2 / TestDaF 4

Tuition fees in Germany

At public universities an EU student typically pays no tuition fee, and a student from outside the EU no tuition fee. All amounts are per year in euros; fees charged per credit or per semester are converted to a full year (60 ECTS credits or two semesters).

Where the fee depends on family income, the typical figure is the full fee and the range starts at the lowest one.

Good to know about fees

• Public universities charge no tuition for a first degree, whatever the citizenship; every student pays a semester contribution (about €100–300 per semester: student services, student union, often a transit ticket). Exceptions for non-EU citizens: Baden-Württemberg charges €1,500 per semester, and Bavarian universities may set their own fees (TU München €2,000–3,000, TH Nürnberg €1,000, TH Ingolstadt €800 per semester). Private universities set their own fees.

Language of instruction

German: 4,338 programmes; English: 114 programmes. See all English-taught programmes in Germany.

Where to study: cities

All 354 universities in Germany by city

What you can study

• Languages and Literature 327
• Business Administration 316
• Computer Science 304
• Music and Musicology 181
• Industrial Engineering 164
• Mechanical Engineering 137
• Design 117
• Psychology 111
• Electrical Engineering 107
• Pedagogy 100
• Mathematics 99
• Economics 94
• Physics 92
• Multimedia and Video Games 90
• Chemistry 85
• Civil Engineering 78
• Social Work 77
• Industrial Electronics and Automation 75
• Sociology 74
• Law 74
• Architecture 71
• History 70
• Energy Engineering 68
• International Business 57
• Biology 55
• Primary Education Teaching 55
• Audiovisual Communication 55
• Sport Sciences 51
• Journalism 51
• Political Science 49
• Medicine 47
• Telecommunications Engineering 45
• Biotechnology 44
• Biomedical Engineering 43
• Philosophy 40
• English Studies 40
• Archaeology 40
• Environmental Engineering 38
• Solicitor Studies 38
• Performing Arts 37
• Geography 36
• Fine Arts 36
• Art History 34
• Marketing 32
• Chemical Engineering 32
• Environmental Sciences 30
• Geology 29
• Materials Engineering 29
• Logistics 28
• Data Science 28
• Dentistry 27
• Biomedical Sciences 25
• Biochemistry 25
• Agronomy 24
• Pharmacy 24
• Human Nutrition and Dietetics 22
• Tourism 21
• Anthropology 21
• Geomatics and Surveying 19
• Finance and Accounting 19
• Fashion Design 18
• Nursing 17
• Naval and Maritime Engineering 14
• Forestry 12
• Food Science and Technology 11
• Building Engineering 11
• Social Education 11
• Translation and Languages 11
• Landscape Architecture 10
• Physiotherapy 9
• Public Administration 9
• Conservation and Restoration 9
• Aerospace Engineering 8
• Statistics 7
• Advertising and Public Relations 7
• Occupational Therapy 6
• Veterinary Medicine 6
• Labour Relations and Human Resources 5
• Optics and Optometry 4
• Mining and Geological Engineering 4
• Speech Therapy 4
• Hospitality and Gastronomy 3
• Animal Science 1
• Early Childhood Education 1

Entry scores in Germany

We have official entry scores for 122 programmes (scale from 1 to 4, lower is better). The score is the result of the last admitted student, so it changes every year.

Hardest programmes to get into

Easiest programmes to get into

Guides

• How to Get Into a University in Germany as an International Student
• How Much Does It Cost to Study in Germany? Tuition, Fees and Housing