Germany offers a huge choice. According to the German Rectors' Conference (HRK), in the 2025/26 winter semester 422 higher education institutions offered a total of 22,426 degree programmes. The main types are:
You can find every programme and every institution in the Hochschulkompass search engine run by the HRK.
Degrees are divided into three cycles:
Some programmes do not end with a bachelor's degree but with a state examination (Staatsexamen) – this is how you study medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and law, among others. It usually takes 4–6 years. Some universities also still offer the old single-cycle degrees ending with a Diplom or Magister Artium (4–6 years).
The academic year is divided into a winter semester (Wintersemester) and a summer semester (Sommersemester).
Germany – bachelor's programmes
Germany – integrated (single-cycle) programmes
Germany – master's programmes
Germany – doctoral programmes
There is no single admission system in Germany. Depending on the programme and the university, you apply in one of three ways:
Deadlines: often 15 July for the winter semester and 15 January for the summer semester – but each university can set its own. At hochschulstart, the deadline for the 2026/27 winter semester was 31 May 2026 if you got your school leaving certificate before 16 January 2026 (Altabiturienten) and 15 July 2026 if you got it later (Neuabiturienten).
If you come from outside the EU/EEA, apply as early as you can: you will need your admission letter to apply for a student visa, and getting an appointment and a decision takes time (see: Residence and formalities).
Whether your secondary school leaving certificate gives you access to your chosen programme, and which documents you need (translations, certified copies), you can check with the university's admissions office or with uni-assist.
Most programmes have no entrance exams. For programmes with a limited number of places (Numerus clausus), what counts most is the average grade on your school leaving certificate, and the university may add its own criteria, such as tests or an interview.
For medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, places are allocated through hochschulstart – besides your grades, criteria set by the universities also count. At colleges of art and music you take an aptitude test.
Most programmes are taught in German. Universities usually require a level equivalent to the DSH-2 exam. The University of Bonn, for example, accepts these as equivalent:
You take the DSH at a university in Germany, while TestDaF is offered at more than 500 test centres in 100 countries, also in a digital version. If your programme is taught entirely in English, you usually don't need to prove your German.
In the 2025/26 winter semester there were 2,383 programmes taught in English (10.6% of all programmes), but most of them at master's level: 1,944 compared with 439 at bachelor's level. For these you will usually need IELTS or TOEFL. You can search for them in the DAAD International Programmes database.
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens do not need a visa or a residence permit. You do have to register your address, though: once you have found a room or a flat, you go to the local registration office (Bürgeramt, Einwohnermeldeamt) within two weeks. You get a confirmation of registration, which shows that you have the right to live in Germany. Sometimes the office will also ask for proof of health insurance and of sufficient funds.
Students from outside the EU/EEA usually need a visa for study purposes, which you apply for at the German embassy or consulate in your home country before you travel – in many countries online through the Federal Foreign Office's Consular Services Portal. If you are still waiting for your admission, you can apply for a prospective student visa instead. Citizens of some countries, e.g. Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, the UK and the USA, can enter without a visa and apply for the permit in Germany. After arrival you register your address like everyone else and then get a residence permit for study purposes (Section 16b of the Residence Act) from the local foreigners' authority (Ausländerbehörde). The main documents are your admission letter, proof of language skills, health insurance and proof of funds – usually a blocked account (Sperrkonto) with €11,904 for one year, i.e. €992 a month (2026). A scholarship or a formal declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) from someone in Germany can also be accepted.
Health insurance is compulsory for students in Germany – you need proof of it to enrol and, if you are from outside the EU/EEA, for your residence permit. If you have public health insurance in another EU/EEA country, ask your insurer whether it covers you in Germany; the basis for this is the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). If not, you take out insurance with a public health insurance fund (gesetzliche Krankenkasse). Up to the age of 30 you pay a reduced student rate.
Most public universities charge no tuition fees for bachelor's programmes and for many master's programmes. Every student, however, pays a semester contribution (Semesterbeitrag) – according to DAAD between €100 and €350, depending on the university. For example, at Heidelberg University it is €189.80 per semester (an €80 administration fee, €95 for the Studierendenwerk, €10 for the student union and small fees for city bikes and theatres).
Exceptions:
If you are from outside the EU/EEA, check the fees at your chosen university carefully – they depend on the federal state and the institution.
According to the Study in Europe portal, a student in Germany spends on average €1,150 a month on living costs. Rent is the biggest item, and prices vary a lot between cities – Munich, Frankfurt and Hamburg are much more expensive than smaller towns.
The cheapest option is a Studierendenwerk student residence: around 197,000 places in more than 1,700 residences, on average €318 a month including bills. But there are not enough places, so apply as soon as you have decided where to study. Other options are a room in a shared flat (WG) or renting privately.
The Studierendenwerke also run canteens (Mensa) and offer advice and support to students. You can find yours at studierendenwerke.de.
There are quite a lot of scholarships, but competition is tough:
Foundations and universities also have their own scholarships – ask at the International Office.
EU/EEA citizens can work in Germany without any permit. Watch the limit, though: if you work more than 20 hours a week during the semester, you have to pay social security contributions like a regular employee.
Students from outside the EU/EEA may work 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or up to 20 hours a week during the lecture period, without approval from the Federal Employment Agency. Jobs as a student assistant at a university do not count towards this limit. Self-employment needs the approval of the foreigners' authority.
You can find jobs for students at your university's careers service and at the Studierendenwerk. Jobs for researchers are listed on EURAXESS.
Sources: European Commission – Study in Europe (education.ec.europa.eu/study-in-europe), Eurostat, official national study and residence portals and authorities, Eurodesk, enic-naric.net, studentnews.eu. As of September 2026.
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