You want to Study in Germany in English Language? There are lots of options for you. Why not take time and explore our list of universities offering English-taught programs for international students like you. We won’t take much of your time but it promises to be informative.
The number of international students wishing to study in Germany has exceeded its goal of hosting 350,000 international students by 2020 in recent years, with a whopping 359,000 international students enrolled in 2017. The solid reputation of German universities, living standards and the economy, combined with the fact that many students can study for free, are factors behind this rise, although non-EU students are now expected to pay tuition fees to study in Baden-Württemberg.
Although most programs are taught in German, there are opportunities to study in English in Germany, with an increasing variety of international students’ English-language programs.
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Masters level in Germany comes with fairly popular English-language programs, particularly in social sciences and business-related subjects. At undergraduate level, they are now also becoming more widely available, so with a bit of patience and testing, you too may get the opportunity to study in English in Germany.
How You Can Study in Germany in English
It may be difficult for international students who do not speak German to gather the right information on how to learn English in Germany, especially at the undergraduate level. While free tuition motivates many students attracted to study in Germany, it is not easy to find free English-language programs at public universities. This is because most undergraduate courses are taught in German at German universities.
The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) International Program search tool currently identifies 116 bachelor programs taught entirely in English, many of which are international in their names. Just 60 programs remain when the search is narrowed down to show only bachelor’s degrees with no tuition charges.
So in order to study your preferred course in English in Germany, you will need to pay tuition charges at a private university. This is not necessarily a disaster-the fees might still be lower than in other popular destinations for research.
In Germany, another search tool, provided by Study-in.de, currently finds 231 English-taught bachelor’s degrees. Again, private universities that set their own rates, many of which are below EUR 10,000 (~US$ 11,200) per course, offer some of these.
The private school – Jacobs University Bremen, for example, is the only German university to appear in the search tools offering an English-language bachelor’s degree in mathematics, with an annual tuition fee of EUR 20,000 (~US$22,200). The university also offers the only degree in English-taught undergraduate psychology to appear in the quest, again at € 20,000 per year while at Furtwangen University you can study a business management and psychology degree free of charge.
You’ll note that certain subjects are offered more frequently than others in English. In subjects such as Business, English/American Studies and Engineering, for example, there are a good range of English-taught choices.
Universities in Germany offering Undergraduate English-language Programs
Just a small number of undergraduate English-language programs are currently available at top universities in Germany. If you really want to study at a leading university, due to the scarce existence of these programs, you will have to be a little flexible about your program choice.
Below is a brief list of opportunities for undergraduates to study in Germany in English at universities identified in the 2020 QS world university rankings. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and new courses are constantly being created, so it is vital to perform additional research on your own, using online searches, the DAAD, rankings, student sites/forums, and other advice and guidance organizations.
1. Universität Freiburg
Universität Freiburg is also one of the few German universities to offer a bachelor’s degree program taught in English, enabling foreign students to study for a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc), depending on their major, in addition to offering a variety of English-language master’s programs. Universität Freiburg, jointly ranked 169th in the QS World University Ranking 2020, has a good international reputation.
2. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Being 181st in universal uni rankings, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen offers a BSc in Molecular Ecosystem Sciences, which is taught in English. A variety of foreign graduate programs are also offered by the school.
3. Universitat Leipzig
At Universitat Leipzig, which is currently ranked 531-540 in the global rankings, you can study for a BA in American Studies and a BSc in Foreign Physics Studies in English.
4. Berlin International University of Applied Sciences
In this University of Applied Sciences, all programs are taught in English. Tuition fees of €7,200 (~US$8,050) would need to be charged, however. Two divisions, Architecture and Design, plus Business Management, offer services.
MA Interior Design, BA Interior Design, BA Architecture, BA Product Design, BA Graphic Design & Visual Communication and BA Business Administration are the English-taught classes, focusing either on International Management and Marketing or as a separate curriculum on Organizational Psychology and Digital Business & Management.
5. Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences
This notable University of Applied Sciences, a public university with an international focus, offers numerous bachelor’s degrees in English, including International Relations, Sustainable Tourism, and Gender Diversity. There are no tuition fees, so only the semester fee, which currently amounts to EUR 302,88 (~US$ 340), has to be charged by students.
Study in Germany in English – Universities in Germany Offering International Graduate Programs in English
- Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg – International master’s programs in English
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München – Graduate ‘English-taught courses’ (ETC)
- Technische Universität München (TUM) – International graduate programs in English
- Universität Freiburg – English-language master’s programs
- Frankfurt School of Finance & Management – Range of programs taught in English
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – English-language graduate programs
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin – International master’s programs in English
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen – International graduate programs in English
- RWTH Aachen University – International master’s programs in English
- Freie Universität Berlin – International master’s programs in English
- Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn – International master’s programs in English
- Universität Hamburg – Bilingual and English-language master’s programs
- Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg – A range of master’s programs taught fully or partly in English
