If you want to study in Germany, you must have previously obtained the degree "Allgemeine Hochschulreife/Abitur" or "Fachhochschulreife" at a secondary school. With the Abitur you can study at universities as well as at other institutions of higher education called "Hochschule". With the Fachhochschulreife you cannot study in every university or every course of studies.

There are state universities and private universities. At private universities, tuition fees have to be paid, which vary depending on the university. At state universities no tuition fees have to be paid, but usually a relatively small fee per semester (there are two semesters per year). You can get financial support from the state for studying at a state university, for example through "Bafög" payments (Bafög = Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, Federal Law on Support in Education).  

There are free courses of study and restricted courses of study. In the case of admission-free study programmes, every applicant generally is admitted. Admission-restricted degree programmes have different admission criteria, about which you have to inform yourself in advance. These admission restrictions come into force when there are more applicants than free places for the degree programme.

In Germany you can do a Bachelor's/Master's degree program or a State Examination program (Staatsexamen). A Bachelor's degree is a basic degree followed by a further Master's degree. After the Bachelor's degree, however, you already have a first degree that qualifies you for a profession, in the form of a BA (Bachelor of Arts), BSc (Bachelor of Science) or BSEng (Bachelor of Software Engineering). Furthermore, there is the possibility to do a doctorate after the Master's degree. After successfully completing your doctorate, you will receive a doctoral degree.        

Study programmes that enable students to take up occupations in which the state has a special interest or whose employer is the state have the "Staatsexamen" degree. These include, for example, the study programs in law and medicine. The "Lehramt" course (teaching position course) can be studied as a Bachelor's, Master's or State Examination program, which again differs between the federal states. The completion of a Staatsexamen programme consists of two parts, the first examination and the second examination. The second examination usually follows the "Referendariat", which must be completed after the first examination.

Institutions of higher education in the metropolitan region

Mannheim - University and Hochschule

Heidelberg - University

Heidelberg - Hochschulen

Ludwigshafen - Hochschule

Worms - Hochschule

Worms - Volkshochschule

Speyer - University

Speyer - Volkshochschule

University programs

Map of univesity and Hochschule locations

Scholarships for Syrian students and refugees

TestAS

Kiron Open Higher Education for Refugees