International students find it difficult to study abroad because of the tuition fees. But in Germany, you can acquire top-notch education without paying tuition. Therefore, here are the universities in Germany that offer free tuition to international students to study. These free education universities in Germany offer international students the opportunity to acquire qualitative education.
Are you a student that has little or no financial strength but you wish to study in Germany? Here are the universities in Germany where you can study your dream course for free.
Germany continues to be home to international students for studies. In the same vein, most public universities in Germany do not charge tuition fees. This is because of the government’s full financial commitment and its quest in ensuring premium standards in education.
Additionally, institutions that charge tuition fees have implemented new laws for the fees to be less than €1,500 per year. the fees charged are very low and affordable in these schools.
What this means is that international students in Germany can study tuition-free too. While studying, you will need to pay for living expenses if you do not get additional scholarships from these universities.
What documents do I need to apply for a visa to study in Germany?
If you are a foreign student, ensure that you make inquires about the institution of your choice. Afterward, you can now apply for a student visa in the German embassy in your home country. Therefore, below are the documents that you will have to make available during your visa application:
What entry requirements do I need for a study in Germany?
The following documents must be requested for a program that is taught in English in Germany.
What universities in Germany are free for international students?
Most public universities in Germany offer free education. However, some of these universities require some charges like administrative costs, union fees, and tickets for both local and international students.
Below is the list of the tuition-free universities in Germany for international students:
#1. Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich)
The Technical University of Munich is a research university that was founded in 1868. This university in Germany that offers free education has campuses in Munich, Garching, Freising-Weihenstephan and Dover, Singapore.
TUM is a member of TU9. TU9 is an incorporated society of the largest and most notable German institutes of technology.
Furthermore, this university has a characteristic profile in the fields of Science and Engineering. TUM has links with the life sciences ranging from nutrition and food sciences, biotechnology and bioinformatics to medicine.
Most of TUM’s research and teaching come from collaborations between the disciplines. The collaboration with business and industry helps TUM to provide important contributions to Germany’s development from an agricultural land to a center of high-level technology.
In addition, TUM charges its students, union fees.
Some of the notable alumni include 17 Nobel laureates, 18 Leibniz Prize winners, and 22 IEEE Fellow Members.
Address: Arcisstraße 21, 80333 München, Germany
#2. Ludwig Maximilians University
Ludwig Maximilian University is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is the sixth-oldest university in continuous operation in Germany.
According to the 2019 Times Higher Education Ranking, LMU Munich was ranked 1st in Germany and 32nd in the world.
This university that offers free education in Germany is also one of the largest in terms of student population. Presently, the school has an enrollment of over 50,000 students.
Although, LMU Munich charges its students €65 off-hours public transportation semester ticket (for the Munich Transport and Tariff Association, MVV).
Notable alumni include Wilhelm Röntgen, Max Planck, Pope Benedict XVI, and Otto Hahn.
Address: Munich, Bavaria, Germany
#3. Heidelberg University
Heidelberg University (the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. This free university in Germany was established in 1386 on the instruction of Pope Urban VI. This institution s the oldest university in Germany.
Each year, more than one-third of the 1,000 doctorates that are completed comes from international students. Of the entire student body, international students from over 130 countries account for more than 20 percent of it.
On the other hand, the 2020 Times Higher Education Ranking puts Heidelberg University #3 in Germany and #44 in the world. Additionally, QS World University Rankings in 2019 put Heidelberg University #3 in Germany and #64 in the world.
Address: 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
#4. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is a public research university that was established in 2009. It is one of the biggest research institutions in Germany.
The institution admits students by the quality of their school degree and their extracurricular activities for courses including industrial engineering and management. other departments do not preselect for their courses, including physics, informatics, and meteorology.
In the same vein, all courses at KIT require a minimum number of successful exams called orientation assessments, in the first three semesters. Students must pass this exam before the institution allows them to complete their course.
KIT is a low-tuition fee university in Germany that requires international students to pay a compulsory tuition of EUR 1,500.
Furthermore, the institution has an affiliation with six Noble laureates and the notable alumni at KIT include Heinrich Hertz, Karl Friedrich Benz and the founders of SAP SE.
Address: 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
#5. Humboldt University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin was established in 1810 by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, and Friedrich Ernst Daniel Schleiermacher.
This free education university in Germany has a student enrollment of around 32,000. It offers degree programs in some 189 disciplines from undergraduate to postdoctorate level.
On the other hand, Humboldt University has 9 faculties with its main campus on the Unter den Linden boulevard in central Berlin. Humboldt University is known worldwide for introducing the Humboldtian model of higher education which now has a strong influence on other European and Western universities
Address: Unter den Linden 6, 10117 Berlin, Germany
#6. Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin is a research university in Berlin, Germany that was founded in 1948. This free tuition university is known for its research into the humanities, social sciences, and natural and life sciences.
Also, Free University offers admission to 4,300 annually because of how competitive the admission is at the institution. The university does not charge tuition fees. Students at Free University are obliged to pay an enrollment fee, Studentenwerk, and semester ticket fee (public transportation pass) for the current semester.
If you come to external endowments by the DFG, this university ranks third behind the RWTH Aachen University and LMU Munich.
Currently, the Free University of Berlin has over 400 partnerships in five continents with most of them as part of the European ERASMUS program.
Address: Kaiserswerther Str. 16-18, 14195 Berlin, Germany
#7. RWTH Aachen University
RWTH Aachen University is a research university in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany that was founded in 1870. It has an enrollment of over 45,000 students. This university is the largest technical university in Germany.
This free tuition university in Germany offers 144 study programs through its 10 faculties and 260 institutes. it is the largest technical university in Germany.
The university is run by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In the past, the institution requests its students to pay €500 per semester as tuition fees. Though, only long-term students and second studies paid the tuition fees.
However, the tuition fees were abolished on February 24, 2011, by the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Address: Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany
#8. Technical University of Berlin
The Berlin Institute of Technology is a research university in Berlin, Germany that was founded in 1879. It is Germany’s first university to adopt the name “Technische Universität”.
TU Berlin has an enrollment of 33,933 students with seven schools offering 90 subjects.
This institution has one of the highest proportions of international students in Germany. Besides, the Berlin Institute of Technology is not a free university in Germany. Students pay a low tuition fee depending on the program they are offering.
Notable alumni and professors at the university include US National Academies members, two National Medal of Science laureates, and seven Nobel Prize winners.
Address: Straße des 17. Juni 135, 10623 Berlin, Germany
#9. University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen (Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen) is a public research university in Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is one of eleven German Universities of Excellence.
The Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research at Tübingen deals with general, cognitive and cellular neurology, and neurodegeneration. Then, the Centre for Interdisciplinary Clinical Research deals basically with cell biology in diagnostics and therapy of organ system diseases.
Although, this university is free for German citizens but international students who wish to study here pay a low tuition fee of 3,000 euros.
Additionally, the 2019 The Times Higher Education Supplement rankings put Tübingen at 89th and 48th in the subject Arts and Humanities. Then, the 2017 US News Best Global Universities and QS World University Rankings put Tübingen among the best ten universities in Germany.
Notable alumni include presidents, ministers, EU Commissioners, and judges of the Federal Constitutional Court.
Address: Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
#10. Albert Ludwig University
The Albert Ludwig University (University of Freiburg) is a public research university in Baden-Württemberg, Germany that was established in 1457.
The institution has 11 faculties that offer a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral degree programs in 150 fields of study.
Finally, Albert Ludwig University in Germany is not a free university for international students. This is because both EU and non-EU students at the institution pay a semester fee of 155 EUR for all undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. Presently, non-EU students pay 1500 EUR tuition fee per semester.
Address: Fahnenbergplatz, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
#11. Georg-Augusta University of Göttingen
The Georg-August University of Göttingen (University of Göttingen) is a public research university in Göttingen, Germany that was established in 1737.
This university in Germany offers free tuition to its students. The only fee which the University of Göttingen charges its students is €355.31 which is for enrollment and registration.
Address: Wilhelmsplatz 1, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
#12. University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg was established in 1919 through the combination of the previous General Lecture System, the Colonial Institute of Hamburg, and the Academic College.
UHH has six faculties that are offering 149 different majors with approximately 700 professors that are involved in teaching and research.
The Times Higher Education ranks UHH among the top 200 universities in the world. Additionally, the U.S. News & World Report ranks University of Hamburg 7th while QS World University Rankings places it on 14th in Germany.
Address: 20146 Hamburg, Germany
#13. University of Bonn
The University of Bonn is a public research university in Bonn, Germany that was established in its present form as the Rhein-Universität in 1818.
It offers many undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of subjects and has 544 professors and 32,500 students. Out of this total population of students, 4,000 are international students.
Notable alumni include Pope Benedict XVI, Karl Marx, Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Heine, and Heinrich Hertz.
Address: Regina-Pacis-Weg 3, 53113 Bonn, Germany
Conclusion
Tuition fees always pose a great challenge to any student that wishes to study abroad. This is because most universities abroad charge international students higher tuition fees except on a scholarship basis.
However, in this article, you will find out that most public universities in Germany offer free education to both EU and non-EU students.
We hope that this article helps a lot for students that wish to acquire a degree in Germany.
FAQs on the Free Tuition Universities in Germany
Is University in Germany free for international students?
Most of the universities in Germany are public and they do not charge tuition fees. You will only have to pay an administration/registration fee which usually costs between 100 – 350 EUR persemester.
Can I study in Germany without knowing the German language?
Yes, you can study in Germany without knowing their language. However, there are few universities that offer few courses in English (check www.daad.de for more details).
What are the best universities in Germany for international students?
1. Free University of Berlin
2. Ludwig Maximilian University
3. The Munich University of Technology
4. RWTH Aachen University
5. Technical University of Berlin
References
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