Types of Higher Education institutions

General

The German system of higher education has much to offer, with a diverse array of institutions and a broad range of subjects and disciplines. There are over 300
institutions of higher education, of which more than 100 are universities and
technical universities, more than 150 are Fachhochschulen (which are similar to
universities of applied sciences), and more than 50 are colleges of art and
music.

Click here for further information from the pages of the DAAD.

Academic degrees

Currently you can study traditional five year programmes (Diplom, Magister,
Staatsexamen) or the newly-introduced international Bachelor's (3 years) and
Master's (2 years) degrees. In 2010 the whole system will change to the
international degrees. You can find further information here.

Tution fees

Tuition fees used to be unknown in Germany, but the situation has changed over
recent years. Initially, fees were introduced for long-term students, visiting
students (i.e. from other universities) and for participants of Postgraduate
and Master's programmes. Now, however, some federal states also want to charge tuition fees for first degree (undergraduate) courses, such as Bachelor's,
Diplom, or Magister programmes. As from the winter semester 2006/2007, you will, depending on your federal state and university, have to reckon with fees of
around 500 euros per semester. Further information can be found here or on the website of the relevant university.

The German University Online

The German University Online (GUO) provides international students, scholars and scientists with optimal preparation for successful study or research in Germany. It also offers prep courses for the TestDaF (German as a Foreign Language) and organises parallel courses in German that can be taken while you study.

 

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