English-taught degree programmes in Germany

1. Where English-taught provision actually is

The distribution is uneven in ways worth knowing before you start searching, because it determines whether your subject is realistic in English at all.

2. How to find them

Search the DAAD International Programmes database rather than general search engines. It lists language of instruction, tuition, deadlines and admission requirements per programme, which is exactly the combination you need and which university websites present inconsistently.

Cross-check anything you find against Hochschulkompass, the authoritative directory of German programmes, and against the university’s own page, which is the binding source for requirements.

3. Language and admission requirements

English-taught programmes normally require IELTS or TOEFL, at a score the individual programme sets rather than a national standard. Some accept other evidence, such as a previous degree taught in English, and some do not.

A waiver you have assumed rather than confirmed is a rejected application. If the programme page is ambiguous, email the international office and keep the written reply.

Note also that an English-taught programme can still require some German, particularly where it includes a mandatory internship or a practical placement in a German organisation.

• IELTS Academic or TOEFL iBT, at the programme’s own required score
• Sometimes accepted instead: a prior degree taught in English, or a Cambridge certificate
• Occasionally a basic German certificate alongside, for programmes with placements
• The ordinary academic requirements: subject fit, minimum grade, required credits
• APS certificate where it applies to your country of study

4. What studying in English does not spare you

This is the honest part, and the part prospective students most often discover late.

Your degree will be in English. Your tenancy agreement, your health insurance correspondence, your registration appointment, your bank’s letters, your tax forms, the notice on your building door and most part-time job adverts will be in German. So, generally, will the social life of German students on other courses.

None of this is a reason not to come. It is a reason to learn German while you are here, using the free or subsidised courses your university almost certainly offers, rather than planning to manage without.

5. Cost, and the private-institution question

A large share of English-taught Master’s programmes at public universities charge no tuition, only the semester contribution. That is the genuinely unusual thing about German higher education and the main reason to look here.

Private institutions charge full fees, and quality varies widely. Before paying anything, confirm that the institution is state-recognised (staatlich anerkannt) and that the specific degree is accredited. A degree from an unrecognised institution can create problems for both employment and residence permits.